Toole County, Montana


Toole County is a county in the northern portion of the U.S. state of Montana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 4,971. Its county seat is Shelby. The county was established in 1914 from parts of Hill County and Teton County and was named after Joseph Toole, the first and fourth governor of Montana. Its northern boundary is the Canada–United States border south of Alberta.
WWW toolecountymt.gov

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which is land and is water.
Its northern boundary is the Canada–United States border. A part of its southern boundary by the southwestern county corner is formed by Marias River, which flows eastward through the southern part of the county. In the eastern part are several creeks, the largest of which is Willow, which rises in the Sweet Grass Hills and follows a southerly course through the county. In the Sweet Grass Hills and elsewhere indications of oil and gas have been found.

Major highways

Adjacent counties

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 4,971. Of the residents, 20.1% were under the age of 18 and 18.0% were 65 years of age or older; the median age was 41.0 years. For every 100 females there were 135.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 143.8 males. 0.0% of residents lived in urban areas and 100.0% lived in rural areas.
The racial makeup of the county was 85.9% White, 0.6% Black or African American, 7.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% Asian, 0.9% from some other race, and 4.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 3.6% of the population.
There were 1,748 households in the county, of which 24.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 23.8% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 34.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 2,320 housing units, of which 24.7% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 68.5% were owner-occupied and 31.5% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 5.6% and the rental vacancy rate was 21.5%.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 5,324 people, 2,015 households, and 1,246 families in the county. The population density was. There were 2,336 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the county was 92.0% white, 4.5% American Indian, 0.5% black or African American, 0.4% Asian, 0.6% from other races, and 1.9% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 2.4% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 30.8% were German, 17.7% were Irish, 15.8% were English, 10.5% were Norwegian, and 3.6% were American.
Of the 2,015 households, 27.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.8% were married couples living together, 7.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 38.2% were non-families, and 34.3% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.88. The median age was 41.5 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $42,949 and the median income for a family was $54,722. Males had a median income of $41,490 versus $32,582 for females. The per capita income for the county was $20,464. About 11.3% of families and 15.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.2% of those under age 18 and 8.0% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

Toole County voters have only selected Republican Party candidates in national elections since 1964.

Communities

City

Towns

Census-designated places

Other unincorporated communities

Notable people