List of counties in Montana

Counties of Montana
LN FH LK SA MN MS RV GR PW DL BV SB MD JE GA BW LC TE PN GL TO LB HL CH CS JB MG PK SW SG WL GV FE BL PH PE MU YL CA BH TR RB GF VY DN SH RO MC RL DW PA CU PR CT FA WX
Location	State of Montana
Number	56
Populations	485 (Petroleum) – 155,634 (Yellowstone)
Areas	718 square miles (1,860 km^2) (Silver Bow) – 5,543 square miles (14,360 km^2) (Beaverhead)
Government	County government
Subdivisions	cities, towns, townships, unincorporated communities, indian reservations, census designated place

This is a list of the 56 counties in the U.S. state of Montana. Montana has two consolidated city-counties—Anaconda with Deer Lodge County and Butte with Silver Bow County. The portion of Yellowstone National Park that lies within Montana was not part of any county until 1978, when part of it was nominally added to Gallatin County, and the rest of it to Park County. Eight counties of the state are composed of two or more words.

Montana's postal abbreviation is MT and its FIPS state code is 30.

Counties

The Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) code, which is used by the United States government to uniquely identify counties, is provided for each county. The FIPS code for each county links to census data for that county.

County	INCITS [1]	County seat [2]	Established [2]	Origin	Etymology	Population [3]	Area	Map
Beaverhead County	001	Dillon	1864	Original County	Beaverhead Rock in the Jefferson River, which is shaped like a beaver's head.[4]	9,345	5,543 sq mi (14,356 km^2)
Big Horn County	003	Hardin	1913	Rosebud County, Yellowstone County	Bighorn sheep in the area.[5][6]	13,282	4,995 sq mi (12,937 km^2)
Blaine County	005	Chinook	1895	Chouteau County	James G. Blaine (1830 - 1893), United States Secretary of State and presidential candidate.[7]	6,619	4,226 sq mi (10,945 km^2)
Broadwater County	007	Townsend	1897	Jefferson County, Meagher County	Charles A. Broadwater (1840 - 1892), a pioneer in the area and colonel in the United States Army.[8]	5,667	1,192 sq mi (3,087 km^2)
Carbon County	009	Red Lodge	1895	Park County, Yellowstone County	Coal deposits in the area.[6]	10,399	2,048 sq mi (5,304 km^2)
Carter County	011	Ekalaka	1917	Fallon County	Thomas Henry Carter (1854 - 1911), a U.S. Senator from Montana.[9]	1,169	3,340 sq mi (8,651 km^2)
Cascade County	013	Great Falls	1887	Chouteau County, Meagher County	Great Falls of the Missouri River.	82,344	2,698 sq mi (6,988 km^2)
Chouteau County	015	Fort Benton	1865	Original County	Jean Pierre Chouteau (1758 - 1849) and his son Pierre Chouteau, Jr. (1789 - 1865). They were part of the Chouteau fur-trading family.	5,894	3,973 sq mi (10,290 km^2)
Custer County	017	Miles City	1865	Big Horn County	George Armstrong Custer (1839 - 1876), United States Army officer	12,092	3,783 sq mi (9,798 km^2)
Daniels County	019	Scobey	1920	Sheridan County, Valley County	Mansfield A. Daniels, an early rancher and storekeeper	1,793	1,426 sq mi (3,693 km^2)
Dawson County	021	Glendive	1865	Unorganized lands	Andrew Dawson, a trapping official and major in the United States Army	9,518	2,373 sq mi (6,146 km^2)
Deer Lodge County	023	Anaconda	1864	Original County	Deer Lodge Valley, which in turn was either named for the Native American name "Lodge of the White-tailed Deer" or a salt lick where deer came in droves	9,150	737 sq mi (1,909 km^2)
Fallon County	025	Baker	1913	Custer County	Benjamin O'Fallon, a Federal Native American agent	3,108	1,620 sq mi (4,196 km^2)
Fergus County	027	Lewistown	1885	Original County	Andrew Fergus, one of the first settlers in the county	11,442	4,339 sq mi (11,238 km^2)
Flathead County	029	Kalispell	1893	Missoula County	Flathead Native Americans	94,924	5,099 sq mi (13,206 km^2)
Gallatin County	031	Bozeman	1864	Original County	Albert Gallatin (1791 - 1849), the United States Secretary of the Treasury at the time of the Lewis and Clark Expedition	97,308	2,507 sq mi (6,493 km^2)
Garfield County	033	Jordan	1919	Dawson County	James A. Garfield (1831 - 1881), the twentieth President of the United States	1,309	4,668 sq mi (12,090 km^2)
Glacier County	035	Cut Bank	1919	Teton County	Glacier National Park, which borders the county	13,696	2,995 sq mi (7,757 km^2)
Golden Valley County	037	Ryegate	1920	Musselshell County, Sweet Grass County	Probably named in a promotional attempt to lure settlers to the area	852	1,175 sq mi (3,043 km^2)
Granite County	039	Philipsburg	1893	Deer Lodge County, Missoula County	Named for the granite rock which is common in the area's mountains and also held the area's rich gold and silver ore; the old mining town of Granite shared the name.[10]	3,209	1,728 sq mi (4,475 km^2)
Hill County	041	Havre	1912	Chouteau County	James J. Hill (1838 - 1916), a leading railroad tycoon	16,596	2,896 sq mi (7,501 km^2)
Jefferson County	043	Boulder	1864	Original County	Thomas Jefferson (1743 - 1826), the third President of the United States	11,558	1,657 sq mi (4,292 km^2)
Judith Basin County	045	Stanford	1920	Cascade County, Fergus County	The Judith River which was in turn named by William Clark for Julia "Judith" Hancock, whom he would later marry	1,991	1,870 sq mi (4,843 km^2)
Lake County	047	Polson	1923	Flathead County, Missoula County	Flathead Lake	29,099	1,494 sq mi (3,869 km^2)
Lewis and Clark County	049	Helena	1864	Original County	Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, the famous explorers	65,856	3,461 sq mi (8,964 km^2)
Liberty County	051	Chester	1920	Chouteau County, Hill County	The sentiment of the inhabitants when the county was formed soon after World War I	2,359	1,430 sq mi (3,704 km^2)
Lincoln County	053	Libby	1909	Flathead County	Abraham Lincoln (1809 - 1865), the 16th President of the United States	19,125	3,613 sq mi (9,358 km^2)
McCone County	055	Circle	1919	Dawson County, Richland County	George McCone, a Montana state senator who helped create the county	1,694	2,643 sq mi (6,845 km^2)
Madison County	057	Virginia City	1864	Original County	James Madison (1751 - 1836), the fourth President of the United States and the Secretary of State at the time of the Lewis and Clark Expedition	7,820	3,587 sq mi (9,290 km^2)
Meagher County	059	White Sulphur Springs	1867	Chouteau County, Gallatin County	Thomas Francis Meagher (1823 - 1867), an acting Governor of the Montana Territory	1,853	2,392 sq mi (6,195 km^2)
Mineral County	061	Superior	1914	Missoula County	Many mines and mining prospects within the county	4,257	1,220 sq mi (3,160 km^2)
Missoula County	063	Missoula	1864	Original County	Supposedly a contraction of the Flathead word, "im-i-sul-e-etiku", meaning "by or near the place of fear or ambush", a reference to Hell Gate Canyon, in which Flathead Native Americans were sometimes attacked by Blackfeet	112,684	2,598 sq mi (6,729 km^2)
Musselshell County	065	Roundup	1911	Fergus County, Meagher County, Yellowstone County	The Musselshell River, named in turn by the Lewis and Clark Expedition presumably due to mussels found on its banks	4,589	1,867 sq mi (4,836 km^2)
Park County	067	Livingston	1887	Gallatin County	Nearby Yellowstone National Park	15,880	2,656 sq mi (6,879 km^2)
Petroleum County	069	Winnett	1926	Fergus County	The production of petroleum at Cat Creek	485	1,654 sq mi (4,284 km^2)
Phillips County	071	Malta	1915	Blaine County, Valley County	B.D. Phillips, a leading rancher and early pioneer in the county	4,192	5,140 sq mi (13,313 km^2)
Pondera County	073	Conrad	1919	Chouteau County, Teton County	Originally pend d'oreille, French words meaning "ear pendant"; the name was changed to a form resembling the phonetic spelling to avoid confusion with the lake and town of the same name in Idaho and of a county in Washington.	6,219	1,625 sq mi (4,209 km^2)
Powder River County	075	Broadus	1919	Custer County	The Powder River, named in turn for the gunpowder-like sand on its shores	1,783	3,297 sq mi (8,539 km^2)
Powell County	077	Deer Lodge	1901	Deer Lodge County	Mount Powell, which in turn was named for John Wesley Powell (1834 - 1902), the early environmentalist and explorer	6,909	2,326 sq mi (6,024 km^2)
Prairie County	079	Terry	1915	Dawson County, Fallon County	The county's location on the Great Plains	1,148	1,737 sq mi (4,499 km^2)
Ravalli County	081	Hamilton	1893	Missoula County	Anthony Ravalli (1812 - 1884), a Jesuit missionary who came to the area in 1845	41,030	2,394 sq mi (6,200 km^2)
Richland County	083	Sidney	1914	Dawson County	Named so as to depict fertile soil, in an attempt to lure in settlers	11,576	2,084 sq mi (5,398 km^2)
Roosevelt County	085	Wolf Point	1919	Sheridan County	Theodore Roosevelt (1858 - 1919), the twenty-sixth President of the United States	11,332	2,356 sq mi (6,102 km^2)
Rosebud County	087	Forsyth	1901	Custer County	The Rosebud River, which was named for the many wild roses along its banks	9,326	5,012 sq mi (12,981 km^2)
Sanders County	089	Thompson Falls	1905	Missoula County	Wilbur Fiske Sanders (1834 - 1905), a pioneer, vigilante, and U.S. Senator from Montana	11,364	2,762 sq mi (7,154 km^2)
Sheridan County	091	Plentywood	1913	Valley County	Philip Sheridan (1831 - 1888), Civil War general	3,696	1,677 sq mi (4,343 km^2)
Silver Bow County	093	Butte	1881	Deer Lodge County	Silver Bow Creek; there are multiple theories explaining how the creek got its name	34,680	718 sq mi (1,860 km^2)
Stillwater County	095	Columbus	1913	Carbon County, Sweet Grass County, Yellowstone County	Stillwater River, ironically named for its very fast current	9,290	1,795 sq mi (4,649 km^2)
Sweet Grass County	097	Big Timber	1895	Meagher County, Park County, Yellowstone County	The abundant sweet grass in the county	3,665	1,855 sq mi (4,804 km^2)
Teton County	099	Choteau	1893	Chouteau County	The Teton Range which is in turn named for the French word for 'breast', teton.	6,064	2,273 sq mi (5,887 km^2)
Toole County	101	Shelby	1914	Hill County, Teton County	Joseph Toole (1851 - 1929), the first and fourth Governor of Montana	5,150	1,911 sq mi (4,949 km^2)
Treasure County	103	Hysham	1919	Rosebud County	Named promotionally to attract new settlers	692	979 sq mi (2,536 km^2)
Valley County	105	Glasgow	1893	Dawson County	Much of the county lies within the valley of the Milk River	7,640	4,921 sq mi (12,745 km^2)
Wheatland County	107	Harlowton	1917	Meagher County, Sweet Grass County	The many wheat fields in the county	2,102	1,423 sq mi (3,686 km^2)
Wibaux County	109	Wibaux	1914	Dawson County, Fallon County, Richland County	Pierre Wibaux (1858 - 1913), a pioneer and cattleman	1,121	889 sq mi (2,302 km^2)
Yellowstone County	111	Billings	1893	Custer County	The Yellowstone River, named in turn for the yellow rocks found along its shores	155,634	2,635 sq mi (6,825 km^2)

Defunct County

• Yellowstone National Park (1872–1978)

References

1. "EPA County FIPS Code Listing". EPA.gov. Retrieved 2008-02-23.
2. National Association of Counties. "NACo - Find a county". Retrieved 2007-04-26.
3. "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Selected Age Groups by Sex for the United States, States, Counties, and Puerto Rico Commonwealth and Municipios: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2014". American FactFinder. U. S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 31 October 2015.
4. Muntmyler, L. E. (April 1914). "An Enjoyable Water Trip?". Hunter-Trader-Trapper (Columbus, Ohio: A. R. Harding): 52.
5. Greene, Jerome; Hedren, Paul (Foreword) (2008). Stricken Field: The Little Bighorn Since 1876 (Hardcover). Norman, Oklahoma: University of Oklahoma Press. p. 263. ISBN 978-0-8061-3791-9. Cite uses deprecated parameter |coauthors= (help)
6. Hill, Thomas (1915). The Open Door To Independence. Chicago, Illinois: Hill Standard Book Company. p. 225.
7. Fay, Robert; Branson, Carl (director) (1959). "Oklahoma Geological Survey" (PDF). Ogs.edu. Cite uses deprecated parameter |coauthors= (help)
8. Guidebook … Annual Field Conference (13): 143. 1962. Townsend, Montana lies in the central part of Townsend Valley at an elevation of 3833 and is the county seat of Broadwater County. The town was named for an official of the Northern Pacific Railroad. The county was named for Colonel Charles A. Broadwater, an early pioneer. Missing or empty |title= (help)
9. http://www.cartercountymt.info/
10. "Montana Place Names from Alzada to Zortman". Montana Place Names Companion Website. Montana Historical Society and Montana State Library. Retrieved 31 October 2015.