Carbon County is a county located in the U.S. state of Montana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 10,473. Its county seat is Red Lodge.
Carbon County is part of the Billings, MT Metropolitan Statistical Area.
History Carbon County was named for the rich coal deposits found in the area. It was organized on March 4, 1895, from portions of Park and Yellowstone counties.
Land from Park and Yellowstone counties was used to form Carbon County on March 4, 1895. More than sixty federally designated historic sites are located in the county, including Petroglyph Canyon, one of the state's most important rock art sites.Vincent, William B. National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Petroglyph Canyon. National Park Service, September 4, 1974, 3.
The first commercial oil well in the state was established in Elk Basin fields in 1915.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.6%) is water.
Granite Peak, the state's highest mountain, is found in Carbon County's Beartooth Mountains. The Beartooth Highway, one of the "most spectacular alpine highways", links Red Lodge to Cooke City. The Pryor Mountains are in the east of the county, along with the Big Horn River.
Major highways
U.S. Highway 212 U.S. Highway 310 Montana Highway 72 Montana Highway 78
Adjacent counties
Park County - west Stillwater County - north Yellowstone County - northeast Big Horn County - east Big Horn County, Wyoming - southeast Park County, Wyoming - south
National protected areas Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area (part) Custer National Forest (part) Gallatin National Forest (part)
Politics Carbon County has voted Republican in every presidential election since 1968.
Demographics
2020 census As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 10,473, with 18.8% of residents under the age of 18 and 25.6% aged 65 or older; the median age was 50.0 years. For every 100 females there were 102.1 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 103.0 males. None of the residents lived in urban areas and 100.0% lived in rural areas.
The racial makeup of the county was 92.8% White, 0.2% Black or African American, 1.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% Asian, 0.7% from some other race, and 5.0% from two or more races; Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 2.5% of the population.
There were 4,694 households, of which 21.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 20.9% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 31.5% 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 6,359 housing units, of which 26.2% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 77.1% were owner-occupied and 22.9% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.7% and the rental vacancy rate was 11.7%.
2010 census As of the 2010 census, there were 10,078 people, 4,571 households, and 2,884 families living in the county. The population density was . There were 6,441 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 97.2% white, 0.8% American Indian, 0.3% black or African American, 0.2% Asian, 0.4% from other races, and 1.0% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.9% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 32.3% were German, 16.2% were Irish, 14.5% were English, 12.6% were American, and 6.6% were Norwegian.
Of the 4,571 households, 23.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.4% were married couples living together, 6.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 36.9% were non-families, and 31.2% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.19 and the average family size was 2.74. The median age was 48.1 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $49,010 and the median income for a family was $59,823. Males had a median income of $41,241 versus $26,150 for females. The per capita income for the county was $24,983. About 8.1% of families and 12.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.1% of those under age 18 and 11.1% of those age 65 or over. Economy During the early history of Carbon County, coal mining was the predominant industry. The current economy relies on agriculture, recreation, and tourism.
In 2009 the top employers were Beartooth Hospital & Health Center, Red Lodge Mountain, and the Red Lodge Pizza Company.
In December 2014, construction began on a large windfarm, Mud Springs Wind Ranch, with 120 wind turbines, southeast of Bridger.
Communities
City Red Lodge (county seat)
Towns
Bearcreek Bridger Fromberg Joliet
Census-designated places
Belfry Boyd Edgar Fox Luther (originally Linley) Montaqua Roberts Rockvale Roscoe (originally Morris) Silesia
Unincorporated communities
AlpineAlpine, Carbon County MT Google Maps (accessed December 31, 2018) Bowler George PlaceGeorge Place, Carbon County MT Google Maps (accessed December 31, 2018) Peterson PlacePeterson Place, Carbon County MT Google Maps (accessed December 31, 2018) Richel LodgeRichel Lodge, Carbon County MT Google Maps (accessed December 31, 2018) SelmesSelmes, Carbon County MT Google Maps (accessed December 31, 2018) Warren Washoe
Former communities
Carbonado Chance Chickentown Fairbanks Gebo (originally Coalville) Golden International New Caledonia Riverview Scotch Coulee Stringtown
See also List of lakes in Carbon County, Montana List of mountains in Carbon County, Montana National Register of Historic Places listings in Carbon County, Montana
References
External links County government website Homepage of the Carbon County News Carbon County Sheriff's Office