Granite County is a county located in the U.S. state of Montana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,309.[2] Its county seat is Philipsburg.[3] The county was founded in 1893, and was named for a mountain which contains the Granite Mountain silver mine.[4]
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,733 square miles (4,490 km2), of which 1,727 square miles (4,470 km2) is land and 5.6 square miles (15 km2) (0.3%) is water.[5]
As of the 2010 census, there were 3,079 people, 1,417 households, and 911 families living in the county. The population density was 1.8 inhabitants per square mile (0.69/km2). There were 2,822 housing units at an average density of 1.6 per square mile (0.62/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 97.5% white, 0.4% American Indian, 0.1% black or African American, 0.1% Asian, 0.2% from other races, and 1.7% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.4% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 26.2% were German, 20.2% were Irish, 18.8% were English, 13.5% were Norwegian, and 7.9% were American.
Of the 1,417 households, 19.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.3% were married couples living together, 5.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 35.7% were non-families, and 29.5% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.14 and the average family size was 2.63. The median age was 52.1 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $36,052 and the median income for a family was $47,685. Males had a median income of $41,307 versus $23,958 for females. The per capita income for the county was $23,222. About 7.5% of families and 12.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.4% of those under age 18 and 13.3% of those age 65 or over.
Loen, J.S., M.J. Blaskowski, and J.E. Elliott. (1989). Geology and mineral deposits of the Miners Gulch Area, Granite County, Montana [U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 1791]. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey.