Deer Lodge was one of the original 9 Montana counties, as constituted with the establishment of the Montana Territory in 1864.[4] The original county included what are now Silver Bow County (separated in 1881[5]), Deer Lodge County, Granite County (separated in 1893) and Powell County (separated in 1901[6]).
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has an area of 741 square miles (1,920 km2), of which 737 square miles (1,910 km2) is land and 4.7 square miles (12 km2) (0.6%) is water.[7] It is the second-smallest county in Montana by area.
The county has a wealth of natural amenities, such as the Anaconda Mountain Range, Georgetown Lake, and the Mount Haggin wildlife management area (Montana's largest at 54,000 acres).[8]
As of the 2010 census, there were 9,298 people, 4,018 households, and 2,350 families living in the county. The population density was 12.6 inhabitants per square mile (4.9/km2). There were 5,122 housing units at an average density of 7.0 units per square mile (2.7 units/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 93.1% white, 3.1% American Indian, 0.4% black or African American, 0.3% Asian, 0.5% from other races, and 2.5% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 2.9% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 30.2% were German, 26.2% were Irish, 9.2% were English, 8.5% were Norwegian, 5.9% were Italian, 5.2% were Swedish, and 2.6% were American.
Of the 4,018 households, 22.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.8% were married couples living together, 9.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 41.5% were non-families, and 36.1% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.11 and the average family size was 2.73. The median age was 46.0 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $35,310 and the median income for a family was $51,076. Males had a median income of $32,477 versus $26,250 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,921. About 9.6% of families and 21.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 30.6% of those under age 18 and 6.9% of those age 65 or over.
Government and politics
Deer Lodge County is the most consistently Democratic county in Montana when it comes to presidential elections. It has not supported a Republican candidate since Calvin Coolidge in 1924.[14] In the last five elections the Democratic candidate has won by 21% to nearly 49% of Deer Lodge County's vote. However, in 2016, Hillary Clinton failed to garner a majority of the votes. This was the first time a Democrat had not obtained a majority since 1924.[15] In gubernatorial elections the last most recent Republican to carry the county was Marc Racicot in the 1996 election. In that election the original Democratic nominee, Chet Blaylock, died and Marc Racicot carried every county.[16]
Deer Lodge County is currently in the 39th district of the Montana Senate along with Granite County and portions of Powell and Silver Bow counties. It has been represented by Republican Terry Vermeire since 2023, having flipped the traditionally Democratic seat by a 752 vote margin. Vermeire defeated Democrat Jesse Mullen, executive of the Mullen Newspaper Company from Deer Lodge (city) in the 2022 special election.[17] Jessica Wicks, Democratic incumbent appointed to fulfill Mark Sweeney's term following his May 2022 death, did not win appointment from the local Democratic Party to be their November nominee.[18]
In the Montana House of Representatives, most of the county is in the 77th district and has been represented by Republican John Fitzpatrick since 2023, who won an upset against incumbent Democrat Sara Novak by a margin of 47. This marks the first time since 1945 that Anaconda has been represented by a Republican in the state House of Representatives.[19] Part of the county is also in the 78th district, represented by Republican Gregory Frazer.[17]
From 2025 to 2033, Deer Lodge County will be in House District 71 (along with Walkerville) and Senate District 36 (along with Walkerville and part of Butte). These districts are expected to be more Democratic than the current districts used since 2014.[20]
United States presidential election results for Deer Lodge County, Montana[21]
Powell County Museum and Arts Foundation: Historic Action Committee (1989). Powell County: Where It All Began. Powell County Museum and Arts Foundation.
United States
Montana
