Prairie County
County
Downtown Terry, Montana during a typical snowy day.
Location within the U.S. state of Montana
Montana's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 46°51′N 105°22′W / 46.85°N 105.37°W / 46.85; -105.37
Country	United States
State	Montana
Founded	February 5, 1915
Named for	Prairie landscape
Seat	Terry
Largest town	Terry
Area
• Total	1,743 sq mi (4,510 km2)
• Land	1,737 sq mi (4,500 km2)
• Water	5.8 sq mi (15 km2)  0.3%
Population  (2020)
• Total	1,088
• Estimate  (2022)	1,107
• Density	0.6/sq mi (0.2/km2)
Time zone	UTC−7 (Mountain)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−6 (MDT)
Congressional district	2nd
Website	visitterrymt.com (Terry Chamber of Commerce)
Montana county number 45

Prairie County is a county in the U.S. state of Montana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,088,^[1] making it the fifth-least populous county in Montana.^{[citation needed]} Its county seat is Terry.^[2] Prairie County was created by the Montana Legislature in 1915 out of parts of Custer, Dawson, and Fallon Counties. The name was selected in a contest and reflects the predominant landscape of the region.^[3]

The county was the site of the 1938 Custer Creek train wreck that killed 47 people and injured 75.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,743 square miles (4,510 km²), of which 1,737 square miles (4,500 km²) is land and 5.8 square miles (15 km²) (0.3%) is water.^[4]

Major highways

• Interstate 94
• Montana Highway 253

Adjacent counties

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2000 census, there were 1,088 people living in the county.^{[citation needed]}

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 1,179 people, 551 households, and 342 families in the county. The population density was 0.7 inhabitants per square mile (0.27/km²). There were 673 housing units at an average density of 0.4 per square mile (0.15/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 96.4% white, 0.5% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 0.2% from other races, and 2.8% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.4% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 44.7% were German, 18.6% were Norwegian, 14.1% were American, 11.8% were Irish, and 9.5% were English.

Of the 551 households, 18.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.9% were married couples living together, 4.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 37.9% were non-families, and 34.1% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.10 and the average family size was 2.67. The median age was 53.6 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $34,896 and the median income for a family was $43,500. Males had a median income of $28,438 versus $21,964 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,296. About 12.4% of families and 16.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 34.6% of those under age 18 and 14.5% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

Voters in Prairie County have voted for Republican Party candidates in all national elections since 1948 (as of 2020).

Communities

Town

• Terry (county seat)

Census-designated place

• Fallon

Other communities