Madison County is a county in the U.S. state of Montana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 8,623. Its county seat is Virginia City. The county was founded in 1865; at the time it was part of the Montana Territory.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has an area of 3603 sqmi, of which 3587 sqmi is land and 15 sqmi (0.4%) is water.

Major highways

Adjacent counties

National protected areas

Politics

In presidential elections, Madison County has historically voted predominantly Republican, with Franklin D. Roosevelt the only Democrat to carry the vote since 1916, the last of the three times he did so being in 1940.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 8,623 people living in the county.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 7,691 people, 3,560 households, and 2,192 families residing in the county. The population density was 2.1 PD/sqmi. There were 6,940 housing units at an average density of 1.9 /mi2. The racial makeup of the county was 96.8% white, 0.5% American Indian, 0.3% Asian, 0.2% black or African American, 0.8% from other races, and 1.4% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 2.4% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 31.0% were German, 19.7% were English, 18.9% were Irish, 7.3% were Norwegian, 5.9% were Swedish, 5.0% were Scottish, and 2.9% were American. Of the 3,560 households, 21.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.9% were married couples living together, 4.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 38.4% were non-families, and 32.6% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.11 and the average family size was 2.67. The median age was 49.8 years. The median income for a household in the county was $42,998 and the median income for a family was $52,636. Males had a median income of $38,495 versus $28,125 for females. The per capita income for the county was $32,205. About 8.5% of families and 11.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.7% of those under age 18 and 9.8% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Towns

Census-designated places

Other unincorporated communities

Former communities

Education

K-12 school districts: Sheridan Public Schools has two components: Sheridan Elementary School District and Sheridan High School District. Whitehall Public Schools has two components: Whitehall Elementary School District and Whitehall High School District. Secondary school districts: Elementary school districts:

Notable person