Powell County is a county in the U.S. state of Montana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 6,946. Its county seat is Deer Lodge.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 2332.7 sqmi, of which 2326.4 sqmi is land and 6.3 sqmi (0.3%) is water.

Major highways

Adjacent counties

National protected areas

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 6,946 people living in the county.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 7,027 people, 2,466 households, and 1,582 families in the county. The population density was 3.0 PD/sqmi. There were 3,105 housing units at an average density of 1.3 /mi2. The racial makeup of the county was 92.4% white, 4.4% American Indian, 1.0% black or African American, 0.5% Asian, 0.4% from other races, and 1.3% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.7% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 27.9% were German, 19.1% were Irish, 14.6% were English, 8.5% were Norwegian, and 4.7% were American. Of the 2,466 households, 26.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.8% were married couples living together, 8.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 35.8% were non-families, and 32.2% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.23 and the average family size was 2.79. The median age was 45.1 years. The median income for a household in the county was $39,851 and the median income for a family was $45,339. Males had a median income of $30,163 versus $24,837 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,849. About 12.3% of families and 17.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 32.4% of those under age 18 and 13.0% of those age 65 or over.

Government and infrastructure

The current Montana State Prison facility is located in an unincorporated area in the county, near Deer Lodge. Powell County voters have supported Republican Party candidates in every national election since 1964.

Communities

City

Census-designated places

Other unincorporated communities

Education

Elementary school districts include: All areas in the county are in the Powell County High School District. Deer Lodge School District has two components: Deer Lodge Elementary School District and Powell County High School District.