Lincoln County, Montana facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lincoln County
U.S. county
Lincoln County Courthouse
Location within the U.S. state of Montana
Montana's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Montana
Founded	March 9, 1909
Named for	Abraham Lincoln
Seat	Libby
Largest city	Libby
Area
• Total	3,675 sq mi (9,520 km2)
• Land	3,613 sq mi (9,360 km2)
• Water	62 sq mi (160 km2)  1.7%
Population  (2020)
• Total	19,677
• Estimate  (2022)	21,525
• Density	5.3543/sq mi (2.0673/km2)
Time zone	UTC−7 (Mountain)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−6 (MDT)
Congressional district	1st
Montana county number 56, the highest county number

Lincoln County is a county located in the U.S. state of Montana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 19,677. Its county seat is Libby. The county was founded in 1909 and named for President Abraham Lincoln. The county lies on Montana's north border and thus shares the US-Canadian border with the Canadian province of British Columbia.

This heavily wooded and mountainous county once was part of Flathead County until residents of Libby and Eureka petitioned the state legislature for separation. Libby won an election over Eureka to host the county seat.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 3,675 square miles (9,520 km²), of which 3,615 square miles (9,360 km²) is land and 62 square miles (160 km²) (1.7%) is water. The county borders the Canadian province of British Columbia to the north. The lowest point in the state of Montana is located on the Kootenai River in Lincoln County, where it flows out of Montana and into Idaho. Upstream, Libby Dam backs up huge Lake Koocanusa (combination name of Kootenai, Canada, USA) into Canada's British Columbia.

Adjacent counties and county-equivalents

National protected areas

Economics

Top employers

In 2003, the top employers are listed in the table below.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 19,677 people living in the county.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 19,687 people, 8,843 households, and 5,608 families living in the county. The population density was 5.4 inhabitants per square mile (2.1/km²). There were 11,413 housing units at an average density of 3.2 units per square mile (1.2 units/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 95.9% white, 0.9% American Indian, 0.3% Asian, 0.1% black or African American, 0.4% from other races, and 2.3% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 2.3% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 31.5% were German, 15.7% were Irish, 15.3% were English, 10.2% were Norwegian, and 3.3% were American.

Of the 8,843 households, 23.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.0% were married couples living together, 7.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 36.6% were non-families, and 30.6% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.20 and the average family size was 2.72. The median age was 48.9 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $30,823 and the median income for a family was $39,600. Males had a median income of $40,944 versus $24,965 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,626. About 13.7% of families and 18.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 28.2% of those under age 18 and 12.1% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Welcome sign for Lincoln County on U.S. Route 93

Cities

• Libby (county seat)
• Troy

Towns

• Eureka
• Rexford

Census-designated places

Other unincorporated communities

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Lincoln (Montana) para niños