Carter County was named for Thomas Henry Carter, the state's first congressman (representative in Congress from the Montana Territory, followed by first representative from the state of Montana to the US House of Representatives). Prior to settlement the land of Carter County was occupied by the Sioux tribe.[3]
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 3,348 square miles (8,670 km2), of which 3,341 square miles (8,650 km2) is land and 7.5 square miles (19 km2) (0.2%) is water.[4]
Medicine Rocks State Park is located 14 miles north of Ekalaka. Weathering has given the rocks an unusual texture. The site was used by Indian hunting parties.[5]
The median household income was $48,000, $6,970 below the median of Montana. 61.7% of the population aged over 16 were in the civilian labor force. 14.7% of the population were classed as living in poverty. 2.4% of the population had a disability. 92.5% of the population graduated high school, with 20.2% obtaining a bachelor's degree or higher. 86.5% of households had a computer, with 77.9% having broadband access.[11]
2010 census
As of the 2010 census, there were 1,160 people, 532 households, and 354 families living in the county. The population density was 0.3 inhabitants per square mile (0.12/km2). There were 810 housing units at an average density of 0.2 per square mile (0.077/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 97.8% white, 0.9% American Indian, 0.1% black or African American, 0.1% Asian, 0.3% from other races, and 0.8% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 0.7% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 41.5% were German, 19.6% were English, 18.8% were Norwegian, 12.3% were Irish, and 4.3% were American.
Of the 532 households, 20.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.4% were married couples living together, 4.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 33.5% were non-families, and 30.3% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.16 and the average family size was 2.65. The median age was 50.2 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $35,703 and the median income for a family was $47,955. Males had a median income of $26,736 versus $18,274 for females. The per capita income for the county was $20,681. About 8.5% of families and 14.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.4% of those under age 18 and 10.8% of those age 65 or over.
Politics
Carter County has voted for the Republican candidate in every presidential election since 1952, with Harry S. Truman being the last Democrat to carry the county.
United States presidential election results for Carter County, Montana[12]
