Blaine County, Montana

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Blaine County is a county in the U.S. state of Montana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 7,044.<ref name="QF">Template:Cite web</ref> Its county seat is Chinook.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The county was named for James G. Blaine, former United States Secretary of State. It is on the north line of the state, and thus shares the southern border of Canada opposite Saskatchewan.

History

In 1912 Blaine, Phillips and Hill counties were formed from the area of Chouteau County. The original boundary of Blaine County included a portion of land in the west that is now included in Phillips County.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of Template:Convert, of which Template:Convert is land and Template:Convert (0.3%) is water.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The majority of Fort Belknap Indian Reservation is located in the southeastern part of the county.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Features of the area include the Milk River, Bears Paw Mountains, and the Little Rocky Mountains.

Adjacent counties and rural municipalities

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Hill County - west
Chouteau County - southwest
Fergus County - south
Phillips County - east
Rural Municipality (RM) of Reno No. 51, Saskatchewan (SK) - northwest
RM of Frontier No. 19, Saskatchewan, SK - north
RM of Lone Tree No. 18, Saskatchewan, SK - northeast

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National protected areas

Demographics

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2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 7,044 people living in the county.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 6,491 people, 2,357 households, and 1,604 families living in the county. The population density was Template:Convert. There were 2,843 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert. The racial makeup of the county was 49.4% American Indian, 48.2% white, 0.1% black or African American, 0.1% Asian, 0.2% from other races, and 2.0% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.8% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 23.0% were German, 9.2% were Norwegian, 6.6% were Irish, 5.7% were English, and 2.0% were American.

Of the 2,357 households, 39.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.6% were married couples living together, 16.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 31.9% were non-families, and 28.7% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.66 and the average family size was 3.28. The median age was 35.1 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $37,034 and the median income for a family was $40,890. Males had a median income of $32,320 versus $28,986 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,813. About 23.6% of families and 29.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 44.6% of those under age 18 and 10.6% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

Blaine County is the nation's most consistent long-term bellwether county, having voted for the winning presidential candidate in all but two elections held in its history. After backing Theodore Roosevelt against Woodrow Wilson in the county's inaugural 1912 election, Blaine County has been won by the winner of the presidential election in every election except that of 1988, held during the aftermath of a major drought and farm crisis; Michael Dukakis won the county by 58 votes. During two other drought years on the Great Plains, Adlai Stevenson II in 1956 and Gerald Ford in 1976 also came close to breaking the county's streak, losing by even smaller vote margins than George H. W. Bush. The county's swing status comes from the fact that it contains the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation, which trends Democratic, with the rest of the county voting strongly Republican. Since 2016, the trends on the Reservation have been a heavy factor in the county's leaning. The strongest Democratic shift in the county in 2020 and in turn the strongest Republican shift in 2024 each occurred on the Reservation, while the rest of the county simply shifted slightly more Republican in both. This pushed the county majority to go to Biden in 2020 and to Trump in 2024.<ref>https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/us/elections/2024-election-map-precinct-results.html?unlocked_article_code=1.xk4.VI7C.oXuhxhF7kYdB&smid=url-share</ref><ref>https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/upshot/2020-election-map.html</ref>

Economy

The main industry in Blaine County is agriculture.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The main employers on the Reservation are the Gros Ventre and Assiniboine tribes.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Education

Aaniiih Nakoda College (formerly Fort Belknap College) is located on the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation. Public high schools in the county include Harlem High School in Harlem, Chinook High School in Chinook, and Turner High School in Turner.