Ravalli County, Montana

County in Montana, United States

Not to be confused with Ravalli, Montana.

County in Montana

Ravalli County

County

Independent Order of Odd Fellows Hall in Stevensville, Montana.

Location within the U.S. state of Montana

Montana's location within the U.S.

Coordinates: 46°05′N 114°07′W﻿ / ﻿46.08°N 114.12°W﻿ / 46.08; -114.12
Country|  United States
State|  Montana
Founded| March 3, 1893
Named after| Antonio Ravalli
Seat| Hamilton
Largest city| Hamilton
Area

• Total

| 2,400 sq mi (6,000 km2)
• Land| 2,391 sq mi (6,190 km2)
• Water| 9.4 sq mi (24 km2)  0.4%
Population

(2020)

• Total

| 44,174

• Estimate

(2024)

| 48,187
• Density| 18/sq mi (7.1/km2)
Time zone| UTC−7 (Mountain)
• Summer (DST)| UTC−6 (MDT)
Congressional district| 1st
Website| www.rc.mt.gov

* Montana county number 13

Ravalli County is a county in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Montana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 44,174.[1] Its county seat is Hamilton.[2]

Ravalli County is part of a north–south mountain valley bordered by the Sapphire Mountains on the East and the Bitterroot Mountains on the West. It is often referred to as the Bitterroot Valley, which is named for the Bitterroot Flower. The county is on the Pacific Ocean side of the Continental Divide, which follows the Idaho-Montana border from Wyoming until Ravalli County. Here, it turns east into Montana, between Chief Joseph Pass and Lost Trail Pass, and follows the Ravalli County-Beaverhead County border.

## History

[edit]

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|

Ravalli County was once home to the Bitterroot Salish tribe. The tribe was first encountered in 1805 by the Lewis and Clark Expedition, which noted their friendly nature. The Catholic Church took an interest in creating a mission in the area, and in 1841 founded St. Mary's Mission, subsequently renamed as Fort Owen. In 1864, the settlement's current name, Stevensville, was adopted. In 1891, the Salish tribe was moved to the current Flathead Reservation under the Treaty of Hellgate.

In 1877, Chief Joseph and his Wallowa band of Nez Perce passed through Ravalli County in their attempt to escape confinement to a reservation; they were captured en route to Canada just south of Havre.

Ravalli County was created in 1893 by the Montana Legislature, carving off a portion of Missoula County. It was named after the Italian Jesuit priest Antony Ravalli, who came to the Bitterroot Valley in 1845.

## Geography

[edit]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has an area of 2,400 square miles (6,200 km2), of which 2,391 square miles (6,190 km2) is land and 9.4 square miles (24 km2) (0.4%) is water.[3]

### Major highways

[edit]

* U.S. Highway 93
* Montana Highway 38

### Adjacent counties

[edit]

* Missoula County \- north
* Granite County \- northeast
* Deer Lodge County \- east
* Beaverhead County \- southeast
* Lemhi County, Idaho \- south
* Idaho County, Idaho \- west/Pacific Time Border

### National protected areas

[edit]

* Bitterroot National Forest (part)
* Lee Metcalf National Wildlife Refuge
* Lolo National Forest (part)

## Demographics

[edit]

Historical population Census| Pop.| Note| %±

|
|
|

1900| 7,822| | —
1910| 11,666| | 49.1%
1920| 10,098| | −13.4%
1930| 10,315| | 2.1%
1940| 12,478| | 21.0%
1950| 13,101| | 5.0%
1960| 12,341| | −5.8%
1970| 14,409| | 16.8%
1980| 22,493| | 56.1%
1990| 25,010| | 11.2%
2000| 36,070| | 44.2%
2010| 40,212| | 11.5%
2020| 44,174| | 9.9%
2024 (est.)| 48,187| [4]| 9.1%
U.S. Decennial Census[5]
1790–1960,[6] 1900–1990,[7]
1990–2000,[8] 2010–2020[1]

### 2020 census

[edit]

As of the 2020 census, there were 44,174 people living in the county.[citation needed]

### 2010 census

[edit]

As of the 2010 census, there were 40,212 people, 16,933 households, and 11,380 families in the county. The population density was 16.8 inhabitants per square mile (6.5/km2). There were 19,583 housing units at an average density of 8.2 per square mile (3.2/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 95.9% white, 0.9% American Indian, 0.5% Asian, 0.2% black or African American, 0.1% Pacific islander, 0.6% from other races, and 1.9% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 3.0% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 28.8% were German, 17.4% were English, 15.9% were Irish, 8.3% were American, 5.7% were Italian, and 5.5% were Norwegian.

Of the 16,933 households, 26.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.5% were married couples living together, 7.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 32.8% were non-families, and 27.1% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.83. The median age was 46.0 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $43,000 and the median income for a family was $53,004. Males had a median income of $42,065 versus $27,629 for females. The per capita income for the county was $23,908. About 9.6% of families and 15.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.5% of those under age 18 and 6.3% of those age 65 or over.

## Economy

[edit]

Agriculture and timber form the bulk of Ravalli County economic activity. Marcus Daly, one of three Butte copper kings, funded logging operations in the Bitterroot Valley. The lumber was necessary for the Butte copper operation. Recently, more of Ravalli County's economy stems from tourism. The valley borders the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness and offers a wide variety of wildlife, including some of the few remaining wolverine and wolf populations in the contiguous states. The Lost Trail Powder Mountain ski area is at Lost Trail Pass on the Idaho border on US-93.

## Politics

[edit]

Ravalli County voters have been reliably Republican, opting only one time for the Democratic Party candidate in national elections since 1940 (as of 2024).

United States presidential election results for Ravalli County, Montana[9] Year  | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies)

|
|
|

No.  | % | No.  | % | No.  | %
2024 | 20,617  | 68.66% | 8,485  | 28.26%  | 925  | 3.08%
2020 | 19,114  | 66.78% | 8,763  | 30.62%  | 745  | 2.60%
2016 | 14,810  | 65.66% | 6,223  | 27.59%  | 1,523  | 6.75%
2012 | 14,307  | 64.41% | 7,285  | 32.80%  | 620  | 2.79%
2008 | 13,002  | 58.83% | 8,400  | 38.01%  | 699  | 3.16%
2004 | 13,279  | 66.84% | 6,144  | 30.93%  | 444  | 2.23%
2000 | 11,241  | 65.21% | 4,451  | 25.82%  | 1,546  | 8.97%
1996 | 8,138  | 50.11% | 5,200  | 32.02%  | 2,902  | 17.87%
1992 | 5,392  | 35.90% | 4,644  | 30.92%  | 4,983  | 33.18%
1988 | 7,418  | 59.39% | 4,763  | 38.13%  | 309  | 2.47%
1984 | 8,161  | 67.15% | 3,825  | 31.47%  | 168  | 1.38%
1980 | 7,268  | 63.73% | 3,063  | 26.86%  | 1,073  | 9.41%
1976 | 4,894  | 56.29% | 3,504  | 40.30%  | 296  | 3.40%
1972 | 4,611  | 61.83% | 2,480  | 33.25%  | 367  | 4.92%
1968 | 3,183  | 53.25% | 2,080  | 34.80%  | 714  | 11.95%
1964 | 2,350  | 41.50%  | 3,300  | 58.28% | 12  | 0.21%
1960 | 3,121  | 56.46% | 2,381  | 43.07%  | 26  | 0.47%
1956 | 3,437  | 61.40% | 2,161  | 38.60%  | 0  | 0.00%
1952 | 3,537  | 66.37% | 1,750  | 32.84%  | 42  | 0.79%
1948 | 2,354  | 49.84% | 2,159  | 45.71%  | 210  | 4.45%
1944 | 2,342  | 54.33% | 1,926  | 44.68%  | 43  | 1.00%
1940 | 2,483  | 46.73%  | 2,773  | 52.19% | 57  | 1.07%
1936 | 1,580  | 33.39%  | 2,859  | 60.42% | 293  | 6.19%
1932 | 1,714  | 39.76%  | 2,292  | 53.17% | 305  | 7.07%
1928 | 2,551  | 68.50% | 1,112  | 29.86%  | 61  | 1.64%
1924 | 1,311  | 37.79%  | 562  | 16.20%  | 1,596  | 46.01%
1920 | 2,110  | 60.49% | 1,224  | 35.09%  | 154  | 4.42%
1916 | 1,623  | 42.40%  | 1,967  | 51.38% | 238  | 6.22%
1912 | 316  | 13.39%  | 858  | 36.36%  | 1,186  | 50.25%
1908 | 1,045  | 48.09% | 859  | 39.53%  | 269  | 12.38%
1904 | 1,083  | 57.45% | 523  | 27.75%  | 279  | 14.80%

## Communities

[edit]

### City

[edit]

* Hamilton

### Towns

[edit]

* Darby
* Pinesdale
* Stevensville

### Census-designated places

[edit]

* Charlos Heights
* Conner
* Corvallis
* Florence
* Sula
* Victor

### Unincorporated communities

[edit]

* Alta[10]
* Bell Crossing[11]
* Cinnibar Court[12]
* Como[13]
* Gorus[14]
* Grantsdale
* Medicine Hot Springs[15]
* Riverside

## Education

[edit]

K-12 school districts include:[16]

* Corvallis K-12 Schools
* Darby K-12 Schools
* Florence-Carlton K-12 Schools
* Hamilton K-12 Schools
* Victor K-12 Schools

High school districts include:[16]

* Stevensville High School District

Elementary school districts include:[16]

* Lone Rock Elementary School District
* Stevensville Elementary School District

## Notable person

[edit]

* Henry L. Myers, Ravalli County prosecuting attorney, U.S. Senator from Montana

## See also

[edit]

* List of lakes in Ravalli County, Montana
* List of mountains in Ravalli County, Montana
* National Register of Historic Places listings in Ravalli County MT

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
2. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
3. ^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on December 5, 2014. Retrieved November 29, 2014.
4. ^ "County Population Totals and Components of Change: 2020-2024". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 3, 2025.
5. ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 29, 2014.
6. ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved November 29, 2014.
7. ^ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 29, 2014.
8. ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 27, 2010. Retrieved November 29, 2014.
9. ^ Leip, David. "Atlas of US Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved April 3, 2018.
10. ^ Alta MT Google Maps (accessed January 5, 2019)
11. ^ Bell Crossing MT Google Maps (accessed January 5, 2019)
12. ^ Cinnibar Court MT Google Maps (accessed January 5, 2019)
13. ^ Como TM Google Maps (accessed January 5, 2019)
14. ^ Gorus MT Google Maps (accessed January 5, 2019)
15. ^ Medicine Hot Springs MT Google Maps (accessed January 5, 2019)
16. ^ a b c Geography Division. (Map). U.S. Census Bureau https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st30_mt/schooldistrict_maps/c30081_ravalli/DC20SD_C30081.pdf. Retrieved June 5, 2025. `{{cite map}}`: Missing or empty `|title=` (help) \- Text list

## External links

[edit]

* Official website

46°05′N 114°07′W﻿ / ﻿46.08°N 114.12°W﻿ / 46.08; -114.12

Places adjacent to Ravalli County, Montana

|  | Missoula County | Granite County

|
|

|  |
Idaho County, Idaho |

Ravalli County, Montana

| Deer Lodge County
|  |
| Lemhi County, Idaho | Beaverhead County

* v
* t
* e

Municipalities and communities of Ravalli County, Montana, United States

County seat: Hamilton

City|

* Hamilton

Ravalli County map

Towns|

* Darby
* Pinesdale
* Stevensville

CDPs|

* Charlos Heights
* Conner
* Corvallis
* Florence
* Sula
* Victor

Other
communities|

* Grantsdale
* Riverside

* Montana portal
* United States portal

* v
* t
* e

State of Montana

Helena (capital)

Topics|

* Index
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Society|

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Regions|

* Eastern Montana
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Largest cities|

* Anaconda
* Belgrade
* Billings
* Bozeman
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* Hamilton
* Havre
* Helena
* Kalispell
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Counties|

* Beaverhead
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Montana portal

Authority control databases

International|

* VIAF
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National|

* United States
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Geographic|

* MusicBrainz area

Other|

* Yale LUX

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