Montgomery County is located in the State of Alabama. As of the 2020 census, its population was 228,954, making it the seventh-most populous county in Alabama. Its county seat is Montgomery, the state capital. Montgomery County is included in the Montgomery, AL Metropolitan Statistical Area.
History
Montgomery County was established by dividing Monroe County on December 6, 1816, by the Mississippi Territorial Legislature. It is named for Lemuel P. Montgomery, a young U.S. Army officer killed at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend, the final battle of the Creek Indian war, which was waged concurrently with the War of 1812.
The city of Montgomery, which is the county seat, is named for Richard Montgomery, an American Revolutionary War general killed in 1775 while attempting to capture Quebec City, Canada.
Over much of the 19th century great wealth was derived from the cotton crop, with the Civil War producing a temporary setback. More lasting trouble came in 1914 with the arrival of the boll weevil, which became very destructive to the cotton harvest from 1915 on. By the 1940s county farms earned more from cattle than cotton.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (2.0%) is water.
Major highways
Interstate 65
Interstate 85
Interstate 685 (future) U.S. Highway 31 U.S. Highway 80 U.S. Highway 82 U.S. Highway 231 U.S. Highway 331 State Route 21 State Route 94 State Route 108 State Route 110 State Route 126 State Route 152 State Route 271 State Route 293
Transit
Montgomery Area Transit System
Adjacent counties
Elmore County (north) Macon County (northeast) Bullock County (east) Pike County (southeast) Crenshaw County (southwest) Lowndes County (west) Autauga County (northwest)
National protected area
Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail (part)
Demographics
2020 Census
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 228,954 people, 88,864 households, and 53,155 families residing in the county.
2010
The 2010 United States census reported the following county population:
54.7% Black
39.5% White
3.6% Hispanic or Latino (of any race) 1.3% Two or more races 1.2% Asian 0.3% Native American 0.0% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander
2000
As of the census of 2000, there were 223,510 persons, 86,068 households, and 56,804 families in the county. The population density was . There were 95,437 housing units, at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 48.85% White, 48.58% Black or African American, 0.99% Asian, 0.25% Native American, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.35% from other races, and 0.94% from two or more races. Hispanics and Latinos, of any race, made up 1.19% of the population.
By 2005, 52.5% of the population was black, 44.0% was non-Hispanic white, 1.4% was Hispanic, 1.2% was Asian, 0.2% was Native American, and 0.9% of the population reported two or more races. This excludes those who reported "some other race" and "white," because the Census Bureau reclassified all who reported "some other race" as white.
There were 86,068 households, 32.20% of which included children under the age of 18, 43.80% were married couples living together, 18.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.00% were non-families. Single-persons households were 29.50% of the total; 9.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46. The average family size was 3.06.
Persons younger than 18 were 25.80% of the population; those 18–24, 11.70%; 25–44, 29.80%; 45–64, 20.90%; and 65 and older, 11.80%. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.80 males. For every 100 females aged 18 and over, there were 86.70 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $35,962, and the median income for a family was $44,669. Males had a median income of $32,018; females, $24,921. The per capita income for the county was $19,358. About 13.50% of families and 17.30% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.10% of those under age 18 and 13.70% of those 65 and older.
Government, politics and infrastructure
Montgomery County is governed by a five-member County Commission who are elected to four-year terms. The County Probate Judge regulates business such as drivers, marriage licences, and voting. The Probate Judge operates four offices: downtown Montgomery, Mobile HWY (Montgomery), Woodley Road (Montgomery), and Atlanta HWY (Montgomery).