Blaine County is a county in the U.S. state of Montana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 7,044. Its county seat is Chinook. 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 , of which is land and (0.3%) is water.
The majority of Fort Belknap Indian Reservation is located in the southeastern part of the county.
Features of the area include the Milk River, Bears Paw Mountains, and the Little Rocky Mountains.
Adjacent counties and rural municipalities
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
National protected areas
Black Coulee National Wildlife Refuge
Nez Perce National Historical Park (part) Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument (part)
Demographics
2020 census
As of the census of 2020, there were 7,044 people.
2010 census
As of the census of 2010, there were 6,491 people, 2,357 households, and 1,604 families living in the county. The population density was . There were 2,843 housing units at an average density of . 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 one of the nation's most consistent long-term bellwether counties. Since 1916, the 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, when Michael Dukakis won the county by fifty-eight 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.
Economy
The main industry in Blaine County is agriculture. The main employers on the Reservation are the Gros Ventre and Assiniboine tribes.
Education
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.
Communities
Cities
Chinook (county seat) Harlem