Musselshell County, Montana Population and Demographics

In this article, we'll explore the population statistics for Musselshell County, Montana, including popular demographics data like median age, number of households, household income, gender, employment and unemployment rates, occupations, religion, and more.

We are using the latest American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year survey data from the US Census Bureau, which is accurate up to 2021.

Table of Contents

Population

There is a lot of data that lets us see how many people live in Musselshell County, Montana. The most basic data is the total population, which is the total number of people living in Musselshell County, Montana. The estimated population of Musselshell County, Montana is 4,813 people, with a median age of 52.1.

We can look at the total population in Musselshell County over the last 5 years to see how much it has changed.

Year Population Change 5-Year Change
2021
4,813
+2.8%
+0.99%
2020
4,682
 -1.76% -
2019
4,766
 -0.85% -
2018
4,807
+0.86%
-
2017
4,766
 - -

Population of Musselshell County, Montana by Race and Ethnicity

We can also look at how the population has changed over the last 5 years by each of the race/ethnicity types as defined by the US Census Bureau.

Race 2021 2017 Change
White
91.6%
92.9%
 -1.40%
Black/African American
0%
0.8%
 -100.00%
Native
2.8%
0.7%
 +300.00%
Hispanic
3.3%
2.4%
 +37.50%
Asian
0%
1.5%
 -100.00%
Hawaiian/Pacific Islander
0%
0%
 0.00%
Two Or More Races
2.2%
1.7%
 +29.41%
Other
0%
0%
 0.00%

This data can be very important for a number of reasons, including social and economic research, planning and development, and marketing to a multi-cultural population.

Note that the Native group includes both Native American and Alaskan Native people.

Population of Musselshell County, Montana by Age and Gender

The age and gender of a population is another interesting demographic statistic because it lets us track trends in the population over time. For example, we can see how the population has changed over the last 5 years by median age as a total, and also by male and female.

Year Total Male Female
2021 52.1 +1.17% 52.3 +2.95% 52 -0.57%
2020 51.5 +2.79% 50.8 +4.1% 52.3 +2.95%
2019 50.1 +4.38% 48.8 +0.21% 50.8 +6.5%
2018 48 -2.24% 48.7 -0.61% 47.7 -3.44%
2017 49.1 - 49 - 49.4 -

The median age of Musselshell County, Montana gives you an idea of the age distribution, with half of the population being older than the median age and half being younger.

This can then be used to infer and compare against birth rates, parent ages, and more metrics to understand the population. For example, an increasing median age indicates an aging population, which can be a sign of a declining population in terms of birth rates and workforce participation.

Age 2021 2017
(Years) Male Female Male Female
0 to 9 232 -9.52% 287 -9.69% 204 256
10 to 19 359 +1.4% 292 -27.35% 361 217
20 to 29 156 -10.29% 191 +3.67% 140 196
30 to 39 209 -3.47% 187 3.17% 199 186
40 to 49 281 0.22% 257 +15.05% 275 292
50 to 59 312 +6.12% 409 -18.52% 331 323
60 to 69 447 +22.33% 422 -8.43% 555 384
70+ 372 +3.13% 353 +39.84% 382 512

Median Household Income

The latest median household income of Musselshell County, Montana is $51,153.00.

In simple terms, the median income is the middle income of a group of people. Half of the people in the group make more than the median income, and half make less. The median income is a good indicator of the overall income of a group of people, and can be used to compare against other metrics such as the average income, per capita income, and more.

Median Income by Age

We can also look at the median income by age to see how the median income varies by age, and how it compares to the overall median income for Musselshell County.

  • Under 25
    $0.00
  • 25 to 44
    $58,750.00
  • 45 to 64
    $67,917.00
  • 65 and over
    $35,313.00

Average Household Income

Whenever we ask what is the average household income in Musselshell County, we are actually talking about the mean household income.

This is calculated by adding up all the incomes of all the households in Musselshell County, and then dividing that number by the total number of households. This is a good way to get a general idea of the average income of a group of people, but it can be skewed by a very high or very low incomes.

The average household income of Musselshell County, Montana is currently $69,407.00.

In terms of accurately summarizing income at a geographic level, the median income is a better metric than the average income because it isn't affected by a small number of very high or very low incomes.

If you had an area where the average income was greater than the median, it can mean that there is significant income inequality, with income being concentrated in a small number of wealthy households.

3.63% of households in Musselshell County are classed as high income households (making $200,000+ per year).

Household Income Tiers

The US Census Bureau divides households into income tiers based on the median income for the area. This is a good way to compare the income of Musselshell County against other areas.

  • Less than $24,999
    22.40%
  • $25,000 to $49,999
    25.70%
  • $50,000 to $74,999
    24.37%
  • $75,000 to $99,999
    8.03%
  • $100,000 to $149,999
    12.44%
  • $150,000 to $199,999
    3.44%
  • $200,000 or more
    3.63%

Per Capita Income

The per capita income in Musselshell County is $30,772.00.

Per capita income is the average income of a person in a given area. It is calculated by dividing the total income of Musselshell County by the total population of Musselshell County.

This is different from the average or mean income because it includes and accounts for all people in Musselshell County, Montana, including people like children, the elderly, unemployed people, retired people, and more.

Education Levels

We can also look at the education levels in Musselshell County to see how many people have a high school degree, a bachelor's degree, or a graduate degree.

Educational attainment is a good indicator of the overall education level of a population, and can be used to compare against other metrics such as the average income, per capita income, and more to see how education levels affect income, unemployment rates, and more.

  • Master's degree or higher
    9.40%
  • Bachelor's degree
    23.11%
  • Some college or associate's degree
    17.64%
  • High school diploma or equivalent
    45.48%
  • Less than high school diploma
    4.37%

Employment

Employment rates are all based around the total population in Musselshell County that are over the age of 16.

The total population of Musselshell County over the age of 16 is 3,987.

Of those people, a total of 52.70% are working or actively looking for work. This is called the labor force participation rate.

The participation rate is a useful market measure because it shows the relative amount of labor resources available to the economy.

The employment to total population rate in Musselshell County is 50.40%.

Employment by Age

We can look at the employment rates by age to see how it compares to the overall employment rate.

Age Population Participation Unemployment Rate
16 to 19 years 212 46.20% 33.70%
20 to 24 years 140 82.90% 0.00%
25 to 29 years 196 78.60% 0.00%
30 to 34 years 148 87.80% 0.00%
35 to 44 years 510 79.00% 1.20%
45 to 54 years 577 80.60% 0.00%
55 to 59 years 371 73.00% 0.00%
60 to 64 years 499 53.70% 17.50%
65 to 74 years 836 15.40% 6.20%
75 years and over 498 13.50% 0.00%

Employment by Race

Another very interesting employment statistic we can look at is the employment and unemployment rates by race in Musselshell County. The table below shows the rates for each of the ethnicity groups types defined by the US Census Bureau.

Age Population Participation Unemployment Rate
White 3,754 52.10% 4.20%
Black or African American 0 0.00% 0.00%
American Indian and Alaska Native 116 40.50% 21.30%
Asian 0 0.00% 0.00%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 0 0.00% 0.00%
Other 20 95.00% 0.00%
Two or more races 97 82.50% 0.00%
Hispanic or Latino 126 63.50% 0.00%
Not Hispanic or Latino 3,682 52.40% 4.30%

Occupations

In this section we can look at the most common occupations in Musselshell County as well as the gender breakdown and earnings of them.

The total population of civilian employees that are 16 years old or older in Musselshell County is 2,008, with median earnings of $35,000.00.

Women in Musselshell County, Montana earning approximately 63.10% of the men's earnings.

Population Earnings
Total 2,008 $35,000.00
Male 1,096 $43,373.00
Female 912 $27,358.00

Occupations by Category

In the table below, we can break down the population and earnings even further by occupation. The list of occupation categories below will show you how many people are employed in each category and the median earnings of each profession.

Occupation Employed Earnings
Management 184 $37,778.00
Business and Financial 31 $12,159.00
Computer and Mathematical 13 $0.00
Architecture and Engineering 63 $73,406.00
Life, Physical, and Social Science 5 $0.00
Community and Social Service 13 $0.00
Legal 13 $0.00
Educational and Library 142 $27,202.00
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media 3 $0.00
Healthcare Practitioners 86 $56,736.00
Healthcare Support 74 $25,530.00
Firefighters and Protective Service 8 $0.00
Law Enforcement 22 $0.00
Food Preparation and Serving 59 $25,313.00
Building and Grounds Cleaning 52 $21,250.00
Personal Care and Service 46 $101,000.00
Sales 229 $30,184.00
Office and Administrative Support 272 $31,230.00
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry 178 $35,854.00
Construction and Extraction 147 $48,977.00
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair 99 $65,125.00
Production 61 $32,813.00
Transportation and Material Moving 149 $44,694.00

Occupations by Gender

The table below shows the same occupations from the list above, but we have split them by male and female to see how many male and females work in each occupation, the median earnings, and the male to female ratio of earnings.

That last metric is important because it can be used to look at the gender pay gap between men and women.

Occupation Male Female
Population Earnings Population Earnings
Management 153 $38,194.00 31 $22,344.00
Business and Financial 6 $45,625.00 25 $11,477.00
Computer and Mathematical 0 $0.00 13 $0.00
Architecture and Engineering 63 $73,406.00 0 $0.00
Life, Physical, and Social Science 0 $0.00 5 $0.00
Community and Social Service 4 $0.00 9 $0.00
Legal 7 $0.00 6 $0.00
Educational and Library 14 $0.00 128 $26,786.00
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media 3 $0.00 0 $0.00
Healthcare Practitioners 36 $0.00 50 $56,750.00
Healthcare Support 0 $0.00 74 $25,530.00
Firefighters and Protective Service 8 $0.00 0 $0.00
Law Enforcement 7 $0.00 15 $0.00
Food Preparation and Serving 24 $15,833.00 35 $36,250.00
Building and Grounds Cleaning 38 $13,750.00 14 $25,313.00
Personal Care and Service 14 $0.00 32 $100,500.00
Sales 88 $39,524.00 141 $20,234.00
Office and Administrative Support 64 $33,500.00 208 $30,902.00
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry 86 $35,403.00 92 $37,250.00
Construction and Extraction 147 $48,977.00 0 $0.00
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair 99 $65,125.00 0 $0.00
Production 55 $22,260.00 6 $0.00
Transportation and Material Moving 121 $65,729.00 28 $14,444.00

Households and Family Size

A household defined bu the US Census Bureau is a group of people who occupy a housing unit. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, group of rooms, or single room occupied as separate living quarters.

There are currently 2,179 households in Musselshell County, with an average household size of 2.2 people.

A family is defined as a group of two or more people related by birth, marriage, or adoption who live together in the same household.

There are 1,404 families in Musselshell County with an average family size of 2.72 people.

Households by Marital Status

The four categories of household by marital status are:

  • Married-couple family
  • Male householder with no spouse present
  • Female household with no spouse present
  • Nonfamily household

The table below shows the total number of households and families, with the average sizes of each.

Married Male Female Nonfamily
Total Households 1,241 48 115 775
Average Household Size 2.71 4.35 3.03 1.13
Total Families 1,241 48 115 0
Average Household Size 2.67 3.33 3.02 0

Poverty

Of the 1,404 families in Musselshell County, 10.30% are considered to be below the poverty threshold.

The table below shows the latest poverty thresholds in Musselshell County:

Household Size Poverty Threshold
1 Person $14,580.00
2 People $19,720.00
3 People $24,860.00
4 People $30,000.00
5 People $35,140.00
6 People $40,280.00
7 People $45,420.00
8 People $50,560.00

Housing

There are 2,671 housing units in Musselshell County, Montana.

The table below shows the split between occupied and vacant units:

Total Percentage
Occupied 2,179 81.58%
Vacant 492 18.42%

11.23% of the total 2,671 housing units in Musselshell County are rental units. This is approximately 300 properties.

For owner-occupied housing units, a total of 1,741 are occupied by the owner - or 65.18% of the total.

Rental Rates

The median rent for a property in Musselshell County is $766.00.

In the chart below, we can look at the number of rental properties in Musselshell County that fall into a particular rent range. These can then be used to compare with other areas, or to see how they have changed over time.

  • No rent paid
    138
  • Less than $500
    47
  • $500 to $999
    189
  • $1,000 to $1,499
    64
  • $1,500 to $1,999
    0
  • $2,000 to $2,499
    0
  • $2,500 to $2,999
    0
  • $3,000 or more
    0

Property Value

The median value of a property in Musselshell County is $196,900.00.

Just like with rental rates, we can look at the number of properties in Musselshell County that fall into a particular value range.

  • Less than $50,000
    203
  • $50,000 to $99,999
    227
  • $100,000 to $149,999
    256
  • $150,000 to $199,999
    195
  • $200,000 to $299,999
    399
  • $300,000 to $499,999
    357
  • $500,000 to $999,999
    67
  • $1,000,000 or more
    37

Property Age

We can also look at the age of properties in Musselshell County. The chart below shows the number of properties in Musselshell County that fall into a particular age range.

  • 1939 or earlier
    611
  • 1940 to 1949
    168
  • 1950 to 1959
    168
  • 1960 to 1969
    88
  • 1970 to 1979
    393
  • 1980 to 1989
    313
  • 1990 to 1999
    356
  • 2000 to 2009
    349
  • 2010 to 2013
    225
  • 2014 or later
    0

Vehicles per Household

The number of vehicles available per household can be a good indicator of the level of affluence in an area. The chart below shows the number of households in Musselshell County that have a particular number of vehicles available.

  • No vehicles available
    101
  • 1 vehicle available
    479
  • 2 vehicles available
    668
  • 3 or more vehicles available
    931

Commuting to Work

In this section, we can also look at how people in Musselshell County get to work. The chart below shows the number of people in Musselshell County that commute to work in a particular way.

28.2 minutes is the average travel time to work for people in Musselshell County.

These commute times can be compared to other date like income and educational levels to see how they relate to each other and if there are any trends in the data that might suggest a correlation.

  • Less than 5 minutes
    277
  • 5 to 9 minutes
    309
  • 10 to 14 minutes
    166
  • 15 to 19 minutes
    76
  • 20 to 24 minutes
    110
  • 25 to 29 minutes
    37
  • 30 to 34 minutes
    87
  • 35 to 39 minutes
    16
  • 40 to 44 minutes
    107
  • 45 to 59 minutes
    75
  • 60 to 89 minutes
    316
  • 90 or more minutes
    61

Summary

We've covered a LOT of demographic and population data for Musselshell County, Montana in this article! Hopefully you have found it very useful in your research of the area.

If you use any of the data found on this page, please consider linking back to USPopulation.org as the source and if you have any feedback or data requests, click here to contact us.

Places in Musselshell County, Montana

We have data for 8 places in Musselshell County, Montana. Click on a place below to see more information about the demographics of that place.