Meagher County was named for Thomas Francis Meagher, territorial governor of Montana. The first county seat was Diamond City, the main city of the Confederate Gulch mining district. This entire area is no longer part of Meagher County, but today lies in neighboring Broadwater County.
Geography
According to the US Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which is land and is water.
This county has a strong Republican lean. This was one of 12 counties in MT that Barry Goldwater won in 1964. A Democrat has not won since Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1940.
Demographics
2000 census
As of the 2000 United States Census, there were 1,932 people, 803 households, and 529 families in the county. The population density was <1/km². There were 1,363 housing units at an average density of <1/km². The racial makeup of the county was 97.20% White, 1.04% Native American, 0.16% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.57% from other races, and 0.98% from two or more races. 1.50% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 28.8% were of German, 14.5% Norwegian, 13.3% English, 12.4% Irish and 7.8% American ancestry. There were 803 households out of which 27.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.80% were married couplesliving together, 6.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.10% were non-families. 31.00% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 3.00. The county population contained 25.00% under the age of 18, 6.10% from 18 to 24, 22.70% from 25 to 44, 28.10% from 45 to 64, and 18.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 100.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.40 males. The median income for a household in the county was $29,375, and the median income for a family was $33,879. Males had a median income of $22,083 versus $15,417 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,019. About 16.40% of families and 18.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.40% of those under age 18 and 13.00% of those age 65 or over.
2010 census
As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 1,891 people, 806 households, and 509 families in the county. The population density was. There were 1,432 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the county was 97.9% white, 0.3% Asian, 0.3% American Indian, 0.1% black or African American, 0.1% from other races, and 1.3% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.5% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 38.6% were German, 14.3% were Norwegian, 13.6% were Irish, 11.0% were English, 5.9% were Scotch-Irish, and 3.2% were American. Of the 806 households, 20.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.6% were married couples living together, 6.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 36.8% were non-families, and 33.3% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.13 and the average family size was 2.67. The median age was 50.1 years. The median income for a household in the county was $31,577 and the median income for a family was $40,057. Males had a median income of $30,556 versus $16,414 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,318. About 14.1% of families and 19.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.7% of those under age 18 and 13.0% of those age 65 or over.
