Jefferson County, Montana: Farm Belt county. In 2024, voted R+37%. Democratic peak: D+87 in 1896.
Key facts
- 2024 presidential margin
- R+37MIT Election Lab
- Political typology
- Farm BeltAkashic typology
- Population
- 12,7742024 5-year
- Median household income
- $95,4902024 5-year
- White (non-Hispanic)
- 91.7%2024 5-year
- Black
- 0.0%2024 5-year
- Hispanic / Latino
- 3.0%2024 5-year
- Peak Democratic margin
- D+87 in 1896MIT Election Lab
- Peak Republican margin
- R+37 in 2024MIT Election Lab
- Most similar
- Carbon County, MT · similarity 1.00
2024 results by precinct
2024 precinct map of Jefferson CountyPrecinct-level 2024 presidential results for Jefferson County, with each precinct boundary colored by Democratic-vs-Republican margin.
—
Margin—
Turnout—
Harris +50Trump +50
Real precinct boundaries. Hover for vote totals.
presidential history
Presidential margin, 1876–2024
Democratic minus Republican, by election
| Year | Margin (D minus R) |
|---|---|
| 1876 | No data |
| 1880 | No data |
| 1884 | No data |
| 1888 | No data |
| 1892 | −0.5% |
| 1896 | +86.9% |
| 1900 | +32.8% |
| 1904 | −5.7% |
| 1908 | +12.1% |
| 1912 | +20.1% |
| 1916 | +21.2% |
| 1920 | −15.8% |
| 1924 | −12.0% |
| 1928 | −14.7% |
| 1932 | +21.9% |
| 1936 | +40.5% |
| 1940 | +20.5% |
| 1944 | +0.4% |
| 1948 | +5.2% |
| 1952 | −22.3% |
| 1956 | −22.8% |
| 1960 | −3.0% |
| 1964 | +18.7% |
| 1968 | +1.2% |
| 1972 | −16.5% |
| 1976 | −6.7% |
| 1980 | −24.4% |
| 1984 | −24.9% |
| 1988 | −6.8% |
| 1992 | −3.0% |
| 1996 | −9.9% |
| 2000 | −34.8% |
| 2004 | −33.5% |
| 2008 | −15.1% |
| 2012 | −27.3% |
| 2016 | −32.5% |
| 2020 | −33.4% |
| 2024 | −36.5% |
DemocraticRepublican
38 presidential elections
| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R | 2,516 | 5,544 | 8,291 | ||
| R | 2,625 | 5,345 | 8,151 | ||
| R | 1,998 | 4,177 | 6,714 | ||
| R | 2,272 | 4,055 | 6,521 | ||
| R | 2,582 | 3,538 | 6,340 | ||
| R | 1,881 | 3,844 | 5,868 | ||
| R | 1,513 | 3,308 | 5,163 | ||
| R | 1,775 | 2,248 | 4,801 | ||
| R | 1,415 | 1,541 | 4,225 | ||
| R | 1,746 | 2,007 | 3,837 | ||
| R | 1,324 | 2,226 | 3,618 | ||
| R | 1,055 | 1,841 | 3,223 | ||
| R | 1,210 | 1,387 | 2,654 | ||
| R | 904 | 1,281 | 2,285 | ||
| D | 820 | 798 | 1,771 | ||
| D | 967 | 662 | 1,631 | ||
| R | 769 | 817 | 1,590 | ||
| R | 660 | 1,049 | 1,709 | ||
| R | 687 | 1,084 | 1,784 | ||
| D | 836 | 750 | 1,644 | ||
| D | 803 | 797 | 1,603 | ||
| D | 1,259 | 830 | 2,097 | ||
| D | 1,409 | 573 | 2,063 | ||
| D | 1,246 | 784 | 2,114 | ||
| R | 751 | 1,013 | 1,778 | ||
| O | 434 | 648 | 1,776 | ||
| R | 688 | 969 | 1,779 | ||
| D | 1,124 | 712 | 1,944 | ||
| D | 479 | 239 | 1,193 | ||
| D | 714 | 546 | 1,392 | ||
| R | 580 | 663 | 1,456 | ||
| D | 980 | 488 | 1,498 | ||
| D | 2,185 | 153 | 2,339 | ||
| R | 730 | 740 | 1,945 | ||
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Demographics
2024 ACS
Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.
German
24.6%
English
19.7%
Irish
19.0%
Scottish
3.6%
Polish
2.8%
French
2.7%
American
2.7%
Sample size too small to break out by ancestry reliably.
Multiple ancestry combinations reported; no single grouping above 1%.
Sample size too small to break out by ancestry reliably.
American Indian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander combined.
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release. Hispanic/Latino is an ethnicity that overlaps the race categories, so these shares can total more than 100%. Ancestry is a self-reported, multiple-response item; ancestry percentages do not sum to the parent race percentage.
2024 ACS
Age distribution by sex
Median age: 47.1 in this county, 39.1 nationally
Male
Age
Female
85+
75–84
65–74
55–64
45–54
35–44
25–34
18–24
5–17
<5
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
2024 ACS
Median household income
Inflation-adjusted dollars
$95,490
Jefferson County ranks in the top 5% of US counties.
Jefferson County$95,490
Montana$72,509
United States$80,734
Jefferson County ranks in the top 5% of US counties by median household income.
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
2024 ACS
Poverty rate
All persons below federal poverty line
5.7%
Child poverty is below the national average.
Children under 186.6%
Working age (18–64)5.4%
Seniors (65+)6.6%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
2024 ACS
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
97.7%
speak English only
Spanish1.4%
Asian & Pacific Islander0.5%
Other Indo-European0.3%
Other languages0.1%
Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.
2020 religion census
Religious adherents
Adherents per capita by tradition
Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 72.3% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.
Jefferson County's population of roughly 10,000 is spread across former gold and silver mining corridors west of Helena. It has delivered double-digit Republican presidential margins in every cycle this century, with 2024's spread exceeding 36 points.
The Republican margin here reached thirty-seven points in 2024. Between 2020 and 2024 the county moved three points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was thirty-seven points.
A population of 12,774, a 92% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $95,490 describe an agricultural county. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Carbon County and Powell County.
Most similar counties
Compare two places, side by side
Twelve curated comparisons line up election history, demographics, and the divergence story for two places at a glance. Browse all comparisons →
Cite this page
All citations released under CC BY 4.0. Attribution: Akashic Intelligence.
Jefferson County, Montana. Akashic. https://akashic.app/county/30043/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
License: CC BY 4.0
More in Montana
More farm belt counties
Frequently asked questions
How did Jefferson County, Montana vote in 2024?
In 2024, Jefferson County, Montana voted Republican by 36.5 points (R+37), carried by the Republican candidate. Out of 8,291 votes cast, 2,516 went Democratic and 5,544 went Republican.
What is Jefferson County, Montana's political typology?
Akashic places Jefferson County, Montana in the "Farm Belt" typology — Rural Plains and Midwest farm counties — Republican, with modest recent movement. The typology is a data-driven cluster built from vote share, vote swing, race and ethnicity, income, language spoken at home, religion, and ancestry. Across 38 elections in the dataset, the county has voted Democratic 12 times, Republican 21 times, and other 1 times.
When did Jefferson County, Montana last vote Democratic?
The most recent presidential election in which Jefferson County, Montana voted Democratic was 1968.
How many people live in Jefferson County, Montana?
Jefferson County, Montana has a population of 12,774 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Jefferson County, Montana?
Median household income in Jefferson County, Montana is $95,490 — above the national median of $80,734. The Montana state median is $72,509.
What is the political history of Jefferson County, Montana?
Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in Jefferson County, Montana from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 12 went Democratic and 21 went Republican. The county's typology — "Farm Belt" — captures where that record, its demographics, and its recent swing place it among American communities.