Boundary by 2024 margin · Precinct returns · VEST · MIT Election Lab
People and households
Who lives here
Exact values for this place, its state, and the United States.
Race · ethnicity · ancestry
Communities and origins
GroupPetroleum CountyMontanaUnited States
German34.7%22.9%12.5%
American19.7%5.4%5.3%
English17.9%13.1%9.5%
Irish11.2%13.5%9.4%
Norwegian8.3%7.5%—
Polish2.2%—2.2%
Scottish2.0%2.6%1.3%
French1.3%—1.6%
Hispanic or Latino counts residents of any race; the race groups count only their non-Hispanic residents, so the groups are mutually exclusive and sum to 100%. Expand a row to see ancestries reported within that group.
Age and life stage
Measure
Petroleum County
Montana
United States
Median age
51.6
40.8
39.1
Age 18–24
5.4%
9.1%
9.2%
Age 65 and older
28.1%
20.0%
17.2%
Household economy
Measure
Petroleum County
Montana
United States
Median household income
$60,208
$72,509
$84,427
Poverty rate
8.1%
11.5%
12.5%
Bachelor's degree or higher (25+)
30.8%
35.3%
35.6%
Languages at home
Measure
Petroleum County
Montana
United States
Speaks a non-English language at home
0.0%
4.2%
22.3%
Religious landscape
Measure
Petroleum County
Montana
United States
Catholic
5.0%
10.3%
18.6%
Evangelical Protestant
—
13.6%
16.5%
Unclaimed / not counted
92.6%
65.3%
51.5%
American Community Survey 2024 5-year (CVAP, income, age, poverty, education, language, race, ancestry) · presidential returns from MIT Election Lab through 2024 · 2020 U.S. Religion Census (ASARB) — congregational adherents; unclaimed is the residual not counted by congregations.
Petroleum County, Montana
Precinct data
Results by precinct
1 precincts · 324 votes
Precinct boundaries and identifiers are cycle-specific. This table does not join rows across years without a validated crosswalk.
Petroleum County precinct-level presidential election results for 2024
Precinct -PRECNCT 1PRECNCT 1
37
284
3
324
11.4%
87.7%
R+76.2
presidential history
Presidential margin, 1928–2024
Democratic minus Republican, by election
Presidential margin over time
Year
Margin (D minus R)
1928
−22.2%
1932
+20.9%
1936
+32.9%
1940
+0.5%
1944
−5.8%
1948
+4.6%
1952
−34.6%
1956
−11.4%
1960
−7.1%
1964
+5.0%
1968
−33.7%
1972
−44.6%
1976
−30.5%
1980
−39.6%
1984
−49.6%
1988
−37.4%
1992
−25.0%
1996
−42.8%
2000
−71.2%
2004
−59.2%
2008
−53.0%
2012
−64.1%
2016
−77.0%
2020
−74.4%
2024
−76.2%
DemocraticRepublican
38 presidential elections
Third column names the leading third-party or independent finisher. Source · MIT Election Lab · ICPSR · VEST (precinct-level 2024). Swing · margin change from the prior cycle. vs U.S. · margin relative to the national result that year.
Year
Won
Democratic
Republican
Other
Margin
Swing
vs U.S.
Total
R
11.4%Harris37
87.7%Trump284
0.6%Kennedy2 +1
R+76.2
R+1.8
R+74.8
324
All 4 candidates in 2024 · 2 minor / independent
Donald J TrumpRepublican87.7%284
Kamala D HarrisDemocratic11.4%37
Robert F Kennedy Jr.Independent0.6%2
Chase OliverLibertarian0.3%1
R
11.2%Biden39
85.6%Trump298
3.2%Jorgensen11
R+74.4
D+2.6
R+78.9
348
R
9.3%Clinton30
86.3%Trump278
3.7%Johnson12
R+77.0
R+12.9
R+79.1
322
R
16.4%Obama49
80.5%Romney240
3.0%GRAY9
R+64.1
R+11.1
R+67.9
298
R
22.7%Obama68
75.7%McCain227
1.7%
R+53.0
D+6.2
R+60.3
300
R
18.8%Kerry55
78.1%Bush228
3.1%
R+59.2
D+12.0
R+56.8
292
R
11.8%Gore36
83.0%Bush254
2.0%Nader6
R+71.2
R+28.5
R+71.8
306
R
21.4%Clinton62
64.1%Dole186
12.4%Perot36
R+42.8
R+17.8
R+51.3
290
R
20.6%Clinton61
45.6%Bush135
32.1%Perot95
R+25.0
D+12.4
R+30.6
296
R
30.1%Dukakis91
67.5%Bush204
2.3%
R+37.4
D+12.2
R+29.7
302
R
24.8%Mondale86
74.4%Reagan258
0.9%
R+49.6
R+10.0
R+31.3
347
R
26.4%Carter90
66.0%Reagan225
7.6%
R+39.6
R+9.1
R+29.9
341
R
33.2%Carter110
63.7%Ford211
3.0%
R+30.5
D+14.1
R+32.6
331
R
26.8%McGovern87
71.4%Nixon232
1.8%
R+44.6
R+10.9
R+21.5
325
R
29.3%Humphrey98
63.0%Nixon211
7.8%
R+33.7
R+38.7
R+33.0
335
D
52.4%Johnson210
47.4%Goldwater190
0.2%
D+5.0
D+12.1
R+17.6
401
R
46.4%Kennedy221
53.6%Nixon255
0.0%
R+7.1
D+4.3
R+7.3
476
R
44.3%Stevenson205
55.7%Eisenhower258
0.0%
R+11.4
D+23.2
D+4.0
463
R
32.7%Stevenson155
67.3%Eisenhower319
0.0%
R+34.6
R+39.2
R+23.8
474
D
51.0%Truman235
46.4%Dewey214
2.6%
D+4.6
D+10.4
D+0.1
461
R
46.8%Roosevelt225
52.6%Dewey253
0.6%
R+5.8
R+6.3
R+13.3
481
D
50.1%Roosevelt316
49.6%Willkie313
0.3%
D+0.5
R+32.4
R+9.5
631
D
64.9%Roosevelt523
32.0%Landon258
3.1%
D+32.9
D+12.0
D+8.6
806
D
58.9%Roosevelt544
38.0%Hoover351
3.1%
D+20.9
D+43.1
D+3.1
924
R
38.6%Smith372
60.9%Hoover586
0.5%
R+22.2
—
R+4.8
963
—
—
—
—
No data
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
No data
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
No data
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
No data
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
No data
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
No data
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
No data
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
No data
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
No data
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
No data
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
No data
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
No data
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
No data
—
—
—
Congressional elections · 3 Senate races
U.S. Senate
Source · MIT Election Lab (MEDSL), Senate. CC-BY 4.0.
Year
Won
Democratic
Republican
Total
2024
R
15.2%50
83.5%274
328
2020
R
14.5%51
85.5%300
351
2018
R
18.6%58
79.5%248
312
voter registration
Registered voters
Total registered voters, over time
Registered voters
Voter registration in Petroleum County, MT
Year
Total registered
2016
426
2018
421
2020
390
2022
380
2024
372
domestic migration
Who moves in and out
Net domestic migration over time
+7 net domestic migration · 2025
20112025
Net +56 over 2011–2025 · gain loss
Domestic migration in Petroleum County, MT in Petroleum County, MT: net domestic migration by year
Year
Net domestic migration
2011
0
2012
+15
2013
+1
2014
−16
2015
−14
2016
+20
2017
+24
2018
+1
2019
−19
2021
+22
2022
+1
2023
+27
2024
−13
2025
+7
With fewer than 500 residents spread across high-plains ranch land, Petroleum County consistently posts some of the most lopsided Republican margins in the nation — the 2024 gap of 76 points reflects both its demographic uniformity and extreme rural isolation.
Across the recorded series it reached a Democratic high of 32.9 points in 1936 and a Republican high of 77.0 points in 2016. Between 2020 and 2024 the county moved 1.8 points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was 76.2 points.
A population of 447, a 99% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $60,208 describe the county. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Powder River County and Judith Basin County.
Akashic
Political twins — counties
The counties whose fingerprint — 2000–2024 trajectory, demographics, ancestry, religion — sits closest to this one, and why.
Twin score (0–100) = weighted cosine between tier-standardized fingerprints: presidential margins 2000–2024 with 12-yr trend and elasticity, ACS income, age, education, population and race, top reported ancestries, and religious adherence — chips name the closest-shared dimensions and the widest gap. Re-weight the groups in the twins explorer.
In 2024, Petroleum County, Montana voted Republican by 76.2 points (R+76.2), carried by the Republican candidate. Out of 324 votes cast, 37 went Democratic and 284 went Republican.
When did Petroleum County, Montana last vote Democratic?
The most recent presidential election in which Petroleum County, Montana voted Democratic was 1964.
How many people live in Petroleum County, Montana?
Petroleum County, Montana has a population of 447 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Petroleum County, Montana?
Median household income in Petroleum County, Montana is $60,208 — below the national median of $80,734. The Montana state median is $72,509.
What is the political history of Petroleum County, Montana?
Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in Petroleum County, Montana from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 5 went Democratic and 20 went Republican.
