After the article on searching Lincoln County data, the question came in: “What if North Lincoln County was its own county?” The answer is available, but it takes the sort of personality that enjoys digging through data. Here’s a few facts that would describe the thought experiment that would be county 57.
County 57, sharing boundaries with the Lincoln County High School District, would rank 31st in population of Montana’s 57 counties (6,260 residents). The remainder of Lincoln County would drop from the tenth largest population (19,980) to twelfth (12,694 residents). Data from 2010 Census and, of course, will likely change with completion of the 2020 Census.
Looking at market and taxable valuations we find that High School District 13 (LCHS) has a market value set at $1,202,098,056 and taxable valuation set at $17,042,130. By my count, and this is the type of sort where it is easy to miss something, County 57 would have market and taxable valuations larger than 17 Montana counties.
The same source shows that Lincoln County’s market valuation is $2,741,812,498 and taxable valuation is $37,491,358. 44 Montana counties show lower market values than Lincoln County – not a great variance from the population rank. County 57 would be 22nd in market valuation. The remainder of County 56 – consisting of Troy and Libby High School districts, would be 21st.
A more detailed study might include roads, total area, access to county services and a number of other items. For a simple, “what if” analysis, looking at population and market value seems adequate.
Trego's Mountain Ear 