Census Data for Three Forks

Population ...

The most recent Census Estimate<1> was for 2019 and it gave Three Forks a population of 2,053 people.

The last Decennial Census<2> was in 2010, which gave Three Forks a population of 1,869 people.

The city of Three Forks is located in Gallatin County. The 2010 Census gave Gallatin County; a population of 89,513 people. This means that Three Forks had 2.09% of the county's total population, making it Gallatin's 3rd most populous community.

At the same time, Montana had a population of 989,415 people, meaning that Three Forks had 0.19% of the total population of Montana - making it the state's 37th most populous community.

Area ...

The 2010 Census shows that the sampling area for Three Forks has a total area of 1.5 square miles [3.9 km²]. Of this total, 1.44 square miles [3.7 km²] is land, with the balance (3.94%) being water (0.06 square miles [0.2 km²]).

Gallatin County has a land area of 2,602 square miles [6,740.9 km²]. At 1.44 square miles [3.7 km²], Three Forks has 0.06% of the county's total land area.

• Continue Reading ...
  • When the Census Bureau conducts a census for a city like Three Forks, they draw a boundary around the area in which they are going to conduct their count - this defines the sampling area (usually a polygon). The shape of the sampling area can be quite complex and it's important to keep in mind that the boundaries of the sampling area may or may not match the recognized boundaries of the city.
  • Things like population, area and housing for Three Forks reflect the sampling area. Since the shape of the sampling area and the actual boundaries of Three Forks might be different, it's best to check with the U.S. Census Bureau to resolve any difference between the two.
  • Not only does the sampling area define boundaries, it also has a GPS location (latitude & longitude) that indicates a point within the sampling area (usually the center of the polygon, known as the centroid). At the time of the 2010 Census, the sampling area was located at:
  • Lat:   45° 53' 22"   (or 45.89°)
  • Lon:   -111° 33' 9"   (or -111.55°)
  • More information on this topic and the changes between the 2000 Census and the 2010 Census can be found in the section for our Census-to-Census Observations ... (see below).

Housing Units ...

At the time of the 2010 Census, Three Forks had 850 Housing Units<3> and with its population of 1,869 people, this averages 2.2 people per Housing Unit.

• Continue Reading ...
  • The 2010 Census shows Three Forks had a land area of 1.44 square miles [3.7 km²]. This translates to 567 Housing Units per square mile [218.9 housing units/km²].
  • From the Census of 2000: Three Forks had 726 Housing Units, a population of 1,728 people and a land area of 1.27 square miles [3.3 km²]. This gives a density of 2.38 people per Housing Unit and 554 Housing Units per square mile [214.1 housing units/km²].
  • Note: Repeating the caution above (under Population Density), be aware that when comparing Housing Units between the 2010 and the 2000 Census, there were changes in the sampling area for Three Forks and you need to be careful when comparing numbers between the censuses. More information about the changes can be found in the section called Census-to-Census Observations ... (see below).

Gallatin County ...

The community of Three Forks is located in Gallatin County<4>.

The county had a population of 89,513 people at the 2010 Census. With it's population of 1,869 people, Three Forks represented 2.09% of the county's total.

In addition, where the city of Three Forks has a population density of 1,246 people per square mile [481.4 people/km²], Gallatin County averages 34.39 people per square mile [13.28 people/km²].

For more information, please visit our Census Page for Gallatin County.

Census-to-Census Observations ...

Introduction ...

When the Census Bureau takes a census count (or enumeration) for Three Forks, they start by specifying the boundaries of the area to be counted. This area (or sampling area) is a polygon and its shape can be quite complex - it may or may not match the geographical boundaries of Three Forks. It's important to note that from one Census to the next, the shape and location of the polygon can change.

• Continue Reading ...
  • Although we don't have specific information about the shape of the polygon for Three Forks or how it changed has over time, there is some information that can give us some hints. For example, since the shape of the sampling area is directly related to the shape of the polygon, any change to area probably indicates a new shape for the polygon.
  • If you need precision or details about the methodology of the Census, you should visit the U.S. Census Bureau for a definitive answer.

Location ...

While generally coinciding with the GPS location (latitude/longitude) of Three Forks, the latitude and longitude given by the Census Bureau actually indicates the GPS location of the polygon for Three Forks.

• Continue Reading ...
  • For the 2010 Census, the location was given as:
  • Lat:   45.889568°   (or 45°53'22" N)
  • Lon:   -111.552748°   (or -111°33'9" W)
  • For the 2000 Census, the location given was:
  • Lat:   45.891334°   (or 45°53'28" N)
  • Lon:   -111.551532°   (or -111°33'5" W)
  • The difference indicates that the U.S. Census Bureau moved the location of the polygon for the 2010 Census 713 feet to the southwest<5> of the location that was used in the 2000 Census.
  • The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the U.S. Board on Geographic Names (BGN) have assigned a unique GNIS identifier (#2412067) to Three Forks. This identifier also marks a GPS point on the map, and that point lies within the boundaries of Three Forks. The GNIS point has been mapped to the latitude/longitude:
  • Lat:   45.890007°   (or 45°53'24" N)
  • Lon:   -111.553890°   (or -111°33'14" W)
  • The GPS location given for the 2010 Census lies 331.1 feet to the southeast<6> of the point given by the GNIS for Three Forks. For more information about this and the relationship of the various Federal Codes, please visit our Misc Page for Three Forks.

Miscellaneous Information for Three Forks ...

The Federal government has assigned various identifying codes to each community, county and state. At one time or another, the US Census Bureau has used one (or more) of the following identifiers when referring to either Gallatin County or the city of Three Forks:

• The GNIS Codes ...
  • The current system of identification is called the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). The following GNIS codes relate to Three Forks:
  • GNIS ID for Three Forks: 2412067
  • GNIS ID for Gallatin County: 1720053
  • GNIS ID for State of Montana: 767982

• The FIPS Codes ...
  • An earlier (and largely obsolete) identification method was called the Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS):
  • State Code: 30 (Montana)
  • County Code: 031 (Gallatin County)
  • Place Code: 73975 (Three Forks)
  • State & County Code: 30/031 (Montana / Gallatin County)
  • State & Place Code: 30/73975 (Montana / Three Forks)

• Misc. Census Codes ...
  • Three Forks is located in Census Region #4 (the West Region) and Division #8 (the Mountain Division).

For more information about the various Federal identification codes, please visit our Misc Page for Three Forks.

Off-the-Road Links ...

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Three Forks. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for Gallatin County: www.co.gallatin.mt.us/

The official website for State of Montana: https://mt.gov/

The official website of the U.S. Census Bureau

The official website of the U.S. Board on Geographic Names (BGN)

The official website of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)