 About 8.80% of families and 23.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.60% of those under age 18 and 8.80% of those age 65 or over.Despite being in the Solid South, Montgomery County did not consistently back Democratic candidates in the early 20th century, being a swing county from 1912 to 1940.From 1944 to 1988, the county was consistently Republican, though the presence of a major university in Virginia Tech helped make the county more competitive to the Democratic Party towards the end of that streak.