Phillips County, Montana

Phillips County is a county in the U.S. state of Montana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 4,217.^[1] Its county seat is Malta.^[2] Before February 5, 1915, Phillips County was part of Blaine County, and before 1912 both were part of Chouteau County.^[3] It was named for rancher and state senator Benjamin D. Phillips.

Phillips County
County
Phillips County Courthouse in Malta
Location within the U.S. state of Montana
Montana's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 48°16′N 107°55′W
Country	United States
State	Montana
Founded	February 5, 1915
Seat	Malta
Largest city	Malta
Area
• Total	5,212 sq mi (13,500 km2)
• Land	5,140 sq mi (13,300 km2)
• Water	72 sq mi (190 km2)  1.4%
Population  (2020)
• Total	4,217
• Estimate  (2024)	4,214
• Density	0.81/sq mi (0.31/km2)
Time zone	UTC−7 (Mountain)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−6 (MDT)
Congressional district	2nd
Montana county number 11

Its northern boundary is the Canada–United States border with Saskatchewan. The Missouri River defines its southern boundary.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 5,212 square miles (13,500 km²), of which 5,140 square miles (13,300 km²) is land and 72 square miles (190 km²) (1.4%) is water.^[4] It is the second-largest county in Montana by land area and third-largest by total area.

Adjacent counties and rural municipalities

• Blaine County - west
• Fergus County - southwest
• Petroleum County - south
• Garfield County - southeast
• Valley County - east
• Rural Municipality (RM) of Lone Tree No. 18, Saskatchewan (SK) - north
• RM of Val Marie No. 17, SK - north
• RM of Mankota No. 45, SK - northeast

National protected areas

• Bowdoin National Wildlife Refuge
• Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge (part)
• Hewitt Lake National Wildlife Refuge
• UL Bend National Wildlife Refuge
• Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument (part)

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1920	9,311		—
1930	8,208		−11.8%
1940	7,892		−3.8%
1950	6,334		−19.7%
1960	6,027		−4.8%
1970	5,386		−10.6%
1980	5,367		−0.4%
1990	5,163		−3.8%
2000	4,601		−10.9%
2010	4,253		−7.6%
2020	4,217		−0.8%
2024 (est.)	4,214	[5]	−0.1%
U.S. Decennial Census[6] 1790–1960,[7] 1900–1990,[8] 1990–2000,[9] 2010–2020[1]

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 4,217 people living in the county.^{[citation needed]}

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 4,253 people, 1,819 households, and 1,159 families residing in the county. The population density was 0.8 inhabitants per square mile (0.31/km²). There were 2,335 housing units at an average density of 0.5 per square mile (0.19/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 87.0% white, 8.3% American Indian, 0.2% Asian, 0.4% from other races, and 4.0% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.9% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 26.2% were Norwegian, 24.3% were German, 13.4% were Irish, 10.1% were American, and 9.0% were English.

Of the 1,819 households, 27.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.9% were married couples living together, 7.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 36.3% were non-families, and 32.2% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 2.86. The median age was 46.8 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $36,453 and the median income for a family was $55,362. Males had a median income of $41,826 versus $26,417 for females. The per capita income for the county was $24,227. About 11.4% of families and 13.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.1% of those under age 18 and 4.8% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

From its creation until 1964, voters of Phillips County were fairly balanced; they selected Democratic Party candidates in 58% of national elections. After 1964 the Republican presidential candidate has garnered the county's vote in every election.

United States presidential election results for Phillips County, Montana^[10]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	1,753	80.08%	385	17.59%	51	2.33%
2020	1,936	81.28%	416	17.46%	30	1.26%
2016	1,723	79.36%	318	14.65%	130	5.99%
2012	1,688	75.76%	471	21.14%	69	3.10%
2008	1,423	67.03%	638	30.05%	62	2.92%
2004	1,677	77.28%	456	21.01%	37	1.71%
2000	1,727	77.51%	423	18.99%	78	3.50%
1996	1,392	55.44%	705	28.08%	414	16.49%
1992	1,026	39.09%	634	24.15%	965	36.76%
1988	1,462	60.26%	905	37.30%	59	2.43%
1984	1,934	70.35%	787	28.63%	28	1.02%
1980	1,723	64.95%	745	28.08%	185	6.97%
1976	1,347	54.18%	1,117	44.93%	22	0.88%
1972	1,659	64.88%	828	32.38%	70	2.74%
1968	1,353	51.41%	1,100	41.79%	179	6.80%
1964	1,242	43.47%	1,612	56.42%	3	0.11%
1960	1,457	49.81%	1,455	49.74%	13	0.44%
1956	1,605	52.94%	1,427	47.06%	0	0.00%
1952	1,771	58.70%	1,224	40.57%	22	0.73%
1948	964	37.52%	1,506	58.62%	99	3.85%
1944	1,089	42.82%	1,435	56.43%	19	0.75%
1940	1,110	32.98%	2,225	66.10%	31	0.92%
1936	850	24.33%	2,555	73.13%	89	2.55%
1932	1,127	33.90%	2,054	61.79%	143	4.30%
1928	1,671	59.09%	1,135	40.13%	22	0.78%
1924	1,236	46.69%	473	17.87%	938	35.44%
1920	1,693	67.13%	648	25.69%	181	7.18%
1916	999	42.42%	1,252	53.16%	104	4.42%

Communities

City

• Malta (county seat)

Towns

• Dodson
• Saco

Census-designated places

• East Malta Colony
• Landusky
• Loring Colony
• Sleeping Buffalo
• Whitewater
• Zortman

Other unincorporated communities

• Bowdoin^[11]
• Caldwell^[12]
• Cole^[13]
• Content^[14]
• Cree Crossing^[15]
• Jordan Crossing^[16]
• Loring
• Morgan
• Tattnall^[17]
• Wagner^[18]

See also

The fairgrounds for Phillips County

• List of lakes in Phillips County, Montana
• List of mountains in Phillips County, Montana
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Phillips County MT