Phillips County, Montana: commercial real estate data.
Phillips County, Montana had an estimated 4,214 residents on July 1, 2024, down 0.1 percent since the 2020 census base of 4,218, across 5,140 square miles. County output reached $163.8 m in 2024, 135 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 7 7(a) approvals worth $4.8 m since FY2020.
Underlined figures are computed by MMCG Analytics, not published by the agency.
Phillips County
How many people live in Phillips County
- Population, American Community Survey 2020-20244,221
- Households1,765
- Average household size2.39
- Median household income$53,417
- Median age45.6
- Median gross rent$536 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$197,600
- Home value to household income3.7 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income12.0 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher25.4 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree6.7 percent
- Adults 25 and over3,000
- Population under 18987
- Share under 1823.4 percent
- Population 65 and over1,013
- Share 65 and over24.0 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 642,221
- Civilian labor force1,899
- Unemployment rate1.8 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over58.7 percent
- Rank by population among Montana counties38th of 56
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents, Puerto Rico included2948th of 3,222
Phillips County is the 38th largest of 56 Montana counties by population. A median home costs 3.7 times median household income, which is moderately unaffordable by national standards. Residents 65 and over outnumber those under 18, at 24.0 percent against 23.4 percent, which points demand at health care, services and single story product rather than schools.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Phillips County
Is Phillips County's population growing?
- Population, July 1, 20244,214
- Census 2020 base population4,218
- Population change since the 2020 census base-0.09 percent
- Population change, 2023 to 2024-34
- Births, 202446
- Deaths, 202445
- Natural change, 20241
- Net domestic migration, 2024-35
- Net international migration, 20241
- Total net migration, 2024-34
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 202447
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents1872nd of 3,144
The county has lost 0.09 percent of its population since the 2020 census base. More people left than moved in during 2024 and births over deaths did not make up the difference, so the population fell.
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
Phillips County
Where are people moving to Phillips County from?
- Tax returns filed by households arriving78
- People arriving, from those returns156
- Tax returns filed by households leaving57
- Net household movement21
- Adjusted gross income arriving$4.0 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$1.5 m
- Average income of an arriving household$51,013
- Average income of a leaving household$42,930
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|
Households arriving report $8,083 more average income than households leaving, so the migration is raising local spending power rather than just moving it around.
US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Phillips County
What is the Phillips County economy?
- County GDP, 2024$163.8 m
- County GDP, 2023$184.2 m
- GDP change, 2023 to 2024-11.0 percent
- GDP change over five years20.7 percent
- Rank by GDP among the Montana areas BEA publishes42nd of 56
- Rank by GDP among the US county areas BEA publishes2953rd of 3,127
- GDP per resident$38,809
Output grew -11.0 percent in the latest year and 20.7 percent over five, which is the trend line a lender will read behind any single year figure.
US Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional, table CAGDP2, CAGDP2, through 2024.
Phillips County
Employment by industry in Phillips County
- Covered employment, annual average1,160
- Establishments reporting186
- Average annual pay$41,451
- Average weekly wage$797
- Retail trade, employment208
- Retail trade, average annual pay$28,671
- Accommodation and food services, employment142
- Accommodation and food services, average annual pay$14,300
- Health care and social assistance, employment120
- Health care and social assistance, average annual pay$47,599
- Construction, employment56
- Construction, average annual pay$58,853
- Finance and insurance, employment51
- Other services, except public administration, employment41
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Retail trade | 208 | 23 | $28,671 |
| Accommodation and food services | 142 | 18 | $14,300 |
| Health care and social assistance | 120 | 10 | $47,599 |
| Construction | 56 | 15 | $58,853 |
| Finance and insurance | 51 | 7 | $57,893 |
| Other services, except public administration | 41 | 19 | $33,775 |
| Professional, scientific and technical services | 37 | 16 | $41,997 |
| Manufacturing | 22 | 6 | $60,296 |
Retail trade is the largest private sector at 208 jobs, 17.9 percent of covered employment.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
Phillips County
How many businesses are in Phillips County?
- Establishments, all industries135
- Employment at those establishments796
- Annual payroll$30.0 m
- Establishments per 1,000 residents32.0
These are counts of establishments physically operating in the county, not listings, so they are the supply side a feasibility study measures demand against. County Business Patterns counts private establishments with paid employees in March 2023, while the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages above counts every unemployment-insured employer, public ones included, as a 2024 annual average, so the two establishment and employment counts differ.
US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Phillips County
Building permits in Phillips County
- Housing units authorized by permit, 20240
- Declared construction value permitted$0
- Single family units authorized0
- Multifamily units authorized0
No residential units were authorized by permit in 2024. In a small county this is common and is not by itself a sign of distress, but it does mean there is no recent residential pipeline to read demand from.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Phillips County
SBA loans in Phillips County (7(a) and 504)
- 7(a) approvals recorded7
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$4.8 m
- Average 7(a) approval$689,286
- Median 7(a) approval$475,000
- Largest single approval$2,200,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)66
- Jobs per approval9.4
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active3
- Distinct industries receiving approvals3
- Median 7(a) term60 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer42.9 percent
- Loans on real estate terms3
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter4
- Franchise loans0
- Franchise share of approvals0.0 percent
- Leading industry by approval countReady-Mix Concrete Manufacturing (3)
- Most active lenderBank of Bridger National Association (3)
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Phillips County
SBA loan default and charge-off rates in Phillips County
Do SBA loans in Phillips County get paid back?
- Loans with a final outcome recorded4
- Paid in full4
- Charged off0
- Status: Paid in full4
- Status: Exempt from disclosure3
Only 4 loans have reached a final outcome, fewer than the 30 a charge-off rate needs, so no rate is published.
Compare against the national and state SBA charge-off rates, computed the same way over resolved loans only.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Phillips County
How large is Phillips County?
- Land area5,140 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Montana counties2nd of 56
- Width, east to west78.9 mi
- Height, north to south107 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary5
- Residents per square mile of land1
- Establishments per square mile0.03
US Census Bureau county boundary geometry, TIGER, adjacency computed from shared boundary vertices, TIGER county boundaries. US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year. US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Phillips County
Flood risk in Phillips County
- Participation of the county's own NFIP community Phillips County, unincorporated areasParticipating, community 300162
- Communities in the county in the NFIP Community Status Book5
- Of those, participating in the NFIP5
- NFIP participation rate100.0 percent
- Communities carrying a CRS class0
- Radon levels in Phillips County, EPA zone predicted average indoor radon screening level greater than 4 pCi/LZone 1
The county's own community in the status book, unincorporated Phillips County (community 300162), participates in the National Flood Insurance Program and carries no Community Rating System class, so no CRS premium discount applies there. The EPA places Phillips County in radon zone 1, a predicted average indoor radon screening level greater than 4 pCi/L. The zone is a screening prediction for the county and does not substitute for a test at an address. 100.0 percent of the county's listed communities participate in the National Flood Insurance Program, per Federal Emergency Management Agency, NFIP Community Status Book (OpenFEMA), as of 2026-09-26.
Federal Emergency Management Agency, NFIP Community Status Book (OpenFEMA), as of 2026-09-26. US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001.
Coverage
What this page does not hold.
Traffic counts, zoning and the flood zone at an address are not on this page; they resolve at the address in the platform. How this page was built →
Feasibility studies
When a Phillips County site needs a document a lender will accept.
The same data layer behind this page is the one the studies are written from. A study for a Phillips County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population, American Community Survey 2020-20244,221
- Households1,765
- Average household size2.39
- Median household income$53,417
- Median age45.6
Common questions
Phillips County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Phillips County, Montana?
The Census Bureau estimates 4,214 residents on July 1, 2024 (US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024). The American Community Survey 2020-2024 five-year estimate is 4,221, in 1,765 households, ranking 38th of 56 Montana counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Phillips County's population growing?
The population has fallen 0.09 percent since the 2020 census base of 4,218, to 4,214 on July 1, 2024. In 2024 there were 46 births against 45 deaths, with net migration of -34. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Phillips County?
$53,417. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $197,600, which is 3.7 times income, and median gross rent is $536 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are in Phillips County?
135 establishments, employing 796 people with an annual payroll of $30.0 m. These are establishments physically operating in the county, not listings. Source: US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
What is employment by industry in Phillips County?
Retail trade is the largest private sector at 208 jobs, 17.9 percent of covered employment. Covered employment averages 1,160 jobs at an average annual pay of $41,451, or $797 a week. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Phillips County?
7 7(a) approvals totaling $4.8 m since FY2020, across 3 lenders, with a median approval of $475,000. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
How many building permits were issued in Phillips County?
No residential units were authorized by permit in 2024. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Phillips County?
Zone 1, a predicted average indoor radon screening level greater than 4 pCi/L. Source: US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001.
Are traffic counts available for Phillips County on this page?
No. Annual average daily traffic resolves in the platform rather than in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here. It is a gap we know about rather than a figure we estimated.
Is zoning published for Phillips County?
No. Nothing on this page presents parcel level zoning, and where a statutory framework applies it is marked as the statewide frame, to be confirmed locally.
Phillips County
Cities and places in Phillips.
9 Census places lie wholly or partly in Phillips County. 8 carry enough published place level data for a page of their own and are linked. The rest are named here and not linked, because the American Community Survey and the SBA record between them do not carry enough about them to write an honest page. A place existing is itself worth knowing, so nothing in the county is left out.
| Place | Type | Population | SBA 7(a) approvals, projects in this county | Lies in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Malta | city | 2,100 | 7 | Wholly in this county |
| Dodson | town | 153 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Saco | town | 140 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Whitewater | CDP | 105 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Zortman | CDP | 52 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Loring Colony | CDP | 31 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Landusky | CDP | 21 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Sleeping Buffalo | CDP | 9 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| East Malta Colony | CDP | 0 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
Nearby