Sweet Grass County, Montana: commercial real estate data.
Sweet Grass County, Montana had an estimated 3,757 residents on July 1, 2024, up 2.2 percent since the 2020 census base of 3,677, across 1,855 square miles. County output reached $314.8 m in 2024, 187 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 3 7(a) approvals worth $4.9 m since FY2020.
Underlined figures are computed by MMCG Analytics, not published by the agency.
Sweet Grass County
How many people live in Sweet Grass County
- Population, American Community Survey 2020-20243,720
- Households1,552
- Average household size2.40
- Median household income$77,000
- Median age47.0
- Median gross rent$1,149 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$330,100
- Home value to household income4.3 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income17.9 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher24.4 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree6.6 percent
- Adults 25 and over2,700
- Population under 18746
- Share under 1820.1 percent
- Population 65 and over959
- Share 65 and over25.8 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 642,015
- Civilian labor force1,986
- Unemployment rate1.8 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over66.8 percent
- Rank by population among Montana counties39th of 56
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents, Puerto Rico included2984th of 3,222
Sweet Grass County is the 39th largest of 56 Montana counties by population. A median home costs 4.3 times median household income, which is seriously unaffordable by national standards. Residents 65 and over outnumber those under 18, at 25.8 percent against 20.1 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.
Sweet Grass County
Is Sweet Grass County's population growing?
- Population, July 1, 20243,757
- Census 2020 base population3,677
- Population change since the 2020 census base2.18 percent
- Population change, 2023 to 20248
- Births, 202425
- Deaths, 202445
- Natural change, 2024-20
- Net domestic migration, 202427
- Net international migration, 20240
- Total net migration, 202427
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 2024190
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents1111th of 3,144
The county has grown 2.18 percent since the 2020 census base. Deaths exceeded births in 2024 and the population still grew, so all of the growth came from people moving in. A market held up by migration is more sensitive to a change in relative cost than one growing from household formation.
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
Sweet Grass County
Where are people moving to Sweet Grass County from?
- Tax returns filed by households arriving120
- People arriving, from those returns241
- Tax returns filed by households leaving76
- Net household movement44
- Adjusted gross income arriving$9.9 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$5.6 m
- Average income of an arriving household$82,117
- Average income of a leaving household$56,382
- Largest single destinationYellowstone County (22 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|
Households arriving report $25,735 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.
Sweet Grass County
What is the Sweet Grass County economy?
- County GDP, 2024$314.8 m
- County GDP, 2023$299.5 m
- GDP change, 2023 to 20245.1 percent
- GDP change over five years10.6 percent
- Rank by GDP among the Montana areas BEA publishes33rd of 56
- Rank by GDP among the US county areas BEA publishes2676th of 3,127
- GDP per resident$84,633
Output grew 5.1 percent in the latest year and 10.6 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.
Sweet Grass County
Employment by industry in Sweet Grass County
- Covered employment, annual average1,629
- Establishments reporting273
- Average annual pay$68,954
- Average weekly wage$1,326
- Retail trade, employment144
- Retail trade, average annual pay$35,555
- Accommodation and food services, employment144
- Accommodation and food services, average annual pay$23,298
- Construction, employment115
- Construction, average annual pay$47,866
- Manufacturing, employment78
- Manufacturing, average annual pay$41,860
- Other services, except public administration, employment64
- Finance and insurance, employment57
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Retail trade | 144 | 24 | $35,555 |
| Accommodation and food services | 144 | 16 | $23,298 |
| Construction | 115 | 42 | $47,866 |
| Manufacturing | 78 | 10 | $41,860 |
| Other services, except public administration | 64 | 27 | $29,179 |
| Finance and insurance | 57 | 9 | $68,417 |
| Arts, entertainment and recreation | 37 | 10 | $41,240 |
| Professional, scientific and technical services | 36 | 26 | $65,172 |
Retail trade is the largest private sector at 144 jobs, 8.8 percent of covered employment.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
Sweet Grass County
How many businesses are in Sweet Grass County?
- Establishments, all industries187
- Employment at those establishments1,361
- Annual payroll$90.4 m
- Establishments per 1,000 residents50.3
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.
Sweet Grass County
Building permits in Sweet Grass County
- Housing units authorized by permit, 20241
- Declared construction value permitted$416,234
- Single family units authorized1
- Multifamily units authorized0
- Multifamily share of units0.0 percent
- Average declared value per unit$416,234
- Units authorized per 1,000 households0.6
Single-family homes are 100.0 percent of units authorized, so the pipeline is predominantly single-family.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Sweet Grass County
SBA loans in Sweet Grass County (7(a) and 504)
- 7(a) approvals recorded3
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$4.9 m
- Average 7(a) approval$1,642,333
- Median 7(a) approval$70,000
- Largest single approval$4,842,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)8
- Jobs per approval2.7
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active3
- Distinct industries receiving approvals3
- Median 7(a) term120 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer33.3 percent
- Loans on real estate terms1
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter2
- Franchise loans0
- Franchise share of approvals0.0 percent
- 504 approvals recorded3
- 504 gross approval dollars$526,000
- Average 504 approval$175,333
- Median 504 approval$189,000
- Distinct CDCs active2
- 504 jobs per approval5.0
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved28.5
- Combined SBA approval dollars, 7(a) FY2020 to FY2026 and 504 FY2010 to FY2026$5.5 m
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30. US Small Business Administration, 504 FOIA release, FY2010 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Sweet Grass County
SBA loan default and charge-off rates in Sweet Grass County
Do SBA loans in Sweet Grass County get paid back?
- Loans with a final outcome recorded0
- Paid in full0
- Charged off0
- Status: Exempt from disclosure3
Only 0 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.
Sweet Grass County
How large is Sweet Grass County?
- Land area1,855 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Montana counties37th of 56
- Width, east to west42.3 mi
- Height, north to south72.4 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary5
- Residents per square mile of land2
- Establishments per square mile0.10
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.
Sweet Grass County
Flood risk in Sweet Grass County
- Participation of the county's own NFIP community Sweet Grass County, unincorporated areasParticipating, community 300167
- Communities in the county in the NFIP Community Status Book2
- Of those, participating in the NFIP2
- NFIP participation rate100.0 percent
- Communities carrying a CRS class0
- Radon levels in Sweet Grass County, EPA zone predicted average indoor radon screening level from 2 to 4 pCi/LZone 2
The county's own community in the status book, unincorporated Sweet Grass County (community 300167), participates in the National Flood Insurance Program and carries no Community Rating System class, so no CRS premium discount applies there. The EPA places Sweet Grass County in radon zone 2, a predicted average indoor radon screening level from 2 to 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 Sweet Grass 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 Sweet Grass County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population, American Community Survey 2020-20243,720
- Households1,552
- Average household size2.40
- Median household income$77,000
- Median age47.0
Common questions
Sweet Grass County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Sweet Grass County, Montana?
The Census Bureau estimates 3,757 residents on July 1, 2024 (US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024). The American Community Survey 2020-2024 five-year estimate is 3,720, in 1,552 households, ranking 39th of 56 Montana counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Sweet Grass County's population growing?
The population has grown 2.18 percent since the 2020 census base of 3,677, to 3,757 on July 1, 2024. In 2024 there were 25 births against 45 deaths, with net migration of 27. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Sweet Grass County?
$77,000. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $330,100, which is 4.3 times income, and median gross rent is $1,149 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are in Sweet Grass County?
187 establishments, employing 1,361 people with an annual payroll of $90.4 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 Sweet Grass County?
Retail trade is the largest private sector at 144 jobs, 8.8 percent of covered employment. Covered employment averages 1,629 jobs at an average annual pay of $68,954, or $1,326 a week. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Sweet Grass County?
3 7(a) approvals totaling $4.9 m since FY2020, across 3 lenders, with a median approval of $70,000, plus 3 504 approvals worth $526,000 since FY2010. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
How many building permits were issued in Sweet Grass County?
1 housing units were authorized by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $416,234. Multifamily was 0.0 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Sweet Grass County?
Zone 2, a predicted average indoor radon screening level from 2 to 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 Sweet Grass 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 Sweet Grass 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.
Sweet Grass County
Cities and places in Sweet Grass.
2 Census places lie wholly or partly in Sweet Grass County. All 2 carry enough published place level data for a page of their own and are linked.
| Place | Type | Population | SBA 7(a) approvals, projects in this county | Lies in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Big Timber | city | 1,611 | 3 | Wholly in this county |
| Greycliff | CDP | 158 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
Nearby