Montana›Chouteau County

CarterMT

60 people live in this town, settled in 1910.

Population

Census survey, 2020–24

Is Carter a good place to live?

28% of residents live below the poverty line in Carter, against 10% in Montana’s towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns. No town among the 43 in Montana we compare has a lower share of adults with a bachelor’s degree than Carter. Carter has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.

Small town

60 people, and everyone knows the way

In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.

Nearby towns

Fort Benton · 13 mi

Getting set up

Moving to Carter: who provides what

Carter is unincorporated, so Chouteau County and regional agencies provide most services.

PowerNorthWestern Energy14.4¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA

WaterCarter Chouteau Co Water Dist1 health-based violation in 5 years · EPAEPA

Internet1 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC

Trash & county servicesChouteau CountyChouteau County provides services here

SchoolsCarter Elementary School District Fort Benton High School District2 districts serve Carter; which school depends on your address and gradeNCES

Register to voteIn personMontana has no online registration; you can register in person up to and including Election Day or by mail (postmarked 30 days before).vote.gov

Who runs elections hereChouteau County Election AdministratorChouteau County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jan 2025

ZIP code5942059420 100%Census 2020

EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.

The data

Ordered by what stands out in Carter.

Natural hazards

Carter faces a very high natural-hazard risk, led by inland flooding

Carter’s FEMA risk score stands at 80 of 100. 63% of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by cold waves at 23%.

80risk score of 100

FEMA risk score

Inland floodingCold wavesAvalanches

Full pageCarter’s hazards pageOpen the page

What it facesVery high risk Flood claims0 paid flood claims · No paid flood claims on record Past disasters8 disaster declarations · Declared for the county Get ready0.3 events a year, on average · Ready for inland flooding

FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA

Schools

The schools Carter’s kids attend

Its one school is below.

School	Level	Students	Letter
Carter SchoolLargest public school before high school		–	–

Full pageCarter’s schools pageOpen the page

The districtsCarter Elem Every school1 school · Carter School Questions“Are Carter’s schools good?”

NCES · EDFacts

Climate

Four seasons and pleasant summers in Carter

The range runs from 11° on a January night to 86° on a July afternoon, with about 38 inches of snow a winter.

38″snow a winter

Typical low → high °F

Winter12–36°

Spring30–57°

Summer50–82°

Fall32–59°

Sep 22

typical first frost

May 15

typical last frost

+1.3°

vs. the 20th-century average

Full pageCarter’s climate pageOpen the page

A year of weatherJuly highs 86°, January lows 11°Rain & snow38″ of snow a winter · 12 inches of rain and snow a year Heating & coolingMostly a heating bill Then and now+1.3° vs. the 20th century · Warmer than the 20th-century average

NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020

Health

How healthy Carter is

A fifth of Carter adults binge drink. The share of adults in Carter who had a checkup this year: 74%.

	Carter	Montana towns	U.S. towns
Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES)	74%	72%	79%
Binge drink (CDC PLACES)	20%	20%	16%
Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES)	32%	32%	36%
Food insecurity (CDC PLACES)	9.9%	12%	14%

32 measures vs. Montana

1 better31 too close to call0 worse

What stands out	Carter	MT
Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off	5.4%	6.5%

Missouri River Medical Center

12.4 mi away · emergency room

2 of 3

care shortages: primary care, mental health

Full pageCarter’s health reportOpen the page

Everyday habitsFewer binge drinkers Hospitals & doctors nearby12.4 miles to an ER · Missouri River Medical Center How adults are doingMore lonely adults Every CDC estimateBetter than MT on 1 of 32

CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA

Outdoors

Protected land: 1.4% of Carter

There are 0.3 miles of trail across 1 park or preserve. Only 4 of the 43 Montana towns we compare have a lower share of conserved land than Carter. Its density of trails is 0.1 miles per square mile.

1.4%conserved