Plan of, 1876
Fort Shaw’s story
159 years in pictures
The archive holds 2 old photos and papers going back to 1876 and 3 maps from 1886 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
- 1867Fort Shaw is settled
Fort ShawMT
Population 207: a town settled in 1867.
Photo: Magicpiano · CC BY-SA 4.0
Population
207
Census survey, 2020–24
Typical home
$464K
+4.1% in a year
Household income
$56K
median
Median age
58.8
years
Jobs based here
35
A commuter town
Is Fort Shaw a good place to live?
1.4% of working residents work locally in Fort Shaw, against 39% in Montana’s towns and 8% across U.S. towns. No town among the 43 in Montana we compare has a higher typical journey to work than Fort Shaw. Fort Shaw Historic District and Cemetery is on the National Register of Historic Places. Fort Shaw has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Small town
207 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
Getting set up
Moving to Fort Shaw: who provides what
Fort Shaw is unincorporated, so Cascade County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerNorthWestern Energy14.4¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
Internet3 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesCascade CountyCascade County provides services here
SchoolsSun River Valley Elementary School DistrictSimms High School District2 districts serve Fort Shaw; 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.govWho runs elections hereCascade County Election AdministratorCascade County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Feb 2024
ZIP codes59443, 5948359443 88% · 59483 12%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 Fort Shaw.
Who lives here
The median age in Fort Shaw is higher than in the typical Montana or U.S. town
Here, 28% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree, against 35% in Montana as a whole. People 65 and older are 46% of residents (20% statewide); children under 18 are 11% of residents (21% statewide).
58.8median age · MT 40.4
| Fort Shaw | Montana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 58.8 years | 38.9 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 28% | 30% | 29% |
Fort ShawMontanaUnited States
Ages · share of residents
37%
Education · adults 25 and older
No diploma9%
High school44%
Some college12%
Associate’s8%
Bachelor’s25%
Graduate3%
Women and men · all residents
45% women, 55% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±6.2 points. Across Montana, 49.3% of residents are women.
| Fort Shaw | MT | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 9.2% | 11% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 1.9% | 10% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 0% | 9% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 12.6% | 12.9% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 15.5% | 12.9% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 0% | 11.1% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 15% | 13% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 36.7% | 12.4% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 9.2% | 7.8% | 7% |
| No diploma | 8.7% | 5.4% | 10.4% |
| High school | 44% | 27.5% | 26% |
| Some college | 12% | 22.4% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 7.6% | 9.6% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 24.5% | 23.2% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 3.3% | 12% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 200, single groups can be off by several points
Schools
The schools Fort Shaw’s kids attend
Its public schools are run by the Sun River Valley Elementary District. 88 students attend Fort Shaw’s public school.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Shaw Elem SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 88 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts
Work & commute
About half of Fort Shaw’s working residents commute to Great Falls
Half the trips to work are shorter than 25 miles. 18% of Fort Shaw residents live below the poverty line. Commuting out is the norm here: 1% of working residents work locally. The top destinations are Great Falls (49%), Helena (6%) and Fairfield (4%).
1%work in town
Where working residents work
In Fort Shaw1%
Great Falls49%
Helena6%
Fairfield4%
Missoula3%
25 mi
median commute distance
35
jobs based in Fort Shaw
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Climate
Snowy winters and pleasant summers in Fort Shaw
The range runs from 14° on a January night to 84° on a July afternoon, with about 46 inches of snow a winter.
46″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter15–37°
Spring30–56°
Summer49–80°
Fall32–58°
Sep 10
typical first frost
Jun 2
typical last frost
+1.2°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Natural hazards
Fort Shaw has a high natural-hazard risk, chiefly from inland flooding
The natural-hazard score from FEMA in Fort Shaw is 63 of 100. Of the losses FEMA expects in the town, 45% come from inland flooding and 34% from cold waves.
63risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingCold wavesAvalanches
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Health
Fort Shaw stands out in Montana and nationally: a larger share of its adults have high blood pressure
No town among the 42 in Montana we compare has a higher share of adults who had a checkup this year than Fort Shaw. 14% of adults have diabetes in the town. Also worth knowing: among 42 Montana towns, just 4 have a higher share of adults who report frequent physical distress than Fort Shaw. This Montana town does better than the Montana average on 5 of 32 CDC measures and worse on 13.
| Fort Shaw | Montana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 14% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 42% | 32% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 10% | 12% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 20% | 16% |
32 measures vs. Montana
5 better14 too close to call13 worse
| What stands out | Fort Shaw | MT |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 16.1% | 20.3% |
| More adults screened for colon cancer | 69.9% | 63.8% |
| More adults with COPD | 10.3% | 7% |
Benefis Hospitals
26 mi away · emergency room
2 of 3
care shortages: primary care, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Housing
Homes in Fort Shaw are worth about $464K, by Zillow’s estimate
The share of households in Fort Shaw who live in a home they own: 82%. Home values are up 4.1% over the year to September 2026.
$464KZillow home value
Typical home value
Fort Shaw$464K
Montana$467K
+4.1%
value change, 1 year
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Outdoors
0.4% of Fort Shaw is conserved land
2.6 miles of trail. Fort Shaw’s trail density is 0.5 miles per square mile.
0.4%conserved
0.4%
conserved · 14 of 3,611 acres
2.6 mi
of trails · 0.5 per sq mi
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Fort Shaw
18pages on Fort Shaw
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Fort Shaw; the nearest are
University of ProvidenceUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Great Falls25.6 mi$30,448 tuitionGreat Falls College Montana State UniversityCommunity college · Public · Great Falls25.7 mi$4,028 in-state tuitionStone Child CollegeUniversity or college · Public · Box Elder105.6 mi$3,610 in-state tuition
About 3 of every 100 Fort Shaw residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across Montana.
A commuter town
99% of working residents leave Fort Shaw for work
Where Fort Shaw’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
35jobs based in Fort Shaw
1%of working residents work in town
25 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
About Fort Shaw
CDP in Montana, United States
Fort Shaw is a census-designated place (CDP) in Cascade County, Montana, United States. The population was 256 at the 2020 census, a decrease from 280 at the 2010 census. Named for a former United States military outpost, it is part of the Great Falls, Montana Metropolitan Statistical Area. First called Camp Reynolds, Fort Shaw is named for Col. Robert G. Shaw of Boston, the first white officer to lead a unit of the United States Colored Troops in the American Civil War. The U.S. government established this fort on the Mullan Road in 1867. A community developed around it. The fort was decommissioned in 1891 and repurposed as an Indian boarding school. The Fort Shaw Indian girls' basketball …
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 5.7 sq mi
- Elevation
- 3,504 ft
- ZIP code
- 59443
Questions about Fort Shaw
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Fort Shaw, MT a good place to live?
Fort Shaw has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
What is Fort Shaw, MT known for?
2 notable people were born here, including Emma L. Brock and James Woodruff.