Fort Smith has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Bad Pass Trail and Camp Four. Fort Smith has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.

Small town

78 people, and everyone knows the way

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

Fort C. F. Smith Historic District · National Register of Historic Places

Fort Smith’s story

Fort Smith in pictures

2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.

Explore the history →

Getting set up

Moving to Fort Smith: who provides what

Fort Smith is unincorporated, so Big Horn County and regional agencies provide most services.

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

WaterFort Smith Water and Sewer DistrictNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA

Internet2 providers3% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC

Trash & county servicesBig Horn CountyBig Horn County provides services here

SchoolsHardin Elementary School District Hardin High School District2 districts serve Fort Smith; 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 hereBig Horn County Election AdministratorBig Horn County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2023

ZIP code5903559035 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 Fort Smith.

Work & commute

With 1.5 jobs for every working resident, Fort Smith draws in 79 commuters

The top destinations are Billings (26%), Hardin (17%) and Crow Agency (15%). Only 6% of working residents stay in Fort Smith for work; the rest commute out. Its median household income is $51,000. For half of commuters, work is under 43 miles away.

6%work in town

	Fort Smith	Montana towns	U.S. towns
Working residents who work in town	5.6%	39%	8%
Median household income	$51,000	$67,000	$80,000

Where working residents work

In Fort Smith6%

Billings26%

Hardin17%

Crow Agency15%

Miles City6%

43 mi

median commute distance

jobs based in Fort Smith

A job hub

jobs vs. working residents

Full pageFort Smith’s work & commute pageOpen the page

The jobs here82 jobs based here · A job hub Where people work6% work in Fort Smith Commute timesCommute times How far they goHalf commute less than 43 miles

Census LEHD 2023 · ACS

Schools

The schools Fort Smith’s kids attend

Its one school is below. The public schools here belong to the Hardin Elementary District.

School	Level	Students	Letter
Fort Smith SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5	Grades PK–5	17	–

Full pageFort Smith’s schools pageOpen the page

The districtsHardin Elem Every school1 school · Fort Smith School Questions“Are Fort Smith’s schools good?”

NCES · EDFacts

Natural hazards

Fort Smith has a high natural-hazard risk, chiefly from inland flooding

FEMA puts 47% of Fort Smith’s expected hazard losses down to inland flooding, and 16% to cold waves. Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 75% of U.S. communities. Households in the town have drawn federal disaster aid once, in 2011.

75risk score of 100

FEMA risk score

Inland floodingCold wavesStrong wind

federal disasters paid out here

Full pageFort Smith’s hazards pageOpen the page

What it facesHigh risk Flood claims0 paid flood claims · No paid flood claims on record Past disasters1 federal disaster · Paid out in Fort Smith Get ready0.7 events a year, on average · Ready for inland flooding

FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA

Climate

Fort Smith: snowy winters and hot summers

Expect July afternoons of 88° and January nights of 14°, with about 44 inches of snow a winter.

44″snow a winter

Typical low → high °F

Winter15–36°

Spring33–58°

Summer54–84°

Fall34–60°

Oct 5

typical first frost

May 7

typical last frost

+1.4°

vs. the 20th-century average

Full pageFort Smith’s climate pageOpen the page

A year of weatherJuly highs 88°, January lows 14°Rain & snow44″ of snow a winter · 16 inches of rain and snow a year Heating & coolingMostly a heating bill Then and now+1.4° vs. the 20th century · Warmer than the 20th-century average

NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020

Health

Compared with most of Montana and the rest of the country, more of Fort Smith’s adults smoke cigarettes

In Fort Smith, 27% of adults say their health is fair or poor. The share of adults in Fort Smith who binge drink is 17%, where Montana’s towns sit at 20% and U.S. towns at 16%. Among adults in the town, 19% report frequent physical distress and 16% have diabetes.

	Fort Smith	Montana towns	U.S. towns
Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES)	23%	14%	14%
Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES)	19%	14%	14%
Diabetes (CDC PLACES)	16%	10%	12%
Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES)	27%	19%	19%