Heart ButteMT
Settled in 1915, this town now has 521 residents.
Is Heart Butte a good place to live?
47% of residents live below the poverty line in Heart Butte, above both Montana’s towns (10%) and U.S. towns (9.6%). No town among the 43 in Montana we compare has a higher share of children under 18 than Heart Butte. Heart Butte has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
521 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Moving to Heart Butte: who provides what
Heart Butte is unincorporated, so Pondera County and regional agencies provide most services.
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 Heart Butte.
The median household income in Heart Butte is lower than in most of Montana or the rest of the country
Jobs based in Heart Butte fell to 3 in 2023, 111 fewer than in 2013. In Heart Butte, the average trip to work is 18 minutes. The top destinations are East Glacier Park Village (21%), Browning (8%) and Valier (6%).
| Heart Butte | Montana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $31,000 | $67,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 18 minutes | 17 minutes | 25 minutes |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Natural hazards: low risk in Heart Butte, mostly cold waves
In Heart Butte, the FEMA hazard score is 27 of 100. Expected losses in Heart Butte break down as 50% from cold waves and 35% from inland flooding. One declared disaster, in 2011, has brought federal aid to Heart Butte households.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
In Heart Butte, a typical July afternoon runs cooler than in the typical Montana or U.S. town
The seasons in Heart Butte: cold winters, pleasant summers, with very little rain. July afternoons reach 76° and January nights drop to 15°.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
How healthy Heart Butte is
Only one of the 42 Montana towns we compare has a higher share of adults 18 to 64 who have no health insurance than Heart Butte. Of 32 CDC measures, Heart Butte beats the Montana average on 1 and trails it on 25. For adults locally, the share who worry about having enough food is 41%.
| Heart Butte | Montana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 36% | 19% | 19% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 14% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 10% | 12% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 18% | 17% |
| What stands out | Heart Butte | MT |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 6% | 9.3% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 40.7% | 11.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Everything we know about Heart Butte
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Heart Butte; the nearest are
About 2 of every 100 Heart Butte residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across Montana.
100% of working residents leave Heart Butte for work
Where Heart Butte’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
About Heart Butte
Census–designated place in Pondera County, Montana
Heart Butte (Blackfeet: Moskizipahpi-istaki / Moskitsipahpiistaki) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Pondera County, Montana, United States. As of the 2020 census, Heart Butte had a population of 621. The town is on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation. The town takes its name from the small heart-shaped peak southwest of town.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 4.6 sq mi
- Elevation
- 4,472 ft
- ZIP code
- 59448
Questions about Heart Butte
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Heart Butte, MT a good place to live?
Heart Butte has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.