Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 1,846, settled in 1890. 2.3 times the nonprofits per person than the typical Montana town.
Malta’s best subject grades are an A− for walkability and cost of living and an A+ for civic life; its weakest is a D for incomes. Malta’s average trip to work is 12 minutes, below both the Montana town median (17 minutes) and the median of U.S. towns (25 minutes). Only 3 of the 43 Montana towns we compare have a lower January low than Malta. Malta’s trail density is 1.8 miles per square mile, above both Montana’s towns (0.6) and U.S. towns (0.4). On civic life, just 5 of Montana’s 54 towns do better. Malta has 3 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Phillips County Carnegie Library and Edwards & McLellan Block. Malta has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Malta beats most towns.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Montana), ordered by how far Malta is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 433 in 1910, 1,860 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1932 and 2 maps from 1954 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Malta, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Malta.
The typical Malta home is worth about $234,000, up 4% in a year, 50% below the Montana typical home. 62% of households own their home in Malta.
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by the Malta K-12 Schools. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Malta K-5Largest public elementary schoolGrades PK–8 | Grades PK–8 | 246 | A− |
| Malta High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 128 | D |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MT on state tests and graduation
Adults 18 to 34 are 9% of residents (22% statewide); children under 18 are 27% of residents (21% statewide). 23% of Malta residents are 65 or older. 31% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 35% across Montana.
| Malta | Montana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 44.4 years | 38.9 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 23% | 19% | 18% |
44% women, 56% men
About 129 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±1.6 points). Across Montana, 49.3% of residents are women.
| Malta | MT | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 12.8% | 11% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 13.9% | 10% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 3% | 9% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 6.2% | 12.9% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 17% | 12.9% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 7.1% | 11.1% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 17.5% | 13% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 15.9% | 12.4% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 6.6% | 7.8% | 7% |
| No diploma | 5.3% | 5.4% | 10.4% |
| High school | 26.9% | 27.5% | 26% |
| Some college | 30.1% | 22.4% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 6.8% | 9.6% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 23.8% | 23.2% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 7% | 12% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 1,800, single groups can be off by several points
Malta has cold winters and warm summers, with very little rain. Malta’s July high is 87°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
About one in 3 of Malta’s working residents works in town. Since 2013, Malta has lost 174 jobs, to 599 in 2023. The median household income in Malta is $54,000.
| Malta | Montana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 34% | 39% | 8% |
| Median household income | $54,000 | $67,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
2.0 miles of trail in 3 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Trafton Park, at 29 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Trafton Park | 0.6 mi | 29 |
| 2. Hillcrest Park | — | 3 |
| 3. Riverview Park | — | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 63% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 8 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Malta.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Malta beats the Montana average on 2 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 6. Among 42 Montana towns, just 3 have a higher share of adults who have obesity than Malta.
| Malta | Montana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 32% | 35% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 74% | 72% | 79% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 31% | 33% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 14% | 14% |
| What stands out | Malta | MT |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 9.6% | 12.3% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 77.7% | 73.4% |
| More adults with COPD | 8.8% | 7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
None within 15 miles of Malta; the nearest are
About 1 of every 100 Malta residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across Montana.
City in Montana, United States
Malta ( MAWL-tə) is a city in and the county seat of Phillips County, Montana, United States, located at the intersection of U.S. Routes 2 and 191. The population was 1,860 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
2.3 times the nonprofits per person than the typical Montana town.
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A−.
2 notable people were born here, including Karl Ohs and Wendy Warburton.