Sweetgrass, 1986
Sweet Grass’s story
124 years in pictures
The archive holds 5 old photos and papers going back to 1986.
- 1902Sweet Grass is settled
Sweet GrassMT
A town settled in 1902, now home to 70 people.
Photo: USGS · Public domain
Population
70
Census survey, 2020–24
Household income
$82K
median
Median age
67.1
years
Land area
1 sq mi
Settled
1902
124 years ago
Is Sweet Grass a good place to live?
Sweet Grass’ average trip to work is 4 minutes, below both the Montana town median (17 minutes) and the median of U.S. towns (25 minutes). No town among the 43 in Montana we compare has a lower share of adults with a bachelor’s degree than Sweet Grass. Sweet Grass has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Small town
70 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Sweet Grass.
Natural hazards
Sweet Grass faces a very low natural-hazard risk, led by cold waves
14risk score of 100
FEMA puts 49% of Sweet Grass’s expected hazard losses down to cold waves, and 44% to inland flooding. On expected storm and flood damage, Sweet Grass sits below 86% of U.S. communities.
FEMA risk score
Cold wavesInland flooding
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Climate
Four seasons and pleasant summers in Sweet Grass
80°summer high
July afternoons reach 80° and January nights drop to 10°.
Typical low → high °F
Winter11–33°
Spring28–53°
Summer48–77°
Fall30–55°
Sep 25
typical first frost
May 15
typical last frost
+1.8°
vs. the 20th-century average
80°
typical summer high
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Health
Sweet Grass stands out in Montana and nationally: a larger share of its adults have diabetes
31% of Sweet Grass adults get no exercise outside work. Of the 42 Montana towns we compare, none has a higher share of adults who have high blood pressure than Sweet Grass. On the CDC’s 32 measures, Sweet Grass is ahead of Montana on 2 and behind on 15.
| Sweet Grass | Montana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 14% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 10% | 12% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 44% | 32% | 35% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 14% | 14% |
32 measures vs. Montana
2 better15 too close to call15 worse
| What stands out | Sweet Grass | MT |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 16.8% | 20.3% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 79.2% | 73.4% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 24.2% | 12.3% |
Logan Health - Shelby
33.8 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Sweet Grass
13pages on Sweet Grass
The big questions
Out and about
Getting set up
Moving to Sweet Grass: who provides what
Sweet Grass is unincorporated, so Toole County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerMarias River Electric CoopEIAHIFLD · EIA
WaterSweetgrass Water Users Assn1 health-based violation in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet1 providers0% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesToole CountyToole County provides services here
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 hereToole County Election AdministratorToole County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Aug 2015
ZIP code5948459484 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.
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Sweet Grass; the nearest are
Blackfeet Community CollegeUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Browning56.4 mi$3,610 tuitionStone Child CollegeUniversity or college · Public · Box Elder107.3 mi$3,610 in-state tuitionGreat Falls College Montana State UniversityCommunity college · Public · Great Falls109 mi$4,028 in-state tuition
College town 16 of every 100 Sweet Grass residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across Montana.
About Sweet Grass
Census-designated place in Montana, United States, along the Canadian border
Sweet Grass is a census-designated place and unincorporated community in Toole County, Montana, United States, on the Canada–United States border. It is the northern terminus of Interstate 15, an important route connecting western Canada, the western United States, and Mexico. The population was 65 according to the 2020 census. In 2004, a joint border facility opened at the Sweetgrass port of entry and Coutts, Alberta, housing both Canadian and American federal authorities. Fire service is provided through the volunteer fire department in Coutts. It is 34 miles (55 km) to Shelby, 108 miles (174 km) to Havre and 174 miles (280 km) to Missoula.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 0.5 sq mi
- Elevation
- 3,497 ft
- ZIP code
- 59484
Questions about Sweet Grass
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Sweet Grass, MT a good place to live?
Sweet Grass has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Sweet Grass is in here
Say something about Sweet Grass.
Ask a question, answer one, post a photo or an event. Free, and the parts only a neighbor would know are the parts worth reading.