Phillips County is a county in Montana, United States, in the north-central part of the state along the Canadian border. It had a population of 4,217 at the 2020 census and covers 5,212 square miles (13,500 km2), of which 5,140 square miles are land and 72 square miles are water, centred near 48°16′N 107°55′W.
Malta is the county seat, and its postal code is 59538. The county has one city, two incorporated towns, and about 30 smaller unincorporated communities and rural crossings. Phillips County is in the Mountain time zone.
Towns & Villages in Phillips County
Malta is the only city and the seat of government. Saco and Dodson are incorporated towns along U.S. Route 2 and the BNSF Hi-Line rail corridor. Everything else on the list below is an unincorporated community, rural crossing, or named locality — most have no separate census count, shown as —.
| Place | Type | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Malta | City · seat | — | 59538 |
| Saco | Town | — | 59261 |
| Dodson | Town | — | 59524 |
| Zortman | Unincorp. | — | 59546 |
| Landusky | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Whitewater | Unincorp. | — | 59544 |
| Loring | Unincorp. | — | 59537 |
| Loring Colony | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Bowdoin | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Morgan | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Wagner | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Phillips | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Sumner | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Sun Prairie | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Tattnall | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Valleytown | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Midale | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Ashfield | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Caldwell | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Chapman | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Cole | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Content | Unincorp. | — | — |
| East Malta Colony | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Sleeping Buffalo | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Bone Crossing | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Cree Crossing | Unincorp. | — | — |
| DY Junction | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Jordan Crossing | Unincorp. | — | — |
| X Crossing | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Dryer Place | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Old Whitcomb Place | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Hiline Trailer Park | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Murray Trailer Park | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Riverside Trailer Court | Unincorp. | — | — |
Landusky and Zortman sit two miles apart in the Little Rocky Mountains and are often mentioned together as an old gold-mining pair; they remain two separate GNIS localities. Phillips, the unincorporated locality, is not the county seat — that is Malta, roughly 20 miles to the southwest.
ZIP Codes
- 59538 — Malta (also serves the county’s central ranch country)
- 59524 — Dodson
- 59261 — Saco
- 59544 — Whitewater
- 59546 — Zortman
- 59537 — Loring
Landusky, Bowdoin, and the smaller crossings and colonies use a Malta, Dodson, or Zortman mailing address rather than their own ZIP.
Geography
Phillips County is high plains and breaks country. The Missouri River forms the southern county line, and the Milk River crosses the north-central part of the county past Malta and Dodson. The Little Rocky Mountains rise in the southwest corner near Zortman and Landusky, an isolated island range surrounded by prairie. The Bowdoin National Wildlife Refuge, built around a large alkaline lake, sits just east of Malta.
Phillips County borders Blaine County to the west, Fergus County to the southwest, Petroleum County to the south, Garfield County to the southeast, and Valley County to the east. Its entire northern edge is the international border with Saskatchewan, Canada.
Demographics
Phillips County had 4,217 residents at the 2020 census. Malta is by far the largest community, followed by Saco and Dodson. The county’s median household income runs below the Montana median of $70,804, reflecting an economy built on ranching and dryland farming rather than wage employment. With about 5,140 square miles of land, the county’s density works out to roughly 0.8 people per square mile, among the most sparsely populated counties in Montana.
Economy & Local Life
Agriculture drives the county: cattle ranching on the open range and dryland wheat farming on the benches north and south of Malta. Phillips County Hospital and the county government are among Malta’s larger employers. Zortman and Landusky grew up around gold mining in the Little Rocky Mountains; mining has largely wound down, and reclamation of the old open-pit sites continues. The Bowdoin refuge and the Missouri River Breaks draw hunters and birders in season, and Malta hosts the annual Phillips County Fair.
History
Phillips County was organized on February 5, 1915, split off from Blaine County, which had itself been carved from Chouteau County in 1912. It is named for Benjamin D. Phillips, a local rancher and Montana state senator who helped push the county’s creation. Zortman and Landusky trace to a late-1800s gold rush in the Little Rocky Mountains; both mining camps predate the county itself. Malta grew as a stop on the Great Northern Railway’s Hi-Line route across northern Montana.
Getting There
U.S. Route 2 runs east-west through Malta, Dodson, and Saco, paralleling the BNSF rail line. Montana Highway 191 runs south from Malta toward the Missouri River and Zortman/Landusky.
- Havre, MT — 90 miles west
- Glasgow, MT — 70 miles east
- Lewistown, MT — 100 miles south
- Great Falls, MT — 175 miles southwest
Malta Airport (M75) offers Essential Air Service flights on Cape Air; the nearest larger commercial airport is Great Falls International.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Phillips County, Montana?
It is in north-central Montana on the Canadian border, between the Milk River valley and the Missouri Breaks.
What is the population of Phillips County?
4,217 residents at the 2020 census.
How big is Phillips County?
5,212 square miles (13,500 km2) total, of which 5,140 square miles are land.
What is the Phillips County seat?
Malta is the county seat.
How many towns are in Phillips County?
One city (Malta) and two incorporated towns (Saco and Dodson), plus about 30 unincorporated communities and rural localities.
What ZIP codes are in Phillips County?
59538 (Malta), 59524 (Dodson), 59261 (Saco), 59544 (Whitewater), 59546 (Zortman), and 59537 (Loring).
What mountains are in Phillips County?
The Little Rocky Mountains, in the southwest corner near Zortman and Landusky, are the county’s only mountain range.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Montana.