Retiring Guy's Digest: Population loss in Montana: Phillips County/Malta

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Population loss in Montana: Phillips County/Malta

It all started here.

Population loss as in major -- 50% or more.

Source: Wikipedia (Phillips County, Malta)

Malta is the county seat of Phillips County.

Population loss by degrees: 80-90%, 70-79%, 60-69%, 50-59%.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts

Percentage of population 25 and older with a bachelor's degree:

18.1% - Phillips County
30.7% - Montana
30.9% - U.S.

Percentage of population 65 and older:

22.3% - Phillips County
18.7% - Montana
15.6% - U.S.

% of population living in poverty:

14.4% - Phillips County
12.5% - Montana
12.3% - U.S.

The last time a Democratic candidate for president won Phillips County was in 1964. Trump won 79.4% of the vote in 2016, best GOP performance ever.

Phillips County Library, Malta

Writers in Place: Suffering and Creativity. (The New York Times, 5/28/2002)

Malta is the county seat and largest town in Phillips County, where she was born in 1954 and which she abandoned in 1986. Like most of eastern Montana, Phillips County is bleeding humanity. The population has plunged about 25 percent since 1960. The county, which is notable for gumbo soil and aging ranchers, sour ground water and savage winters, doesn't have even one person per square mile.