Sweet Grass County, Montana Demographics 2026

Population Overview

Sweet Grass County is located in Montana with a total population of 3,713. It is the 39th most populous county out of 56 in Montana. The county encompasses 2 Census-designated places.

Age Demographics

The median age in Sweet Grass County is 44.0 years. This is 9% higher than the state median of 40.2 years. 11.4% of residents are 75 or older, suggesting a significant retirement-age population with implications for healthcare services and senior housing.

Economy, Income & Housing

The median household income in Sweet Grass County is $69,426. This is about the same as the state median of $69,922. It is also 12% lower than the national median of $78,538. The poverty rate stands at 7.8%. This is 35% lower than the state poverty rate of 12.0%. The unemployment rate is 2.2%. This is 42% lower than the state rate of 3.8%. The median home value is $295,500. Housing costs are 13% lower than the state median of $338,100. The home-value-to-income ratio is 4.3x. 76.1% of occupied housing units are owner-occupied. This homeownership rate is 10% higher than the state average of 69.4%.

Race & Ethnicity

Sweet Grass County has a predominantly White (non-Hispanic) population, comprising 90.6% of all residents. Hispanic or Latino residents account for 1.8%. The Black or African American population is significantly higher than the state average (1.4% vs 0.5%). The Hispanic or Latino population (1.8%) is well below the state average of 4.4%.

Education

23.1% of residents aged 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher. This is 33% lower than the state rate of 34.5%. Nationally, 35.0% of adults hold at least a bachelor's degree. The high school graduation rate (or equivalent) is 96.4%.

Data Sources & Methodology

All figures for Sweet Grass County come from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates (2019-2023), with comparisons drawn against Montana and national averages from the same dataset. See our methodology page for how each metric is defined, or data.census.gov for official tables with margins of error.