Moving to Malta: Pros, Cons & What to Know
Moving to Malta means moving to a small, remote north-central Montana Hi-Line town, the Phillips County seat, with genuinely affordable home prices weighed honestly against a real, disclosed, above-median effective property tax rate.
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Learn moreMalta's setting on the Hi-Line and near Bowdoin National Wildlife Refuge
Malta sits on US Highway 2 (the Hi-Line) in sparsely populated Phillips County, approximately 7 miles from Bowdoin National Wildlife Refuge, a genuine 15,551-acre migratory-bird wetland refuge on the Central Flyway with over 200 documented bird species (base record).
A real, essentially flat population
Malta's population ran approximately 1,854 per a 2026 projection, essentially flat against 1,860 at the 2020 Census -- a marginal -0.32% cumulative change this record discloses honestly rather than characterizing as a sharp decline (base record).
Affordable home prices, but an elevated property tax rate
Malta's own median home price (approximately $130,200) runs far below Montana's statewide average, but Malta's own 1.33% effective property tax rate runs above both the national and Montana statewide medians -- a real, disclosed tension prospective movers should understand (base record).
Phillips County's agricultural and ranching economy
Malta's economy centers on Phillips County's real, defining agriculture and ranching base, with Phillips County Hospital standing as a significant local employer. A confirmed, current, fuller named-employer list was not found with confidence this pass (base record).
Key takeaways
- Malta sits on the Hi-Line in Phillips County, approximately 7 miles from Bowdoin National Wildlife Refuge.
- Malta's population runs approximately 1,854 (2026), essentially flat since the 2020 Census.
- Home prices run genuinely affordable (approximately $130,200 median), though Malta's own property tax RATE (1.33%) runs above both national and Montana statewide medians.
- Phillips County's economy centers on agriculture and ranching, with Phillips County Hospital a significant local employer -- confirm current job-market data directly.
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