County health data
Chouteau County, MT
CDC PLACES estimates diabetes at 12.2% of adults in Chouteau County (Montana: 9.4%). This county has 11 HRSA shortage designations (2 area or population, 9 facility) and 2 hospitals.
License: a US government work, in the public domain (Public Domain Mark 1.0).
For help with food, housing, utilities, or rides in Chouteau County, call 211 or visit 211.org.
Health measures compared with the state
40 measures for adults in Chouteau County (about 4,657 adults). 24 have a Montana figure from the same survey.
Largest differences from the Montana figure: high blood pressure 37.5% vs 32.2% (+5.3 points), obesity 35.6% vs 30.5% (+5.1 points), and no leisure-time physical activity 24.3% vs 19.6% (+4.7 points).
Health Outcomes
| Measure | Chouteau County | Montana | US | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arthritis | 31.4% | 29.1% | 26.3% | 2023 |
| High blood pressure | 37.5% | 32.2% | 34.0% | 2023 |
| Cancer, excluding non-melanoma skin cancer | 9.9% | n/a | n/a | 2023 |
| Current asthma | 11.8% | 11.7% | 10.2% | 2023 |
| Coronary heart disease | 7.9% | 3.6% | 4.0% | 2023 |
| COPD | 8.5% | 7.3% | 6.3% | 2023 |
| Depression | 23.8% | 24.4% | 21.8% | 2023 |
| Diagnosed diabetes | 12.2% | 9.4% | 11.8% | 2023 |
| High cholesterol, adults ever screened | 35.8% | 34.0% | 37.2% | 2023 |
| Obesity | 35.6% | 30.5% | 34.4% | 2023 |
| Stroke | 4.2% | 3.4% | 3.3% | 2023 |
| All teeth lost, ages 65 and older | 12.8% | n/a | n/a | 2022 |
Prevention
| Measure | Chouteau County | Montana | US | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No health insurance, ages 18 to 64 | 10.3% | 10.7% | 9.3% | 2023 |
| Taking blood pressure medicine, adults with high blood pressure | 76.4% | n/a | n/a | 2023 |
| Routine checkup in the past year | 73.6% | 73.4% | 78.4% | 2023 |
| Cholesterol screening | 82.8% | n/a | n/a | 2023 |
| Colorectal cancer screening, ages 45 to 75 | 61.3% | n/a | n/a | 2022 |
| Dental visit in the past year | 59.4% | n/a | n/a | 2022 |
| Mammogram, women ages 50 to 74 | 73.7% | n/a | n/a | 2022 |
Health Risk Behaviors
| Measure | Chouteau County | Montana | US | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drinking | 18.4% | 19.5% | 15.1% | 2023 |
| Current smoking | 16.6% | 12.4% | 12.1% | 2023 |
| No leisure-time physical activity | 24.3% | 19.6% | 24.5% | 2023 |
| Short sleep | 33.9% | n/a | n/a | 2022 |
Health Status
| Measure | Chouteau County | Montana | US | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health | 21.3% | 18.0% | 18.5% | 2023 |
| Frequent mental distress | 17.8% | 17.8% | 15.4% | 2023 |
| Frequent physical distress | 16.0% | 14.1% | 12.6% | 2023 |
Disability
| Measure | Chouteau County | Montana | US | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cognitive disability | 15.2% | 14.3% | 13.7% | 2023 |
| Any disability | 34.5% | n/a | n/a | 2023 |
| Hearing disability | 10.2% | 9.7% | 7.4% | 2023 |
| Independent living disability | 9.2% | 8.4% | 7.8% | 2023 |
| Mobility disability | 15.6% | 12.8% | 13.4% | 2023 |
| Self-care disability | 4.2% | 3.6% | 3.7% | 2023 |
| Vision disability | 5.6% | 4.3% | 5.0% | 2023 |
Health-Related Social Needs
| Measure | Chouteau County | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Lack of social and emotional support | 23.3% | 2023 |
| Food insecurity in the past year | 14.8% | 2023 |
| Received food stamps in the past year | 10.3% | 2023 |
| Housing insecurity in the past year | 11.0% | 2023 |
| Lack of reliable transportation in the past year | 8.9% | 2023 |
| Loneliness | 33.0% | 2023 |
| Utility shut-off threat in the past year | 7.8% | 2023 |
Source: CDC PLACES county data, as of December 4, 2025. Publisher page
Source: CDC BRFSS prevalence data, as of September 15, 2026. Publisher page
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Health professional shortage areas
HRSA, the federal Health Resources and Services Administration, designates Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs): places, population groups, or facilities with too few primary care, mental health, or dental providers. An area designation covers a geographic area or a population group, such as low-income residents. A facility designation covers one site, such as a health center or clinic. Each has a score from 0 to 25 (0 to 26 for dental); a higher score means greater need.
HRSA lists 11 designated shortage rows in Chouteau County: primary care 4 (highest score 16), mental health 4 (highest score 21), and dental 3 (highest score 17). 2 cover a geographic area or population group; the other 9 are facility designations.
| Discipline | Area or population | Facility | Highest score |
|---|---|---|---|
| primary care | 1 | 3 | 16 |
| mental health | 1 | 3 | 21 |
| dental | 0 | 3 | 17 |
Area and population designations
| Designation | Discipline | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| North-Central Montana | mental health | High Needs Geographic HPSA | 21 |
| Choteau County | primary care | Geographic HPSA | 13 |
Facility designations (9)
| Designation | Discipline | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rocky Boy Health Center | mental health | Indian Health Service, Tribal Health, and Urban Indian Health Organizations | 17 |
| BIG SANDY MEDICAL CENTER RHC | dental | Rural Health Clinic | 17 |
| BIG SANDY MEDICAL CENTER RHC | primary care | Rural Health Clinic | 16 |
| Rocky Boy Health Center | primary care | Indian Health Service, Tribal Health, and Urban Indian Health Organizations | 16 |
| BENTON MEDICAL CENTER | mental health | Rural Health Clinic | 16 |
| BENTON MEDICAL CENTER | primary care | Rural Health Clinic | 15 |
| BENTON MEDICAL CENTER | dental | Rural Health Clinic | 15 |
| BIG SANDY MEDICAL CENTER RHC | mental health | Rural Health Clinic | 14 |
| Rocky Boy Health Center | dental | Indian Health Service, Tribal Health, and Urban Indian Health Organizations | 8 |
In the Type column, a Geographic HPSA covers everyone in the area; and a High Needs Geographic HPSA is a geographic designation that also meets HRSA's added tests for high need.
Source: HRSA Health Professional Shortage Areas, as of October 14, 2026. Publisher page
Hospitals and readmission rates
CMS Care Compare lists 2 acute care or critical access hospitals in Chouteau County, 2 of them critical access. The CMS file in this snapshot does not compare these rates with the national rate, so none is marked better or worse.
| Hospital | City | Stars | Heart failure | Pneumonia | COPD | Heart attack | Hip or knee |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BIG SANDY MEDICAL CENTERCritical access | BIG SANDY | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| MISSOURI RIVER MEDICAL CENTERCritical access | FORT BENTON | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
Each rate is the share of patients readmitted within 30 days of discharge, July 2023 to June 2025. "n/a" means CMS did not publish a rate for that hospital.
Source: CMS Care Compare hospital general information, as of August 13, 2026. Publisher page
Source: CMS Care Compare unplanned hospital visits, as of September 30, 2026. Publisher page
Montana rural health plan
Building a Healthier Rural Montana: Investing in People, Technology, & Preventive Care to Strengthen Health Systems, Improve Access, & Build a More Resilient, Sustainable Future for Rural Communities.
Initiatives, as the state's abstract names them (page 40):
- Develop Montana’s rural health workforce through recruitment, training, and retention
- Ensure the sustainability of Montana’s rural health facilities to ensure access through partnerships and restructuring
- Launch innovative care delivery and payment models to improve access and outcomes in Montana
- Invest in Montana’s community health and preventative infrastructure
- Deploy modern health care technologies for Montana’s providers and patients
CMS says the abstract budgets are illustrative and are not award amounts, so none are shown.
Source: CMS Rural Health Transformation Program state project abstracts, as of December 2025. Publisher page
Neighboring counties
Medicare plans in Chouteau County, MT
About this data
County rates are CDC PLACES model-based estimates of adults, built from the CDC BRFSS survey and Census population data. State and US figures are BRFSS survey results for the same year. They are not averages of counties, and small differences may not be meaningful.
Shortage rows are HRSA designations with status Designated. Scores run from 0 to 25 (0 to 26 for dental); a higher score means greater need. Hospitals are acute care and critical accesshospitals CMS lists in the county, with 30-day rates of unplanned readmission. Health centers are active HRSA-funded and look-alike sites.
Rural health plan initiatives are copied as the state wrote them. Nothing here is medical advice.
Source: CDC PLACES county data, as of December 4, 2025. Publisher page
Source: CDC BRFSS prevalence data, as of September 15, 2026. Publisher page
Source: HRSA Health Professional Shortage Areas, as of October 14, 2026. Publisher page