Sanders County, Montana
Population 13,285 · Thompson Falls, Plains, Hot Springs
- Overall cost of living: −8.4% vs the US average, higher than 63% of US counties.
- Colleges within 30 mi: 0, the lowest in the US.
- Lyme disease cases: 0/100k, the lowest in the US.
Cost & Housing
| Overall cost of living (vs US avg) | ≈−8.4% | higher than 63% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Shared figure for all of Montana outside its metro areas. Prices are published for areas, not single counties. | ||
| Median home price | $359,000 | higher than 88% of US counties |
| Median rent | $820 | lower than 62% of US counties |
| Electric bill | $129/mo | lower than 91% of US counties |
| Child care (preschool) | $9,930/yr | higher than 84% of US counties |
| Property tax rate | 0.53% | lower than 80% of US counties |
| Sales tax | 0% | the lowest in the US |
| State income tax | 5.9% | higher than 88% of US counties |
| Property tax paid / yr | $1,889 | higher than 60% of US counties |
Jobs & Career
| Median household income | $57,476 | lower than 73% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate | 6% | higher than 93% of US counties |
| Job growth (5 yr) | +14.8% | higher than 95% of US counties |
| Jobs per 1k residents | 204.9 | lower than 71% of US counties |
| Profession jobs per 1k residents | N/A |
Climate & Environment
| Sunny days / yr | ≈151 days | lower than 96% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Regional estimate: satellite grid cell about 100 km across. Nearby counties can share it. | ||
| July high | 86°F | lower than 57% of US counties |
| January low | 22°F | lower than 53% of US counties |
| Annual snowfall | 15 in | higher than 53% of US counties |
| Hot days (90°F+) | 39 days | higher than 56% of US counties |
| Freezing days (32°F or colder) | 148 days | higher than 74% of US counties |
| Severe drought | 18.9% of weeks | higher than 78% of US counties |
| Summer dew point | ≈44.8°F | lower than 93% of US counties |
| ≈ Regional estimate: NASA grid cell about 50 km across, read at where the county’s people live. Nearby counties can share it. | ||
| Annual precipitation | 22.1 in | lower than 83% of US counties |
| Disaster damage per $100k | $212/yr | higher than 84% of US counties |
| Flood damage per $100k | $168/yr | higher than 92% of US counties |
| Hurricane damage per $100k | $0/yr | the lowest in the US |
| Earthquake damage per $100k | $10/yr | higher than 81% of US counties |
| Tornado damage per $100k | $0.1/yr | lower than 96% of US counties |
| Wildfire damage per $100k | $27/yr | higher than 92% of US counties |
| PM2.5 air pollution | 9.6 µg/m³ | higher than 93% of US counties |
| Distance to coast | 319.8 mi | higher than 69% of US counties |
| Terrain relief | ≈4,321.4 ft | higher than 93% of US counties |
| ≈ Estimated from about 75 elevation points sampled across the county, so the true range is usually somewhat larger. | ||
Education & Health
| % Adults with a high school diploma | 91.7% | higher than 62% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| % Adults with a bachelor's degree | 21.5% | lower than 53% of US counties |
| % Adults with a graduate degree | 6.4% | lower than 62% of US counties |
| Colleges within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Student-teacher ratio | 11.6:1 | lower than 81% of US counties |
| On-time high school graduation | N/A | |
| 8th-grade math (grade level) | gr 8.63 | higher than 78% of US counties |
| 8th-grade reading (grade level) | gr 8.49 | higher than 82% of US counties |
| 3rd-grade math (grade level) | gr 2.87 | lower than 66% of US counties |
| Library visits per resident | 4.9 | higher than 89% of US counties |
| Primary care docs / 100k | 67/100k | higher than 73% of US counties |
| Hospitals within 25 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Hospital quality (avg stars) | N/A | |
| Life expectancy | 76.6 yrs | higher than 61% of US counties |
| % Uninsured (under 65) | 17% | higher than 91% of US counties |
| Mental health providers / 100k | 273/100k | higher than 75% of US counties |
| Dentists / 100k | 37/100k | lower than 57% of US counties |
| Lyme disease cases | 0/100k | the lowest in the US |
| % Near parks or rec facilities | 78.1% | higher than 73% of US counties |
Transit & Connectivity
| Airport drive time | 93 min | higher than 89% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Int'l airport drive time | 137 min | higher than 65% of US counties |
| Avg commute | 22 min | lower than 62% of US counties |
| Broadband coverage | 87.8% | higher than 56% of US counties |
| Transit commute share | 0.6% | higher than 75% of US counties |
| Work-from-home share | 15.2% | higher than 87% of US counties |
| Drive to a big city | 416 min | higher than 95% of US counties |
| Street intersections | 12 per sq mi | lower than 66% of US counties |
Community & Safety
| Violent crime | 2.2 per 1k | higher than 53% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Property crime | 3.3 per 1k | lower than 82% of US counties |
| Population | 13,285 | lower than 70% of US counties |
| Median age | 54.6 | higher than 98% of US counties |
| Net domestic migration | +29.9 per 1k/yr | higher than 98% of US counties |
| % Democratic vote | 21.1% Dem | lower than 71% of US counties |
| % Republican vote | 76.2% Rep | higher than 67% of US counties |
| % Third-party vote | 2.7% | higher than 92% of US counties |
| % White | 88.3% | higher than 69% of US counties |
| % Hispanic or Latino | 3.5% | lower than 64% of US counties |
| % Black | 0.2% | lower than 88% of US counties |
| % Asian | 0.5% | lower than 55% of US counties |
| % American Indian & Alaska Native | 2.5% | higher than 91% of US counties |
| % Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander | 0.1% | higher than 73% of US counties |
| % Two or more races | 4.8% | higher than 78% of US counties |
| % Some other race | 0.1% | lower than 67% of US counties |
Recreation & Lifestyle
| Parks & protected areas | 1313 parks | higher than 97% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurants / 10k | 18.1 | higher than 76% of US counties |
| Arts & rec venues / 10k | 7.5 | higher than 90% of US counties |
| Drive to dark skies | Dark here | the lowest in the US |
| Lakes & rivers | 1.1% | lower than 49% of US counties |
| Ski areas within 90 mi | 5 | higher than 96% of US counties |
| Golf courses within 30 mi | 1 | lower than 90% of US counties |
| Marinas & boat tours within 90 mi | 15 | higher than 56% of US counties |
| Trails (km) within 30 mi | 266 km | higher than 58% of US counties |
| Named paved greenways (km) within 15 mi | 0 km | the lowest in the US |
| Gyms & fitness centers within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Bars within 30 mi | 8 | lower than 59% of US counties |
| Music & theater companies within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Museums within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Breweries within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Wineries within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Theme parks & arcades within 90 mi | 3 | lower than 79% of US counties |
| Casinos & casino hotels within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Campgrounds & RV parks within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Sports teams & arenas within 90 mi | 4 | lower than 71% of US counties |
| Bike paths (km) within 15 mi | 20 km | higher than 60% of US counties |
Most similar counties
Closest across all well-covered metrics.
Every number is from a public dataset; N/A means the source doesn't cover this county. Percentages compare against all US counties. ≈ marks a value not measured in the county itself; the line under it says where it comes from. Report bad data