• county
  • FIPS 30089
  • Largest town: Thompson Falls

Sanders County, Montana

Sanders County had 13,895 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 2,760.4 square miles of land. It ranks 13th of 56 in Montana by population and 20th by land area.

Population
13,895
#13 of 56 in Montana · #2,166 in US
Area
2,760.4 sq mi
#20 of 56 in Montana · #188 in US
Density
5.0 / sq mi
#19 of 56 in Montana · #2,774 in US
Median household income
$54,599
#43 of 56 in Montana · #2,360 in US

Census Vintage 2024 estimates · SAIPE 2023 income · 2024 Gazetteer land area

Sanders County within Montana. Pin: Helena.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Sanders County

Sanders County population, land area and income

Sanders County had 13,895 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 2,760.4 square miles of land. It ranks 13th of 56 in Montana by population and 20th by land area. That works out to 5.0 people per square mile, below the US average of 96.3, and in the bottom quarter nationally.

The median county-equivalent in Montana has 7,814 residents; Sanders County is somewhat larger.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $54,599 is in the bottom quarter among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

13,895

3144th1st

2166th of 3,144 (US)

Land area

2,760 sq mi

3144th1st

188th of 3,144 (US)

Density

5.0 / sq mi

3144th1st

2774th of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$54,599

3143rd1st

2360th of 3,143 (US)

Rank within Montana (56)

Population

13,895

56th1st

13th of 56 (MT)

Land area

2,760 sq mi

56th1st

20th of 56 (MT)

Density

5.0 / sq mi

56th1st

19th of 56 (MT)

Median household income

$54,599

56th1st

43rd of 56 (MT)

How Sanders County's population changed since 2020

Sanders County gained 1,434 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a rise of 11.5%. That ranks 6th of 56 in Montana for growth. The median Montana county changed by +2.8%, and the state as a whole by +4.6%.

Since the April 2020 estimates base, Sanders County recorded 467 births and 829 deaths, a natural change of -362. Net international migration added +8 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to +1,859. The largest single component was domestic migration, which added 1,859 people.

12.5k202012.9k202113.4k202213.7k202313.9k2024
Census Vintage 2024 county estimates for July 1 of each year. The axis starts above zero so year-to-year changes are visible.

Components of change, April 2020 to July 2024

Births
467
Deaths
829
Net international migration
+8
Net domestic migration
+1,859
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
+169

Where Sanders County is

The Census internal point of Sanders County is at 47.756500, -115.180300. It sits in UTM zone 11N. The map shades Montana's 56 county-equivalents by population change from 2020 to 2024, darker for faster growth, with Sanders County outlined. Dots are towns of 1,000+ people with residents in it.

Liberty County: -1.2%Golden Valley County: +5.1%Dawson County: -2.1%Flathead County: +9.2%Beaverhead County: +6.7%Prairie County: +2.0%Garfield County: +0.9%Lewis and Clark County: +5.5%Sweet Grass County: +2.4%Wheatland County: -0.7%Ravalli County: +8.5%Jefferson County: +9.6%Carter County: -0.6%Chouteau County: -0.6%Custer County: +0.9%Teton County: +3.1%Granite County: +9.0%Deer Lodge County: +4.1%Cascade County: +0.1%Powder River County: +2.4%Meagher County: +7.3%Daniels County: -1.7%Glacier County: -1.8%Wibaux County: -2.7%Fallon County: -2.7%McCone County: -0.7%Sheridan County: -2.5%Missoula County: +3.5%Toole County: +3.7%Sanders County: +11.5%Roosevelt County: -5.6%Rosebud County: -1.3%Treasure County: -2.5%Yellowstone County: +3.9%Blaine County: -1.4%Musselshell County: +14.8%Broadwater County: +21.0%Powell County: +2.6%Fergus County: +3.4%Phillips County: +0.1%Gallatin County: +6.2%Silver Bow County: +2.6%Madison County: +12.6%Richland County: -4.4%Lake County: +6.9%Valley County: -1.7%Judith Basin County: +4.3%Hill County: -1.2%Big Horn County: -2.2%Stillwater County: +5.0%Carbon County: +9.4%Mineral County: +13.7%Petroleum County: +4.6%Pondera County: +3.4%Park County: +4.9%Lincoln County: +12.4%
Change 2020 to 2024
  1. < -1.4%
  2. < +0.9%
  3. < +3.9%
  4. < +7.3%
  5. ≥ +7.3%
no data

Orange pin: Sanders County internal point. Dark pin: Helena.

Internal point

Decimal
47.756500, -115.180300
DMS
47°45'23.40"N 115°10'49.08"W
UTM
11N 636376.8E 5290840.3N
Geohash
c2qpejb3b
Plus code
85V6QR49+JV

Towns in Sanders County

2 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Sanders County, 2,770 people together, or 20% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Sanders County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Thompson Falls with 1,526.

  1. 01Thompson Falls1,526
  2. 02Plains1,244
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Sanders County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 7 neighbors for Sanders County, including 2 across a state line. The most populous is Missoula County, MT, with 122,546 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Helena and the nearest big city

Helena is 169.1 miles ESE of Sanders County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Spokane Valley, WA (population 108,267), 95.6 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Kalispell, MT (population 31,296), 50.6 miles away.

Sanders County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Sanders County is 30089: state code 30 for Montana plus county code 089. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $54,599.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Sanders County, Montana?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 13,895. That is up 1,434 people (11.5%) from the July 2020 estimate of 12,461.

What is the FIPS code of Sanders County?

30089. The first two digits (30) are Montana; the last three (089) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Sanders County?

Thompson Falls, with 1,526 residents inside Sanders County in 2024.

Which counties border Sanders County?

7 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Missoula County, MT; Flathead County, MT; Bonner County, ID; Lake County, MT; Lincoln County, MT; Shoshone County, ID; Mineral County, MT.

Sources and data as of

Data as of: Census Vintage 2024 population estimates, 2024 Gazetteer land area and internal points, SAIPE 2023 median household income.

  1. 01Census Vintage 2024 county population estimates
  2. 02Census 2024 Gazetteer, counties
  3. 03Census SAIPE 2023 state and county estimates
  4. 04Census Vintage 2024 subcounty population estimates
  5. 05Census 2024 county adjacency file
  6. 06Census 2024 cartographic boundary file, counties (1:5,000,000)

How every number is computed: methodology. Spotted a wrong figure? Report an error.