county

Sanders County, MT

Demographic and economic profile of Sanders County, MT, sourced from the US Census Bureau (American Community Survey) via Data USA.

AI Overview

Sanders County's economy centers on natural-resource and land-based industries, consistent with its rural Montana setting, and its small labor pool of roughly 5,400 active workers (41.7% participation rate) skews older, with a median age of 54.6 and only 21.6% holding a bachelor's degree or higher. Median worker earnings of $29,684 and median gross rent of just $774/month reflect a low-cost operating environment, though a poverty rate of 15.1% signals constrained household purchasing power. The county added roughly 1,420 residents over five years (+12.3% growth), and an 81.3% homeownership rate with a median home value of $323,800 points to a stable, owner-occupied residential base rather than a transient workforce.

Claude Sonnet 4.6 · generated Jul 6, 2026 · derived from cached Census, BEA & ACS data on this page

Population

12,936

Census ACS · as of 2023

Median Household Income

$57,476

Data USA · as of 2024

Median Age

54.6 yrs

Data USA · as of 2024

Population Growth (5-year)

+12.3% since 2018

Sanders County added population at this rate over the prior 5-year ACS5 window.

Demographics

Race & Ethnicity

  • White Alone11,846 (89.2%)
  • Two Races Excluding Some Other Race, & Three or More Races517 (3.9%)
  • Two Races Including Some Other Race388 (2.9%)
  • American Indian & Alaska Native Alone384 (2.9%)
  • Asian Alone60 (0.5%)
  • Some Other Race Alone42 (0.3%)

Data USA · as of 2024

Top Languages Spoken at Home

  1. 1.German or other West Germanic373
  2. 2.Spanish180
  3. 3.Korean44
  4. 4.French (incl. Cajun, Haitian)42
  5. 5.Other Indo-European10

Census ACS · as of 2023

Population Under 18

17.3%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Working-Age (18–64)

50.4%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Population 65 and Over

32.4%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Foreign-Born Population

1.7%

Data USA · as of 2024

Veterans

1,479

Data USA · as of 2024

Economy

GDP per Capita

$31,648

Data USA · as of 2023

Cost of Living Index

—

Not yet cached

Per Capita Income

$31,554

Census ACS · as of 2023

Unemployment Rate

4.2%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Poverty Rate

15.1%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Top Industries

  1. 1.Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance1,079
  2. 2.Construction (Group)525
  3. 3.Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining502
  4. 4.Arts, Entertainment, & Recreation, & Accommodation & Food Services416
  5. 5.Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities353

Data USA · as of 2024

Top Occupations

  1. 1.Management, Business, Science, & Arts Occupations1,469
  2. 2.Service Occupations861
  3. 3.Sales & Office Occupations825
  4. 4.Natural Resources, Construction, & Maintenance Occupations671
  5. 5.Production, Transportation, & Material Moving Occupations647

Data USA · as of 2024

Specialized Industries (Location Quotient)

  1. 1.Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining (LQ 5.58×)393
  2. 2.Transportation, Warehousing, & Utilities (LQ 1.75×)452
  3. 3.Construction (LQ 1.46×)445
  4. 4.Public Administration (LQ 1.23×)257
  5. 5.Wholesale Trade (LQ 1.22×)124

Census ACS · as of 2023

Housing

Median Home Value

$323,800

Census ACS · as of 2023

Median Gross Rent

$774/mo

Census ACS · as of 2023

Homeownership Rate

81.3%

Data USA · as of 2024

Home Value Distribution

  • $300,000 to $399,999885 (20.0%)
  • $500,000 to $749,999855 (19.3%)
  • $400,000 to $499,999370 (8.4%)
  • $750,000 to $999,999336 (7.6%)
  • $250,000 to $299,999249 (5.6%)
  • $200,000 to $249,999234 (5.3%)

Data USA · as of 2024

Education

Bachelor's Degree or Higher

21.6%

Census ACS · as of 2023

High School Diploma or Higher

92.2%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Workforce

Labor Force Participation

41.7%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Median Worker Earnings

$29,684

Census ACS · as of 2023

Mean Commute Time

22.0 min

Data USA · as of 2024

Households Without a Vehicle

5.6%

Census ACS · as of 2023

How People Get to Work

  • Drove Alone2,789 (64.6%)
  • Worked At Home658 (15.2%)
  • Carpooled440 (10.2%)
  • Walked290 (6.7%)
  • Other57 (1.3%)
  • Bicycle51 (1.2%)

Data USA · as of 2024

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Data: US Census Bureau American Community Survey, served via Data USA and the Census Bureau API. See each metric tile for the specific dataset.