Sanders County, Montana
Precinct data
Results by precinct
9 precincts · 8,069 votes
Precinct boundaries and identifiers are cycle-specific. This table does not join rows across years without a validated crosswalk.
| Precinct -2-TROUT CREEK2-TROUT CREEK | 237 | 1,001 | 16 | 1,254 | 18.9% | 79.8% | R+60.9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Precinct -3-T FALLS W3-T FALLS W | 247 | 908 | 36 | 1,191 | 20.7% | 76.2% | R+55.5 |
| Precinct -5-PLAINS W5-PLAINS W | 197 | 884 | 31 | 1,112 | 17.7% | 79.5% | R+61.8 |
| Precinct -4-T FALLS E4-T FALLS E | 225 | 829 | 27 | 1,081 | 20.8% | 76.7% | R+55.9 |
| Precinct -1-NOXON1-NOXON | 188 | 812 | 23 | 1,023 | 18.4% | 79.4% | R+61.0 |
| Precinct -7-PLAINS E7-PLAINS E | 147 | 590 | 25 | 762 | 19.3% | 77.4% | R+58.1 |
| Precinct -8-HOT SPRINGS8-HOT SPRINGS | 227 | 449 | 30 | 706 | 32.2% | 63.6% | R+31.4 |
| Precinct -6-PLAINS S6-PLAINS S | 105 | 461 | 12 | 578 | 18.2% | 79.8% | R+61.6 |
| Precinct -9-DIXON9-DIXON | 132 | 216 | 14 | 362 | 36.5% | 59.7% | R+23.2 |
Presidential margin, 1908–2024
Democratic minus Republican, by election
| Year | Margin (D minus R) |
|---|---|
| 1908 | −17.2% |
| 1912 | +13.0% |
| 1916 | +18.1% |
| 1920 | −14.6% |
| 1924 | −19.5% |
| 1928 | −12.6% |
| 1932 | +31.4% |
| 1936 | +39.1% |
| 1940 | +19.5% |
| 1944 | +5.0% |
| 1948 | +8.5% |
| 1952 | −13.4% |
| 1956 | −4.1% |
| 1960 | −0.9% |
| 1964 | +22.3% |
| 1968 | −7.2% |
| 1972 | −17.9% |
| 1976 | −0.4% |
| 1980 | −20.0% |
| 1984 | −19.3% |
| 1988 | −4.6% |
| 1992 | +7.3% |
| 1996 | −10.1% |
| 2000 | −41.9% |
| 2004 | −38.0% |
| 2008 | −27.2% |
| 2012 | −38.3% |
| 2016 | −51.5% |
| 2020 | −50.4% |
| 2024 | −55.1% |
U.S. Senate
Registered voters
Total registered voters, over time
| Year | Total registered |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 8,290 |
| 2018 | 8,600 |
| 2020 | 9,170 |
| 2022 | 10,041 |
| 2024 | 10,886 |
Who moves in and out
Net migration over time, and who arrivals are — where they came from and what those places vote
+210 net domestic migration · 2025
Net +2,983 over 2011–2025 · gain loss
Arrivals reported $75,711 in average income, against $66,382 for residents who stayed — 14% higher. (IRS SOI, 2022–23)
The places arrivals came from lean R+9.9 on average — 45 points more Democratic-leaning than Sanders County, MT itself (R+55.1).
Where arrivals came from lean of each source
- Missoula County, MT26D+21.4
- Flathead County, MT25R+33.8
- Lake County, MT22R+19.9
Where departures went households, 2022–23
- Flathead County, MT27
- Missoula County, MT22
- Lake County, MT21
Migration is one input to a place’s political change, not its cause — a shift can also come from residents changing their minds, generational turnover, or turnout. These figures describe the places people moved between; they do not measure how any mover voted.
| Year | Net domestic migration |
|---|---|
| 2011 | +45 |
| 2012 | +10 |
| 2013 | −36 |
| 2014 | +45 |
| 2015 | +6 |
| 2016 | +208 |
| 2017 | +258 |
| 2018 | +186 |
| 2019 | +282 |
| 2021 | +651 |
| 2022 | +520 |
| 2023 | +381 |
| 2024 | +217 |
| 2025 | +210 |
Sanders County's 2024 presidential margin of R+55.1 places it among Montana's most heavily one-sided jurisdictions, a pattern consistent with its sparse, rural character and a population just above 10,000 spread across the Cabinet Mountains and Clark Fork corridor.
Across the recorded series it reached a Democratic high of 39.1 points in 1936 and a Republican high of 55.1 points in 2024. Between 2020 and 2024 the county moved 4.7 points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was 55.1 points.
A population of 13,285, a 88% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $57,476 describe the county. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Musselshell County and Prairie County.
The counties whose fingerprint — 2000–2024 trajectory, demographics, ancestry, religion — sits closest to this one, and why.
Twin score (0–100) = weighted cosine between tier-standardized fingerprints: presidential margins 2000–2024 with 12-yr trend and elasticity, ACS income, age, education, population and race, top reported ancestries, and religious adherence — chips name the closest-shared dimensions and the widest gap. Re-weight the groups in the twins explorer.
Browse places by community — income, education, race & ethnicity, language — all community cuts →
Compare two places, side by side
Twelve curated comparisons line up election history, demographics, and the divergence story for two places at a glance. Browse all comparisons →
Sanders County, Montana. Akashic. https://akashic.app/county/30089/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.