Sanders County, Montana: Evangelical Deep South county. In 2024, voted R+55%. Republican peak: R+55 in 2024.
Key facts
- 2024 presidential margin
- R+55MIT Election Lab
- Political typology
- Evangelical Deep SouthAkashic typology
- Population
- 13,2852024 5-year
- Median household income
- $57,4762024 5-year
- White (non-Hispanic)
- 89.2%2024 5-year
- Black
- 0.2%2024 5-year
- Hispanic / Latino
- 3.5%2024 5-year
- Peak Democratic margin
- D+39 in 1936MIT Election Lab
- Peak Republican margin
- R+55 in 2024MIT Election Lab
- Most similar
- Benewah County, ID · similarity 1.00
2024 results by precinct
2024 precinct map of Sanders CountyPrecinct-level 2024 presidential results for Sanders County, with each precinct boundary colored by Democratic-vs-Republican margin.
—
Margin—
Turnout—
Harris +50Trump +50
Real precinct boundaries. Hover for vote totals.
presidential history
Presidential margin, 1876–2024
Democratic minus Republican, by election
| Year | Margin (D minus R) |
|---|---|
| 1876 | No data |
| 1880 | No data |
| 1884 | No data |
| 1888 | No data |
| 1892 | No data |
| 1896 | No data |
| 1900 | No data |
| 1904 | No data |
| 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% |
DemocraticRepublican
38 presidential elections
| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R | 1,705 | 6,150 | 8,069 | ||
| R | 1,820 | 5,660 | 7,622 | ||
| R | 1,218 | 4,286 | 5,953 | ||
| R | 1,720 | 3,980 | 5,901 | ||
| R | 1,970 | 3,563 | 5,849 | ||
| R | 1,502 | 3,461 | 5,153 | ||
| R | 1,165 | 3,144 | 4,721 | ||
| R | 1,573 | 2,043 | 4,661 | ||
| D | 1,689 | 1,361 | 4,506 | ||
| R | 1,959 | 2,152 | 4,200 | ||
| R | 1,654 | 2,467 | 4,204 | ||
| R | 1,395 | 2,194 | 3,999 | ||
| R | 1,725 | 1,738 | 3,576 | ||
| R | 1,197 | 1,779 | 3,251 | ||
| R | 1,242 | 1,459 | 2,996 | ||
| D | 1,836 | 1,163 | 3,013 | ||
| R | 1,469 | 1,497 | 2,984 | ||
| R | 1,519 | 1,649 | 3,168 | ||
| R | 1,311 | 1,724 | 3,078 | ||
| D | 1,425 | 1,191 | 2,767 | ||
| D | 1,184 | 1,070 | 2,278 | ||
| D | 1,634 | 1,088 | 2,794 | ||
| D | 1,788 | 718 | 2,735 | ||
| D | 1,577 | 760 | 2,601 | ||
| R | 873 | 1,142 | 2,128 | ||
| O | 188 | 588 | 2,052 | ||
| R | 741 | 1,035 | 2,010 | ||
| D | 1,178 | 793 | 2,125 | ||
| O | 414 | 257 | 1,207 | ||
| R | 325 | 473 | 860 | ||
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Demographics
2024 ACS
Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.
German
22.6%
English
13.4%
Irish
12.5%
American
7.7%
Polish
2.9%
Italian
2.3%
French
2.3%
Sample size too small to break out by ancestry reliably.
Multiple ancestry combinations reported; no single grouping above 1%.
Sample size too small to break out by ancestry reliably.
American Indian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander combined.
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release. Hispanic/Latino is an ethnicity that overlaps the race categories, so these shares can total more than 100%. Ancestry is a self-reported, multiple-response item; ancestry percentages do not sum to the parent race percentage.
2024 ACS
Age distribution by sex
Median age: 54.6 in this county, 39.1 nationally
Male
Age
Female
85+
75–84
65–74
55–64
45–54
35–44
25–34
18–24
5–17
<5
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
2024 ACS
Median household income
Inflation-adjusted dollars
$57,476
Sanders County ranks near the middle of US counties.
Sanders County$57,476
Montana$72,509
United States$80,734
Sanders County ranks near the middle of US counties by median household income.
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
2024 ACS
Poverty rate
All persons below federal poverty line
15.4%
Children face moderate poverty.
Children under 1823.8%
Working age (18–64)14.6%
Seniors (65+)9.3%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
2024 ACS
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
94.4%
speak English only
Other Indo-European3.7%
Spanish1.2%
Asian & Pacific Islander0.5%
Other languages0.2%
Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.
2020 religion census
Religious adherents
Adherents per capita by tradition
Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 72.5% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.
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.
The Republican margin here reached its widest at fifty-five points in 2024. Between 2020 and 2024 the county moved five points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was fifty-five points.
A median household income of $57,476, a 15% poverty rate, and a 89% non-Hispanic-white share describe the county. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Benewah County and Crook County.
Most similar counties
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 →
Cite this page
All citations released under CC BY 4.0. Attribution: Akashic Intelligence.
Sanders County, Montana. Akashic. https://akashic.app/county/30089/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
License: CC BY 4.0
More in Montana
More evangelical deep south counties
Frequently asked questions
How did Sanders County, Montana vote in 2024?
In 2024, Sanders County, Montana voted Republican by 55.1 points (R+55), carried by the Republican candidate. Out of 8,069 votes cast, 1,705 went Democratic and 6,150 went Republican.
What is Sanders County, Montana's political typology?
Akashic places Sanders County, Montana in the "Evangelical Deep South" typology — Deeply Republican, heavily Baptist counties of the Deep South. The typology is a data-driven cluster built from vote share, vote swing, race and ethnicity, income, language spoken at home, religion, and ancestry. Across 38 elections in the dataset, the county has voted Democratic 8 times, Republican 20 times, and other 2 times.
When did Sanders County, Montana last vote Democratic?
The most recent presidential election in which Sanders County, Montana voted Democratic was 1992.
How many people live in Sanders County, Montana?
Sanders County, Montana has a population of 13,285 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Sanders County, Montana?
Median household income in Sanders County, Montana is $57,476 — below the national median of $80,734. The Montana state median is $72,509.
What is the political history of Sanders County, Montana?
Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in Sanders County, Montana from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 8 went Democratic and 20 went Republican. The county's typology — "Evangelical Deep South" — captures where that record, its demographics, and its recent swing place it among American communities.