Thompson Falls, MT

City in Sanders County, MT, US

By Neilsberg Research

Last updated May 1, 2026

Key Indicators

A quick look at key numbers

Population

1,500

Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates

Median Age

48.8

years ∙ half population younger than 48.8, half older

Diversity Index

24.6%

chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity

Nativity

foreign-born population

100%Native

0% Foreign-born

Geographic Context

Location, size, and surroundings

About

Thompson Falls is a city within Sanders County, Montana, United States.

Location

City in Sanders County, MT, US

Co-ordinates

DEC47.599342° N, 115.342546° W

DMS47° 35′ 57.63″ N, 115° 20′ 33.17″ W

Population Density & area

937.5/sq mi (360.6/km²)

Total Area

1.6 sq mi (4.16 km²)

Land Area

1.6 sq mi (4.16 km²) · 100%

Water Area

0 sq mi (0 km²) · 0%

Demographics & Living

Who lives here, how households are formed, and community composition

Population Composition

Key characteristics of the population

Sex Distribution

48.1% male

Male 48.1%

Female 51.9%

males per 100 females

Thompson Falls 92.6

Sanders County 104.1

Montana 102.7

Nativity

foreign-born population

100%Native

0% Foreign-born

% Foreign-born

Thompson Falls 0%

Sanders County 1.7%

Montana 2.3%

Age Distribution

How the population is spread across age groups

Median Age

48.8

years ∙ half population younger than 48.8, half older

Thompson Falls

48.8

Sanders County

54.6

Montana

40.4

Dependency ratio

108

dependents per 100 working-age adults

Thompson Falls 108

Sanders County 100.2

Montana 69.9

AGE DISTRIBUTION

Distribution of age group

Median age

	Thompson Falls	Sanders County	Montana
Age Group
Children (Under 18)	21.5%	17%	21%
Working age (18-64)	48%	50%	58.9%
Senior (65+)	30.5%	33%	20.1%
Dependency ratio
Total dependency ratio	108	100.2	69.9
Child dependency ratio	44.7	34.1	35.7
Old-age dependency ratio	63.4	66.1	34.2

Racial & Ethnic Composition

Racial and ethnic makeup and how it compares

Race & Ethnicity

White

86.4%

Black

0.5%

Asian

Hispanic

4.3%

Other

8.8%

Note: White, Black, and Asian refer to individuals belonging to a single race and not of Hispanic origin. Hispanics may be of any race.

Diversity Index

24.6%

chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity

Thompson Falls 24.6%

Sanders County 21.6%

Montana 29.4%

Note: The Diversity Index (DI), based on the Blau Index, measures the probability that two randomly selected individuals differ in race and ethnicity. Values range from 0 (no diversity) to 1 (high diversity) and are shown as percentages.

RACIAL & ETHNIC COMPOSITION

Race & Ethnicity

Percentage of Thompson Falls population

	Thompson Falls	Sanders County	Montana
Hispanic or Latino	4.3%	3.5%	4.6%
Mexican	0%	1.5%	2.9%
Puerto Rican	2.6%	0.3%	0.2%
Cuban	0%	0.3%	0.1%
Other Hispanic / Latino	1.7%	1.4%	1.3%
Not Hispanic or Latino	95.7%	96.5%	95.4%
One race	88%	91.7%	90.7%
White	86.4%	88.3%	83.6%
Black or African American	0.5%	0.2%	0.4%
American Indian and Alaska Native	1.1%	2.5%	5.3%
Asian	0%	0.5%	0.8%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander	0%	0.1%	0%
Some Other Race	0%	0.1%	0.5%
Two or more races (Multiracial)	7.7%	4.8%	4.7%

Household & Families Composition

Household size, type, and family structure

Household structure

62.8% family

Family 62.8%

Non family 37.2%

% family households

Thompson Falls 62.8%

Sanders County 64.6%

Montana 60.3%

Average household size

2.34

persons per household

Thompson Falls

2.34

Sanders County

2.4

Montana

2.37

Household & Family COMPOSITION

Households

Percentage of Thompson Falls population

	Thompson Falls	Sanders County	Montana
Total households	623	5,451	458,859
Average houshold size	2.34	2.4	2.37
Family households	391	3,524	276,731
Average family size	3.13	3	3
Married couple family	326	3,068	222,207
Other families	65	456	54,524
Male householder	4	126	19,995
Female householder	61	330	34,529
Non-family households	232	1,927	182,128
One-person households	232	1,746	144,042
Male householder	133	1,015	71,216
Senior (65+) living alone	52	561	24,799
Female householder	99	731	72,826
Senior (65+) living alone	69	405	38,387
Other living arrangements	0	181	38,086

Housing Profile

Housing stock, ownership, rentals, and cost burdens

Total housing units

726

housing units

Thompson Falls 726

Sanders County 6,808

Montana 528,419

Occupancy status

85.8% occupied

Occupied 85.8%

Vacant 14.2%

vacancy rate

Thompson Falls 14.2%

Sanders County 19.9%

Montana 13.2%

Housing Characteristics

How the housing supply is structured and used

Types of Housing unit

67.5%

Single family houses

67.5%

Apartments in multi-unit structures

12.3%

Mobile homes

20.2%

Boat, RV, van, etc

Median Year Built

1975

Half of houses were built before 1975, and half after.

Historic ∙ 1939 or earlier

15.4%

Postwar & mid-century ∙ 1940 - 1969

24%

Late 20th century ∙ 1970 - 1999

41.2%

Modern ∙ 2000 or later

19.4%

Note: Median year built reflects occupied units only; distribution includes all units.

Housing Characteristics

Units, rooms & bedrooms

Physical characteristics of housing units

	Thompson Falls	Sanders County	Montana
Rooms per unit
Median rooms	5.1	5.1	5.6
1–3 rooms	16.5%	18%	14.6%
4–6 rooms	59.1%	57%	49.7%
7+ rooms	24.4%	24.9%	35.9%
Bedrooms
No bedroom / studio	4.3%	2.3%	2.7%
1 bedroom	6.5%	13.1%	10.3%
2 bedrooms	25.5%	27.6%	25.7%
3 bedrooms	45.5%	41.3%	36.5%
4+ bedrooms	18.3%	15.8%	24.8%
At a glance
Median year built	1975	1992	1981
Total housing units	726	6,808	528,419

Occupancy Profile

Who is inside and how they use it

Homeownership

73.4% owners

Renter-occupied 26.6%

Owner-occupied 73.4%

homeownership rate

Thompson Falls 73.4%

Sanders County 81.3%

Montana 69.2%

Average household size

2.56

Owner-occupied

1.72

Renter-occupied

owner-occupied average size

Thompson Falls 2.56

Sanders County 2.44

Montana 2.49

Housing Characteristics

Occupied unit characteristics

Tenure, crowding, and utilities

	Thompson Falls	Sanders County	Montana
Total occupied units	623	5,451	458,859
Year moved in
2020 or later	19.8%	21%	25.5%
2010 to 2019	40.9%	40.9%	39.7%
2000 to 2009	12.8%	16.4%	15.9%
1999 or earlier	26.5%	21.7%	18.9%
Occupants per room
1.00 or fewer	100%	97%	98.2%
1.01 to 1.50	0%	2.1%	1.2%
1.51 or more	0%	0.9%	0.7%
Vehicles availability
No vehicles	6.1%	4.5%	4.7%
1 vehicle	33.5%	21.2%	26.9%
2 vehicles	19.3%	37%	36.9%
3 or more vehicles	41.1%	37.3%	31.5%
House heating fuel used
Gas	18.1%	22.2%	63.5%
Electricity	25%	23%	27.3%
Solar	0%	0%	0.2%
Fuel oil, kerosene etc	12.4%	4.4%	0.6%
All other fuels	42.8%	47.8%	7.9%
No fuel used	1.6%	2.6%	0.5%
Selected characteristics
Lacking complete plumbing	0%	1.3%	0.5%
Lacking complete kitchen	0%	0.7%	0.9%
No telephone service available	0%	1.6%	1.1%

Housing Value

What owner-occupied units are worth

Median home value

$266,400

owner-occupied units

Median value(USD)

Thompson Falls

$266,400

Sanders County

$359,000

Montana

$375,800

Housing Cost Burden

24.5%

of homeowners with a mortgage are cost-burdened

% Cost-Burdened Households

Owners with a mortgage

24.5%

Owners without a mortgage

13.7%

Renters

23.7%

Note: Households spending 30% or more of their income on housing costs are considered cost-burdened.

Financial characteristics

Property value and housing costs

Tenure, crowding, and utilities

	Thompson Falls	Sanders County	Montana
Property value
Median Value	$266,400	$359,000	$375,800
Under $100,000	11.2%	14%	10.2%
$100,000 - $200,000	33.1%	13.3%	11.2%
$200,000 - $300,000	11.4%	10.9%	15.9%
$300,000 - $500,000	38.1%	28.3%	30.8%
$500,000 - $1,000,000	6.3%	26.9%	24.9%
$1,000,000 and more	0%	6.6%	7%
Owner-occupied households
With a mortgage	47.3%	41.7%	54.5%
Without a mortgage	52.7%	58.3%	45.5%
Median monthly owner costs
With a mortgage	$1,221	$1,430	$1,798
Without a mortgage	$468	$446	$571
Gross rent
Median rent	$543	$820	$1,081

Education Profile

How educated is the community and how education pays off

Adults with a college degree

18.6%

of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher

Thompson Falls 18.6%

Sanders County 21.5%

Montana 35.2%

Adults without a high school diploma

5.9%

of adults (25+) without a high school diploma

Thompson Falls 5.9%

Sanders County 8.3%

Montana 5.4%

School Enrollment

Who is enrolled in school and at what level

School enrollment

220

population (age 3+) enrolled in school

Nursery / Preschool

K–12

100%

College / Undergraduate

Graduate / Professional

College-going rate (18-24 yr olds)

of 18-24-year-olds in college or graduate school

Thompson Falls

Sanders County

24.1%

Montana

34.5%

Enrollment & school type

Enrollment levels, college-going rate, and public vs private school split

Population 3+ currently enrolled in a school

	Thompson Falls	Sanders County	Montana
Total enrolled (age 3+)	220	2,267	240,826
Nursery / preschool	0%	4.4%	5.2%
K–12	100%	80%	70.6%
Kindergarten	5.5%	5.2%	5.3%
Elementary: Grades 1–4	75%	23.7%	21.7%
Elementary: Grades 5–8	11.8%	19.1%	22%
High School: Grades 9–12	7.7%	32%	21.7%
College or graduate school	0%	15.6%	24.2%
College, undergraduate	0%	13.4%	19.1%
Graduate, professional school	0%	2.2%	5%
College-going rate · 18-24 yr olds	0%	24.1%	34.5%
School type
Public school	100%	70.4%	84%
Private school	0%	29.6%	16%

Education Attainment by Level & Gender

What is the highest level of education completed among adults

Education attainment

1,144

population 25 years and over

Total adults (25+)

Less than 9th grade

1.8%

9th-12th, no diploma

4.1%

HS graduate

46.9%

Some college no degree

23.3%

Associates degree

5.3%

Bachelors degree

15.8%

Graduate or professional degree

2.8%

Attainment by gender

Male vs Female

Adults (25+) · Share within each education level

% male · % female

Less than 9th grade

47.6% · 52.4%

9th-12th, no diploma

80.9% · 19.1%

HS graduate

50.7% · 49.3%

Some college no degree

33.5% · 66.5%

Associates degree

54.1% · 45.9%

Bachelors degree

38.1% · 61.9%

Graduate or professional degree

96.9% · 3.1%

Educational Attainment Overview

Distribution and key education attainment rates for adults (25+)

Highest credential completed · adults 25+

	Thompson Falls	Sanders County	Montana
Population (25+)	1,144	10,073	781,264
Less than 9th grade	1.8%	3.5%	1.6%
9th–12th, no diploma	4.1%	4.8%	3.8%
High school diploma or GED	46.9%	35%	27.5%
Some college, no degree	23.3%	25.4%	22.4%
Associate's degree	5.3%	9.8%	9.6%
Bachelor's degree or higher	18.6%	21.5%	35.2%
Bachelor's degree	15.8%	15.1%	23.2%
Graduate or professional	2.8%	6.4%	12%
High School or higher	94.1%	91.7%	94.6%

Earnings by education level

percentage as applicable

Median Earnings

$32,943

Median earnings for adults 25+, by level

Less than HS graduate

$—

HS graduate

$29,861

Some college or associates

$33,047

Bachelors degree

$54,167

Graduate or professional degree

$—

Poverty Rate

for ages 25+, with bachelors degree or higher

Less than HS graduate

15.2%

HS graduate

11.3%

Some college or associates

Bachelors degree or higher

Outcomes by Education Level

Earnings and poverty rates across education levels (25+)

Adults 25+

	Thompson Falls	Sanders County	Montana
Median earnings
Population 25+, with earnings	$32,943	$33,840	$46,951
Less than high school graduate	$—	$24,732	$33,639
High school graduate (includes equivalency)	$29,861	$31,587	$38,073
Some college or associate's degree	$33,047	$33,542	$42,611
Bachelor's degree	$54,167	$51,071	$55,623
Graduate or professional degree	$—	$—	$72,265
Poverty rates
Less than high school graduate	15.2%	24.7%	26.8%
High school graduate (includes equivalency)	11.3%	15.7%	13.1%
Some college or associate's degree	0%	11.5%	9.9%
Bachelor's degree or higher	0%	6.7%	4.7%

Insights for Thompson Falls, by topic

Income By year By race By age By gender

Population By year By race By age By gender

About Neilsberg Research

Neilsberg Research team are data scientists with expertise in processing, analysis and visualization of big data helping small businesses make right decisions.

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