Sanders County, Montana
31 public bodies govern here, 9 school districts are based here, and USDA lists 0 farmers markets. Everything below says where it came from.
In four numbers
- People
- 13,285
- Median household income
- $57,476
- ±6,047
- Unemployed
- 6.0%
- 283 of 4,756 in the labour force
- Homes with broadband
- 87.8%
- 4,784 of 5,451 households
U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates 2020-2024; read 2026-09-26. Percentages worked out here from the two counts shown.
Who governs here
County government 1
| Name | People | Office | Website |
|---|---|---|---|
| County of Sanders | 12,959 (2021) | Po Box 519, Thompson Falls | Website |
Cities, towns and villages 3
Special districts 27
| Name | What it does | Office | Website |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heron Noxon Cemetery District | Cemeteries | Po Box 324, Heron | — |
| Paradise Cemetery District | Cemeteries | Po Box 283, Paradise | — |
| Plains Cemetery District | Cemeteries | 27 Lower Lynch Creek Rd, Plains | — |
| Whitepine Cemetery District | Cemeteries | Po Box 1491, Trout Creek | — |
| Eastern Sanders County Hospital District | Health | Po Box 204, Hot Springs | — |
| Noxon-Heron Public Hospital District | Hospitals | Po Box 154, Heron | — |
| Plains Public Library District | Libraries | Po Box 399, Plains | — |
| Dixon Rural Fire District | Local fire protection | Po Box 102, Dixon | — |
| Heron Rural Fire District | Local fire protection | Po Box 86, Heron | — |
| Hot Springs Rural Fire District | Local fire protection | Po Box 144, Hot Springs | — |
| Noxon Rural Fire District | Local fire protection | Po Box 3, Noxon | — |
| Plains-Paradise Rural Fire District | Local fire protection | Po Box 1115, Plains | — |
| Thompson Falls Rural Fire District | Local fire protection | Po Box 698, Thompson Falls | — |
| Trout Creek Rural Fire District | Local fire protection | Po Box 1408, Trout Creek | — |
| Hot Springs Television District | Miscellaneous commercial activities | Po Box 154, Hot Springs | — |
| Plains-Paradise Television District | Miscellaneous commercial activities | Po Box 1, Plains | — |
| Western Sanders County Television District | Miscellaneous commercial activities | Po Box 519, Thompson Falls | Website |
| Heron County Park District | Parks and recreation | Po Box 113, Heron | — |
| Trout Creek Park District | Parks and recreation | Po Box 1416, Trout Creek | — |
| Eastern Sanders County Conservation District | Soil and water conservation | 7487 Mt Highway 200, Plains | — |
| Green Mountain Conservation District | Soil and water conservation | Po Box 1329, Trout Creek | Website |
| Dixon Refuse Disposal District | Solid waste management | Po Box 3, Dixon | — |
| Hot Springs Refuse Disposal District | Solid waste management | Po Box 184, Hot Springs | — |
| Noxon Water District | Water supply utility | Po Box 56, Noxon | — |
| Sanders County Water District at Noxon | Water supply utility | Po Box 183, Noxon | — |
| Sanders County Water District at Paradise | Water supply utility | Po Box 208, Paradise | — |
| Woodside Park County Water and Sewer District | Water supply utility | Po Box 1893, Thompson Falls | — |
U.S. Census Bureau, 2022 Census of Governments, Government Units List (published August 2023); the file read 2026-09-26. Offices are placed by county; a special district’s territory can cross county lines. Each body posts its own meetings on its website where the Census records one.
School districts based here
Dixon Elem
School district2 schools
411 B Street, Dixon, MT, 59831
Its website — where its board posts meetings. Federal record.
Hot Springs K-12
School district3 schools
301 Broadway, Hot Springs, MT, 59845
Its website — where its board posts meetings. Federal record.
Noxon Elem
School district2 schools
300 Noxon Ave, Noxon, MT, 59853
Its website — where its board posts meetings. Federal record.
Noxon H S
School district1 schools
300 Noxon Ave, Noxon, MT, 59853
Its website — where its board posts meetings. Federal record.
Plains K-12
School district3 schools
412 Rittenour, Plains, MT, 59859
Its website — where its board posts meetings. Federal record.
Sanders
Supervisory union0 schools
800 S Main, Thompson Falls, MT, 59873
Its website — where its board posts meetings. Federal record.
Thompson Falls Elem
School district2 schools
307 3rd Ave West, Thompson Falls, MT, 59873
Its website — where its board posts meetings. Federal record.
Thompson Falls H S
School district1 schools
307 3rd Ave West, Thompson Falls, MT, 59873
Its website — where its board posts meetings. Federal record.
Trout Creek Elem
School district2 schools
4 School Lane, Trout Creek, MT, 59874
Its website — where its board posts meetings. Federal record.
National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data 2024-25; read 2026-09-26.
Farmers markets
USDA’s directory lists no farmers market in this county. That is not the same as there being none: a market that never registered with USDA, and was not found by its 2023 web sweep, is not in the directory.
In the counties that border this one
Hope Farmers Market (415 Wellington Place - Hope Memorial Community Center Hope) · Farmers' Market at Sandpoint (Sandpoint)
Downtown Whitefish Farmers Market (1 Central avenue Whitefish) · Bigfork Farmer's Market (8096 MT Hwy 35 Bigfork) · Columbia Falls Community Market (Columbia Falls) · and 1 more
Polson Bay Farmers Market (1102 4th Ave. East. (Masonic Temple parking lot). Polson) · Polson Farmers' Market (Polson)
Farmers Market at Libby (Libby) · Troy Farmers' Market (Troy)
Missoula Winter Market (2036 Mullan Rd Missoula) · Clark Fork Market (225 S Pattee St Missoula) · Orchard Homes' Farmers' Market (2537 South 3rd Street West Missoula) · and 2 more
Which counties border which: U.S. Census Bureau, County Adjacency File (2024), the file read 2026-09-26. Bordering is not distance — counties that touch at one corner border each other.
USDA National Farmers Market Directory; read 2026-09-26.