Housing data for Plains, MT
Plains, MT has an estimated 1,195 residents and 707 homes (US Census Bureau, 2020–2024 American Community Survey).
It is a town in Sanders County.
46.9% of households rent.
The median gross rent is $843 a month.
Figures last updated on .
- Residents
- 1,195 (±290)
- Housing units
- 707 (±164)
- Households that rent
- 46.9%
- Median gross rent
- $843
- Residents since 2015–2019
- +13.9%
What stands out in Plains
Households that rent: 46.9% (±14.1 points) in Plains, higher than in Sanders County (18.7%).
Median household income: $25,491 (±$8,554) in Plains, lower than in Sanders County ($57,476).
Median real estate taxes: $1,188 (±$214) in Plains, lower than in Sanders County ($1,889).
Housing in Plains at a glance
- Median rent: $843 median gross rent a month
- Rent by bedrooms
- Rent burden: 77.3% of renters pay 30% or more of income
- Renters and owners: 46.9% of households rent
- Income and affordability: $25,491 median household income
- Home values: $248,300 median home value
- Homeowner costs: $1,332 median monthly cost with a mortgage
- Property taxes: $1,188 median real estate taxes a year
- Types of homes: 0.6% of homes are in buildings of 5 or more units
- Bedrooms: 60.7% of homes have 3 or more bedrooms
- Age of homes: 53.5% of homes were built before 1980
- Vacancy rate: 6.0% rental vacancy rate (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Heating fuel: 33.4% heat with propane
- Commute and cars: 15.0 minutes average trip to work
- Crime reported to police: 78 violent crimes per 100,000 residents
- Growth: +13.9% residents since 2015–2019
- How long people stay: 27.9% moved in since 2020
- Crowding and facilities: 1.9% of homes have more than 1 person per room (Small sample: wide margin of error)
Plains against Sanders County, its state and the nation
| Plains | Sanders County | Montana | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 1,195 (±290) | 13,285 (exact) | 1,116,875 (exact) | 334,922,499 |
| Housing units | 707 (±164) | 6,808 (±36) | 528,419 (±3,257) | 143,775,355 |
| Households that rent | 46.9% (±14.1 points) | 18.7% (±3.1 points) | 30.8% (±0.5 points) | 34.8% |
| Median gross rent | $843 (±$44) | $820 (±$54) | $1,081 (±$14) | $1,413 |
| Median household income | $25,491 (±$8,554) | $57,476 (±$6,047) | $72,509 (±$761) | $80,734 |
| Median home value | $248,300 (±$118,802) | $359,000 (±$20,498) | $375,800 (±$3,433) | $332,700 |
| Median real estate taxes (a year) | $1,188 (±$214) | $1,889 (±$131) | $2,693 (±$19) | $3,119 |
| Built before 1980 | 53.5% (±17.1 points) | 36.5% (±4.1 points) | 49.0% (±0.7 points) | 49.7% |
| Average commute | 15.0 minutes (±7.0) | 22.0 minutes (±2.7) | 19.1 minutes (±0.2) | 26.4 minutes |
| Households with broadband | 81.9% (±14.2 points) | 87.8% (±2.9 points) | 89.4% (±0.3 points) | 91.0% |
| Median age of residents | 43.3 years (±4.0) | 54.6 years (±0.4) | 40.4 years (±0.2) | 38.9 years |
Plains covers 0.6 square miles of land, about 1,943 residents per square mile (Census Bureau Gazetteer).
How Plains has changed since 2015–2019
| 2015–2019 | 2020–2024 | Amount of change | Verdict | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 1,049 (±225) | 1,195 (±290) | +13.9% | Not a measurable change |
| Housing units | 595 (±88) | 707 (±164) | +18.8% | Not a measurable change |
| Median gross rent | $663 (±$32) | $843 (±$44) | +27.1% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median home value | $136,800 (±$26,887) | $248,300 (±$118,802) | +81.5% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median household income | $33,155 (±$7,764) | $25,491 (±$8,554) | −23.1% | Down after inflation |
| Median owner cost with a mortgage | $1,068 (±$180) | $1,332 (±$304) | +24.7% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median real estate taxes | $1,046 (±$269) | $1,188 (±$214) | +13.6% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Households that rent | 42.6% (±11.4 points) | 46.9% (±14.1 points) | +4.3 percentage points | Not a measurable change |
| Rental vacancy rate | 7.4% (±8.6 points) | 6.0% (±8.4 points) | −1.4 percentage points | Not a measurable change |
The Census Bureau publishes 2015–2019 dollars in 2019 dollars and 2020–2024 dollars in 2024 dollars.
Prices (the CPI-U, US Bureau of Labor Statistics) rose 22.7% between 2019 and 2024, so a dollar figure’s verdict compares the two after raising the earlier one by that much, using the Census Bureau’s test for a difference.
The two periods do not overlap, as the Census Bureau recommends for 5-year estimates.
Crime reported to police in Plains
In 2025, the Plains Police Department reported 78 violent and 469 property crimes per 100,000 residents to the FBI.
Across Sanders County, the departments that report recorded 197 violent and 331 property crimes per 100,000 residents that year.
Places near Plains
| Place | Distance | Median gross rent | Median home value | Households that rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hot Springs | 14 mi | $725 | $150,900 | 35.8% |
| Superior | 18 mi | $722 | $310,000 | 34.7% |
| Thompson Falls | 23 mi | $543 | $266,400 | 26.6% |
| Alberton | 37 mi | $1,344 | $267,700 | 15.0% |
| Ronan | 37 mi | $880 | $225,500 | 39.7% |
| Pablo | 38 mi | $793 | $256,700 | 33.5% |
| Polson | 38 mi | $912 | $356,300 | 45.4% |
| St. Ignatius | 38 mi | $842 | $250,000 | 29.3% |
Places in Montana most like Plains
| Place | Median gross rent | Median home value | Median household income | Households that rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pablo | $793 | $256,700 | $36,400 | 33.5% |
| Darby | $889 | $327,100 | $43,627 | 55.1% |
| Ronan | $880 | $225,500 | $42,298 | 39.7% |
| Lame Deer | $558 | $111,100 | $23,700 | 43.8% |
| Forsyth | $776 | $208,400 | $39,744 | 39.5% |
| Hot Springs | $725 | $150,900 | $21,300 | 35.8% |
Matched on rent, home value, income, the share who rent, the age of the homes, the share in apartment buildings and the commute, each measured against the spread across Montana.
HUD Fair Market Rent for Plains, fiscal year 2027
| Studio | 1 bedroom | 2 bedrooms | 3 bedrooms | 4 bedrooms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $778 | $854 | $1,117 | $1,331 | $1,835 |
HUD income limits for Plains, fiscal year 2026
| Household size | Extremely low (30%) | Very low (50%) | Low (80%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 person | $19,150 | $31,850 | $51,000 |
| 2 people | $21,850 | $36,400 | $58,250 |
| 3 people | $27,320 | $40,950 | $65,550 |
| 4 people | $33,000 | $45,500 | $72,800 |
| 5 people | $38,680 | $49,150 | $78,650 |
| 6 people | $44,360 | $52,800 | $84,450 |
| 7 people | $50,040 | $56,450 | $90,300 |
| 8 people | $55,720 | $60,100 | $96,100 |
These are the limits HUD sets for its housing programs in the Sanders County, MT, where HUD’s median family income for fiscal year 2026 is $71,000.
A program can use its own limits; tax-credit and local programs often do.
Survey years: 2020–2024 (American Community Survey 5-year estimates), compared with 2015–2019.
Margins of error are at the 90% confidence level.
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Questions about Plains
What is the average rent in Plains, MT?
The Census Bureau publishes the median rather than the average: the median gross rent in Plains is $843 (±$44) a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey), so half of renting households pay less and half pay more.
How much is a one-bedroom apartment in Plains?
The median gross rent for a one-bedroom home in Plains, MT is $581 (±$20) a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
Are renters in Plains rent-burdened?
77.3% of renting households in Plains pay 30% or more of their income in gross rent, the share housing researchers usually call rent-burdened (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
How many renters are there in Plains?
Plains has an estimated 296 (±129) renting households, 46.9% of its occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the median household income in Plains?
The median household income in Plains is $25,491 (±$8,554) a year (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the average home value in Plains, MT?
The Census Bureau publishes the median: $248,300 (±$118,802) for owner-occupied homes in Plains (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
Is Plains growing?
In Plains, the number of residents went from 1,049 in 2015–2019 to 1,195 in 2020–2024 (+13.9%), not a measurable change.
Sources
- Demographic and Housing Estimates (DP05), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Plains town, Montana
- Selected Housing Characteristics (DP04), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Plains town, Montana
- Selected Economic Characteristics (DP03), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Plains town, Montana
- Median Real Estate Taxes Paid by Mortgage Status (B25103), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Plains town, Montana
- Selected Social Characteristics (DP02), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Plains town, Montana
- Total Population (B01003), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — Plains town, Montana
- Median Gross Rent (B25064), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — Plains town, Montana
- HUD Fair Market Rents, fiscal year 2027: Sanders County, MT
- HUD Income Limits, fiscal year 2026: Sanders County, MT
- FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Crime Data Explorer: Plains Police Department (ORI MT0450400)
- FBI: Uniform Crime Reporting statistics and their proper use
- Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), US city average, all items, US Bureau of Labor Statistics: annual averages 2019 and 2024
- US Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer Files
To check these figures in the Census Bureau’s own API, request the variables below from the 2024 ACS 5-year data profile (acs/acs5/profile) for Plains town, Montana (place:58150, in state:30).
Each estimate (E or PE) has a margin of error beside it (M or PM).
The 2015–2019 figures are B01003_001E, B01003_001M, B25064_001E, B25064_001M from the 2019 release.
The API needs a free key.
DP05_0001E, DP05_0001M, DP04_0001E, DP04_0001M, DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, DP04_0134E, DP04_0134M, DP03_0062E, DP03_0062M, DP04_0089E, DP04_0089M
This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
Figures are published by the US Census Bureau, HUD, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the FBI; Seayora reproduces them and does not adjust them, except where a sentence says it compares dollar figures after inflation. They describe the whole place, not any one building or street, and are not an appraisal, a rent determination, a tax bill, a safety rating or legal advice.
Figures last updated on .