Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 10,645, settled in 1893. 89% more nonprofits per person than the typical Idaho town.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Sandpoint grades B overall, 26th among Idaho's 58 graded towns. It is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 93% of U.S. towns. Its schools rank ahead of 76% of Idaho towns. The trade-off is money: the typical home is worth about $640K, 9.6 years of the Sandpoint area’s $67K median household income. 44% of working residents work locally in Sandpoint, above both the Idaho town median (20%) and the median of U.S. towns (8%). Sandpoint's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 94% of U.S. towns. Sandpoint has 9 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Sandpoint Burlington Northern Railway Station and Amanda Nesbitt House.
Where Sandpoint beats most towns.
7,365 counted in 2010 and 8,639 in 2020; an estimated 10,645 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 23% since 2020, after 17.3% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Idaho), ordered by how far Sandpoint is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 2,993 in 1910, 8,639 in 2020. The archive holds 5 old photos and papers going back to 1906 and 2 maps from 1968 on.
9 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Sandpoint, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 12, 2025.
Ordered by what stands out in Sandpoint.
Sandpoint draws workers from Ponderay and beyond and is healthier than towns with similar incomes, but it has homes that cost more against local pay than most of Idaho.
6,883 jobs are based in Sandpoint, 1.9 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. The average commute takes 14 minutes, against 21.6 across Idaho.
The top destinations are Ponderay (9%), Coeur d'Alene (5%) and Boise City (2%). In Sandpoint, the average commute is 14 minutes. Since 2013, Sandpoint has added 1,205 jobs, to 6,883 in 2023. Among residents in the town, 15% live below the poverty line.
| Sandpoint | Idaho towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 14 minutes | 20 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 15% | 11% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $72,000 | $67,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The Lake Pend Oreille School District runs its public schools. Of its 11 schools, three are listed below, each with the reason. 3 public schools serve Sandpoint, with 843 students in all.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Farmin Stidwell Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 510 | B− |
| Sandpoint High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,000 | B− |
| Washington Elementary SchoolTop results in townGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 329 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within ID on state tests and graduation
At 9.6 years of the Sandpoint area’s $67K median household income, the typical home (about $640K) costs more against local pay than in 95% of Idaho towns; that ratio is one input to that grade.
A home in Sandpoint typically sold within 53 days of listing. Among 59 Idaho towns, just 4 have a lower home-ownership rate than Sandpoint. Home values are up 3.7% over the year to September 2026.
| Sandpoint | Idaho towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 58% | 70% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,125 a month | $1,109 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Against the 10,700 U.S. towns with household incomes like Sandpoint’s, it is healthier than 88%, so its B+ isn’t only a matter of income.
Two figures for adults in Sandpoint: 29% sleep under 7 hours, 15% report frequent mental distress. Of 32 CDC measures, Sandpoint beats the Idaho average on 2 and trails it on 3. In Sandpoint, 27% of adults feel lonely.
| Sandpoint | Idaho towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 30% | 33% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 34% | 36% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 17% | 17% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 75% | 73% | 79% |
| What stands out | Sandpoint | ID |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 73.8% | 70.5% |
| More adults getting cholesterol checked | 83.4% | 81.1% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.3% | 8.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Sandpoint’s midsummer high comes in at 83°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Sandpoint’s age of the median resident stands at 41.5 years. Adults 35 to 64 are 43% of residents (36% statewide); adults 18 to 34 are 17% of residents (23% statewide). It has grown 23% since 2020, to 10,645 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. For adults 25 and older in the town, the share who hold a bachelor’s degree or more is 37%.
| Sandpoint | Idaho towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 37% | 25% | 29% |
| Median age | 41.5 years | 35.1 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 22% | 25% | 22% |
| Aged 65 or older | 18% | 16% | 18% |
51% women, 49% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±2.4 points. Across Idaho, 49.7% of residents are women.
| Sandpoint | ID | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 13.8% | 12.5% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 8.2% | 11.6% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 3.9% | 9.8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 13% | 13% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 16.6% | 13.1% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 12.3% | 11.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 14% | 11.7% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 10.4% | 10.4% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 7.8% | 6.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 7.1% | 8.1% | 10.4% |
| High school | 22.5% | 26.1% | 26% |
| Some college | 23.5% | 24.2% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 10.4% | 9.7% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 24.1% | 21.3% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 12.4% | 10.5% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Violent crime is rare: 7 reported in 2025, 0.6 per 1,000 residents.
Only 3 of the 43 Idaho towns we compare have a higher property crime rate than Sandpoint. The violent offense rate locally is 0.6 per 1,000 residents.
| Sandpoint | Idaho towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.6 per 1,000 residents | 2.2 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 11.3 per 1,000 residents | 6.3 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Four fifths of Sandpoint’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by cold waves at 10%. FEMA expects more storm and flood damage locally than in 56% of U.S. communities. This Idaho town has had 7 paid flood insurance claims since 1982.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
There are 0.9 miles of trail across 8 parks and preserves. For Sandpoint, the trail network density is 0.2 miles per square mile.
| Sandpoint | Idaho towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.8 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 3.7% | 2% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Travers Park | — | 18 |
| 2. Lakeview Park | — | 17 |
| 3. Great Northern Park | — | 7 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Sandpoint; the nearest are
About 4 of every 100 Sandpoint residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Idaho.
Where Sandpoint’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
9 places in Sandpoint on the National Register of Historic Places.
15 notable people were born in Sandpoint.
City in Idaho, United States
Sandpoint is the largest city in and the county seat of Bonner County, Idaho, United States. Its population was 9,777 as of the 2022 census. Sandpoint's major economic contributors include forest products, light manufacturing, tourism, recreation and government services. As the largest service center in the two northern Idaho counties (Bonner and Boundary), as well as northwestern Montana, it has an active retail sector. Sandpoint lies on the shores of Idaho's largest lake, 43-mile-long (69-kilometer) Lake Pend Oreille, and is surrounded by three major mountain ranges, the Selkirk, Cabinet and Bitterroot ranges. It is home to Schweitzer Mountain Resort, Idaho's largest ski resort, and is on…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Sandpoint.
Ponderay and Dover have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Ponderay and Dover report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Sandpoint with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Sandpoint grades B overall, better than 58% of U.S. towns and #26 of 58 in Idaho. It grades B+ for health, B for safety and A− for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a C−.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.
15 notable people were born here, including Sarah Palin and Marilynne Robinson.
