Sand CouleeMT
Settled in 1884, this town now has 134 residents.
Is Sand Coulee a good place to live?
No town among the 43 in Montana we compare has a higher owner-occupancy rate than Sand Coulee. Sand Coulee has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
134 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Moving to Sand Coulee: who provides what
Sand Coulee is unincorporated, so Cascade County and regional agencies provide most services.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Sand Coulee.
A home in Sand Coulee is worth about $291K, on Zillow’s estimate
Typical home values rose 4.2% in the year to September 2026.
Typical home value
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
More than half of Sand Coulee’s working residents commute to Great Falls
Among 43 Montana towns, just 4 have a higher average commute than Sand Coulee. The top destinations are Great Falls (53%), Belt (7%) and Neihart (5%). Half commute less than 10 miles.
| Sand Coulee | Montana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 17 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 10% | 10% | 9.6% |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Natural hazards: high risk in Sand Coulee, mostly inland flooding
Sand Coulee’s natural-hazard score from FEMA stands at 75 of 100, above both the Montana town median (41 of 100) and the median of U.S. towns (44 of 100). Of the losses FEMA expects here, 60% come from inland flooding and 22% from cold waves.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Snowy winters and pleasant summers in Sand Coulee
The range runs from 14° on a January night to 84° on a July afternoon, with about 66 inches of snow a winter.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
76% of adults in Sand Coulee had a checkup this year, against 72% in Montana’s towns and 79% across U.S. towns
13% of adults smoke cigarettes in Sand Coulee, where Montana’s towns sit at 14% and U.S. towns at 14%. The share of adults in Sand Coulee who have been diagnosed with depression: 27%. Of 32 CDC measures, Sand Coulee beats the Montana average on 4 and trails it on 2.
| Sand Coulee | Montana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 76% | 72% | 79% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 25% | 23% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 20% | 16% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 34% | 32% | 36% |
| What stands out | Sand Coulee | MT |
|---|---|---|
| More adults screened for colon cancer | 70.5% | 63.8% |
| More adults getting a yearly checkup | 76.4% | 72.4% |
| More adults with arthritis | 33.9% | 28.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Great Falls and 2 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Sand Coulee. Close and well known come first.
12 mi WaterfallGreat Falls
9 mi MuseumC. M. Russell Museum Complex31K visitors a year
9 mi MuseumParis Gibson Square Museum of Art29K visitors a yearPhoto credits
Great Falls: Tim1965, Public domain · C. M. Russell Museum Complex: Roger Wollstadt, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Paris Gibson Square Museum of Art: Montanabw, CC BY-SA 3.0
Everything we know about Sand Coulee
Colleges nearby
2 within 15 miles of the center of Sand Coulee
About 0 of every 100 Sand Coulee residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across Montana.
100% of working residents leave Sand Coulee for work
Where Sand Coulee’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
About Sand Coulee
Unincorporated community in Montana, United States
Sand Coulee is a census-designated place and unincorporated community in Cascade County, Montana, United States. As of the 2020 census, Sand Coulee had a population of 179. Named Giffen in 1881, after Nat McGiffen, the town’s name changed to Sand Coulee when the McGiffens left the area. In 1883 Sand Coulee Coal Company, a coal mining company, was established. Recognizing the potential, James J. Hill purchased the company and renamed it Cottonwood Coal Company. The town slowly withered when the railroad switched to diesel engines in the 1930s.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 2.6 sq mi
- Elevation
- 3,471 ft
- ZIP code
- 59472
Questions about Sand Coulee
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Sand Coulee, MT a good place to live?
Sand Coulee has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.