Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 427, settled in 1875.
Stanford has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Census counts: 300 in 1920, a peak of 615 in 1960, 403 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1911 and 2 maps from 1978 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Stanford, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Stanford.
Only 4 of the 43 Montana towns we compare have a higher home-ownership rate than Stanford. Over the 12 months to September 2026, the typical home gained 1.7% in value.
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
The Stanford K-12 Schools runs its public schools. Below: Two of its 3 schools, each with why it was picked. 3 public schools serve Stanford, with 108 students in all.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stanford SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 54 | B |
| Stanford High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 42 | – |
NCES · EDFacts
Stanford’s age of the median resident comes in at 49.4 years. People 65 and older are 30% of residents (20% statewide); adults 18 to 34 are 16% of residents (22% statewide). It has grown 7% since 2020, to 427 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. Four-year graduates: 28% of adults 25 and older here, 35% across Montana.
| Stanford | Montana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 49.4 years | 38.9 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 28% | 30% | 29% |
Somewhere between 26% and 65% women
The Census survey reached too few of Stanford’s residents to say more: its margin here is ±19.4 points. Across Montana, 49.3% of residents are women.
| Stanford | MT | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 16.8% | 11% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 4.9% | 10% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 4.1% | 9% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 11.6% | 12.9% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 10.1% | 12.9% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 9% | 11.1% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 13.4% | 13% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 17.9% | 12.4% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 12.3% | 7.8% | 7% |
| No diploma | 2.5% | 5.4% | 10.4% |
| High school | 34.7% | 27.5% | 26% |
| Some college | 32.2% | 22.4% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 3% | 9.6% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 22.1% | 23.2% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 5.5% | 12% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 400, single groups can be off by several points
In Stanford, the midsummer high is 81°F, below both the Montana town median (85°F) and the median of U.S. towns (85°F).
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
14% of residents live below the poverty line in Stanford, against 10% in Montana’s towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns. Jobs based in Stanford grew to 145 in 2023, 34 more than in 2013. For Stanford, the average trip to work is 13 minutes. The top destinations are Hobson (14%), Great Falls (12%) and Lewistown (4%).
| Stanford | Montana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 13 minutes | 17 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 16% | 39% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 14% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $57,000 | $67,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Households in Stanford have drawn federal disaster aid once, in 2011. Expected damage from storms and floods is lower here than in 61% of U.S. communities. Nearly half of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by cold waves at 37%.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
16% of adults report frequent physical distress in Stanford. Only 4 of the 42 Montana towns we compare have a higher share of adults who have diabetes than Stanford. The town beats the Montana average on 3 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 9.
| Stanford | Montana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 32% | 35% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 14% | 14% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 32% | 36% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 10% | 12% |
| What stands out | Stanford | MT |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 16.5% | 20.3% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 78.6% | 73.4% |
| More adults with heart disease | 9.5% | 6.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
For Stanford, the concentration of trails is 0.3 miles per square mile. There are 0.1 miles of trail across 1 park or preserve. One park or preserve covers 2 acres in the town.
| Stanford | Montana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.3 miles per square mile | 0.6 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 3.5% | 9.2% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Stanford City Park | — | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Stanford; the nearest are
About 0 of every 100 Stanford residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across Montana.
Town in Montana, United States
Stanford is a town in and the county seat of Judith Basin County, Montana, United States. The population was at 403 as of the 2020 census. Stanford was frequented by C.M. Russell and is featured in some of his landscape paintings.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Stanford has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.