City · Richland County, Montana

Sidney, Montana

Sidney is a city in Richland County, Montana. It has 6,171 residents. Sidney, Montana has a quality-of-life score of 72 out of 100 (high), ranking #4,328 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Montana it ranks #42 of 94 cities and towns. It ranks best on preventable hospital stays (low), drug overdose deaths (low) and high school diploma or higher (high). It ranks worst on distance to an airport (high), public EV charging ports (low) and suicide rate (high).

72High

Quality-of-life score: #4,328 of 15,651 cities and towns
Montana: #42 of 94 in MT
Population: 6,171 (2020-2024)
Land area: 3 mi²
Density: 1,877.2 /mi²
FIPS code: 3067900

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 76 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map

Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety56#6,893/15,637
Economy57#6,783/15,631
Housing76#3,524/14,977
Health58#6,501/15,609
Healthcare32#10,676/15,650
Environment72#4,395/15,453
Education81#2,921/15,649
Infrastructure32#10,665/15,650
Community76#3,702/15,651
Leisure & amenities97#545/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Sidney, Montana ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Richland County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Preventable hospital stays · low1,015 /100k
99/100Montana 1,824 /100kUnited States 2,769 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteRichland County value
Drug overdose deaths · low0.0 /100k
99/100Montana 14.5 /100kUnited States 18.4 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataRichland County value
High school diploma or higher · high94.7%
99/100Montana 94.6%United States 89.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B15003
Social associations · high20.6 /10k
98/100Montana 13.8 /10kUnited States 9.1 /10k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteRichland County value
Rent as share of income · low22.2%
98/100Montana 27.8%United States 30.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25071
Rent-burdened households · low31.4%
96/100Montana 44.8%United States 51.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25070

Weaknesses

Distance to an airport · high244 mi
0/100Montana 53 miUnited States 33 mi2025Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauRichland County value
Public EV charging ports · low0.0 /10k
3/100Montana 4.2 /10kUnited States 7.6 /10kOct 2026U.S. Department of EnergyRichland County value
Suicide rate · high28.0 /100k
5/100Montana 30.3 /100kUnited States 14.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimateProvisional dataRichland County value
Income inequality (Gini index) · high0.516
7/100Montana 0.465United States 0.4832020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B19083
Comfortable days · low23.0%
8/100Montana 22.7%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationRichland County value
Dentists · low27 /100k
8/100Montana 75 /100kUnited States 75 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteRichland County value

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

Broadband subscriptionsImproving
74.9% (2015-2019) → 88.2% (2020-2024)
+13 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Average commute timeWorsening
14.4 min (2015-2019) → 21.2 min (2020-2024)
+48%5 yearsCensus table B08013US 26.9 min → 26.4 min
Uninsured residents (under 65)Improving
12.2% (2015-2019) → 5.7% (2020-2024)
−6.5 pts5 yearsCensus table B27010US 10.8% → 9.8%
Child poverty rateWorsening
2.1% (2015-2019) → 6.4% (2020-2024)
+4.3 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Income inequality (Gini index)Worsening
0.427 (2015-2019) → 0.516 (2020-2024)
+21%5 yearsCensus table B19083US 0.482 → 0.483
High school diploma or higherImproving
90.9% (2015-2019) → 94.7% (2020-2024)
+3.8 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 88.0% → 89.6%

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Sidney, Montana improved on 2 of 12 measures with a comparison and declined on 2. 8 moved within the margin of error and 0 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved2

Uninsured−6.5 points12.2% → 5.7%
Broadband+13 points74.9% → 88.2%

Declined2

Commute+6.9 min14.4 min → 21.2 min
Inequality+0.0890.427 → 0.516

All 12 measures

Change of every measure of Sidney, Montana between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	14.4 min2015-2019	21.2 min2020-2024	+6.9 min	Declined	5%
Bachelor's degree or higher	18.4%2015-2019	22.0%2020-2024	+3.6 points	Within the margin of error	57%
Broadband subscriptions	74.9%2015-2019	88.2%2020-2024	+13 points	Improved	74%
Effective property tax rate	0.84%2015-2019	0.99%2020-2024	+0.1 points	Within the margin of error	4%
High school diploma or higher	90.9%2015-2019	94.7%2020-2024	+3.8 points	Within the margin of error	74%
Home price to income ratio	4.0×2015-2019	3.8×2020-2024	−0.2×	Within the margin of error	85%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4272015-2019	0.5162020-2024	+0.089	Declined	6%
Median household income	$59,1252015-2019	$62,5382020-2024	+5.8%	Within the margin of error	12%
Poverty rate	5.4%2015-2019	7.7%2020-2024	+2.3 points	Within the margin of error	24%
Rent as share of income	24.4%2015-2019	22.2%2020-2024	−2.2 points	Within the margin of error	70%
Rent-burdened households	33.4%2015-2019	31.4%2020-2024	−2 points	Within the margin of error	63%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	12.2%2015-2019	5.7%2020-2024	−6.5 points	Improved	91%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Sidney, Montana five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Sidney, Montana in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Sidney, Montana itself moved −5 points in standing on average over the same 10 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

6,171 residents (±15)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

2,505 households (±214)

Sidney, Montana
Montana share

Under $25k15%†381
$25k–50k22%†547
$50k–75k

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

2,505 households (±214)

Sidney, Montana
Montana share

Own58%1,443
Rent42%1,062

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

Table view

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

3,314 workers (±264)

Sidney, Montana
Montana share

Drive alone79%2,633
Carpool11%†355
Public transit0.0%0

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Richland County, the county holding most of Sidney's residents.

Richland County has 498 employer establishments, 449 for every 10,000 residents (1.81× the US rate of 248; 1.19× Montana's), with 4,321 paid employees at an average annual pay of $59,090. The Census Bureau also counts 979 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 498; 979 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 449; US 248 · Montana 376
Paid employees: 4,321
Average annual pay: $59,090; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Richland County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Truck transportation	35	31.5	6.23×More than typical	217	$76,687	41
Specialty trade contractors	33	29.7	1.92×More than typical	201	$74,209	59
Restaurants and other eating places	27	24.3	1.32×More than typical	416	$18,459	—
Religious organizations	20	18	3.25×More than typical	61	$19,557	—
Ambulatory health care services	19	17.1	0.82×About typical	92	$61,804	37
Construction of buildings	16	14.4	1.91×More than typical	79	$60,759	28
Insurance agencies and brokerages	13	11.7	2.67×More than typical	37	$63,027	12
Limited-service restaurants	13	11.7	1.46×More than typical	240	$18,738	—
Automotive repair and maintenance	12	10.8	2.15×More than typical	36	$56,250	27
Management, scientific and technical consulting	12	10.8	1.61×More than typical	15	$80,000	31
Lessors of real estate	11	9.9	0.80×About typical	14	$39,357	110
Full-service restaurants	10	9	1.17×About typical	157	$19,306	—

Rank places for an industry Open Richland County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 11,103 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

No federal contract obligations recorded here in FY2026.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Sidney is mostly in Richland County.

See federal money in Richland County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Sidney, Montana is represented in the 119th Congress by these members.

House

Troy DowningR-MT-2 · 100% of residentsWith party 99%Missed 0.6%

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Richland County77100% of residents

Other cities and towns in Richland County

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/3067900

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends