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Compare towns

Stanford vs Lima

208 miles apart. The biggest differences: trails (3× in Lima) and seasonal homes (+25.6 pts in Lima).

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Stanford, MTHomes around $243KMontana · 268 people
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Lima, MTHomes around $289KMontana · 218 people
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Where each one shines

Two towns, two different strengths

What each town does better than most of its state (not better than each other). Tap one to see the page behind it.

StanfordHomes around $243K
Housing$243K typical home48% below the MT typical home All about Stanford →
LimaHomes around $289K
Housing$289K typical home39% below the MT typical home All about Lima →
The biggest differences

Where they differ most

The rows below where the towns are furthest apart, beyond the Census margin of error. The full table is further down.

Trails3×
Lima has more miles of trail
Lima 0.3 miStanford 0.1 mi
Seasonal homes+25.6 pts
Lima has more second homes
Lima 29.4%Stanford 3.8%
Street grid2.2×
Stanford has the more walkable street grid
Stanford 146Lima 66.9
Average commute8 min
Lima has the shorter commute
Stanford 13 minLima 5 min
Homeowners+9.1 pts renters
Stanford has more renters
Lima 94.2%Stanford 85.1%
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $280 more a month in Lima

A typical home in each town, bought with 20% down at 6.3% for 30 years, plus property tax at the town’s own rate and insurance. Change the numbers to fit you.

Stanford$1,380/mo
Typical home $243K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.50% · or rent about $850/mo · Housing →
Lima$1,660/mo
Typical home $289K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.61% · Housing →

The difference: $280 a month, about $3,400 a year, between Lima and Stanford.

Estimates, not a quote: your price, rate, tax bill and insurance will differ. Tax rate = the Census median tax bill over the median home value.

Report cards

Grades and rankings, side by side

Our letter grades for safety, schools and health, then every Montana ranking list both towns are on. A grade is one measure; read the page behind it.

Schools
BStanfordBetter than 57% of districts in the state –LimaNot graded
Life in each

What daily life feels like in each

The weather, the land, the history and the people, row by row. None of it is a grade: more snow is a plus to a skier.

Seasons
StanfordLima
Snow a year45″53″
January low13°F11°F
July high82°F83°F
Growing season (days)112d89d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)39th75th
Outdoors & history
StanfordLima
Trails0 mi0 mi
Conserved land3.5%7.9%
Settled1875—
Archive photos64
Famous people born here21
Community
StanfordLima
Library hours a week43 hrs—
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined10

A dot marks the most on each row. Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 normals at the nearest station. Hazard risk: FEMA National Risk Index, expected yearly damage vs U.S. towns.

Where they are

208 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

StanfordMTLimaMT
Stanford ↔ Lima208 miles apart
Everything, side by side

What matters to you?

Pick a few. Those rows jump to the top and the best fit on each is marked. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

StanfordLima
People
Population 268Highest 218Lowest
Median age 49.4±20.1Lowest 22% above MT 54±12.7Highest 34% above MT
Lima and Stanford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 21.6%±14.8Highest MT: 21% 16.1%±14.8Lowest MT: 21%
Stanford and Lima are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 30.2%±7.3Lowest MT: 20.1% 37.6%±5.3Highest MT: 20.1%
Lima and Stanford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 27.6%Highest MT: 35.2% 20.1%Lowest MT: 35.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 0%±5.8 MT: 5.2% 0%±7.1 MT: 5.2%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $56,875±$19kHighest 22% below MT $53,871±$1kLowest 26% below MT
Stanford and Lima are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $207,800±$55kHighest 45% below MT $189,100±$19kLowest 50% below MT
Stanford and Lima are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $850±$468 21% below MT —
Property taxmedian, yearly $1,040Lowest 61% below MT $1,153Highest 57% below MT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 0%±100 MT: 44.8% 0%±100 MT: 44.8%
Below poverty line 14.2%Lowest MT: 11.5% 18.8%Highest MT: 11.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 85.1%Lowest MT: 69.2% 94.2%Highest MT: 69.2%
Typical home builtmedian year 1954Lowest 27 yrs older than MT 1964Highest 17 yrs older than MT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 13 minHighest 30% below MT 5 minLowest 72% below MT
Work from home 7.8%±4.7Lowest MT: 12.5% 9.2%±8.3Highest MT: 12.5%
Lima and Stanford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 16.1%Highest 14.1%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 21.8 miLowest 40.3 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.29Highest 0.97Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Hobson (14%)Butte-Silver Bow (8%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in LimaFew work in Stanford
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 3.5%Lowest 7.9%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 0.1 miLowest 0.3 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.3 miLowest 0.5 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 1 1
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 146Highest 66.9Lowest
Schools
School district Stanford K-12 SchoolsLima K-12 Schools
High school in town Stanford High SchoolLima High School
Students per teacherat that high school 8.4Highest 4.2Lowest
Montana average“±” Census margin of errorACS 2020–2024
Deciding?

Ask the people who live there

The numbers stop at the town line. Neighbors can tell you about the commute at 7am, the schools, the winters and the feel of the place.

Stanford neighborsTown Square →
T Weaver · 5d

Improving Our Little Town

1 neighbor in Stanford can answer.

Lima neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Lima’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Stanford and Lima

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Towns like Stanford

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Nashua279 people · $142K homes
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Sunburst301 people · $140K homes

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2010 & 2020 censuses, LEHD commute flows; Zillow Home Value Index; NCES Common Core of Data; FBI crime reporting; CDC PLACES; FEMA National Risk Index; NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020; USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. “±” is the Census margin of error; differences inside it are never called. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. There is no overall score: which town is better depends on what matters to you.

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