Best Places59020, MT Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 59020, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Several measures below read low, and the ranked lists name which ones. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
59020 ranks 24,010th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on heat safety by a wide margin, and the weather ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 59020
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
59020's strengths and weaknesses
Where 59020 ranks high
- Heat safetyBetter than 99% of zip codes
- Short commute13.4 minutes each way, better than 98% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than 97% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than 92% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than 90% of zip codes
Where 59020 ranks low
- Nice weatherabout 29 pleasant days a year, better than only 1% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- Cell coverageBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- Big-city accessBetter than only 6% of zip codes
- Low vacancyBetter than only 8% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 59020
A household needs to earn about $150,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 59020 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $60,833, so buying stretches a typical household.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses 59020's effective rate of 0.41%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices and rents, renting stays cheaper than buying across the first 10 years here, so the case for buying rests on staying much longer or on prices rising faster than assumed. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 59020
59020 runs older than the country, and households here run smaller than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 59020.
Who works in 59020, and how
Work in 59020 centers on other services and hospitality & food. Unemployment is low, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 55%
- Work from home 24%
- Transit, walk, or bike 21%
Life in 59020
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 59020.
What the weather is like in 59020, month by month
59020 sees roughly 29 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 76 degrees. January highs sit near 24, with lows near 1. The comfortable stretch runs July.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 24° | 12° | 1° |
| April | 43° | 29° | 17° |
| July | 76° | 57° | 38° |
| October | 48° | 33° | 22° |
Flying in and out of 59020
The nearest airport, Yellowstone Regional, is about 56 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Salt Lake City International, about 310 miles away.
The best schools in and around 59020
Schools across 59020 average a B+, better than 75% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Gardiner SchoolA− · 60% proficient
Top middle schools
- Gardiner 7-8B− · 41% proficient
Top high schools
- Gardiner High SchoolB+ · 58% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 59020 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
59020 measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare 59020 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 59020
Is 59020 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 59020 ranks 24,010th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on heat safety, short commutes, and quiet, and lowest on the weather and internet speeds. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 59020 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $604,900. The overall cost of living runs about 22% above the national average. Set against a $60,833 median income, cost of living beats 9% of zip codes.
Is 59020 safe?
59020 is safer than 25% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $562 per resident a year.
Compare 59020 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 59020. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 59020 represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
59020 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 59020: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 59020: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 59020: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 59020: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
59020 detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.