Best Places59024, MT Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 59024, 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.
59024 ranks 28,768th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. The cost of living against local pay pulls hardest against it, while it scores best on low taxes.
The best neighborhoods in 59024
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.
59024's strengths and weaknesses
Where 59024 ranks high
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than 87% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 128 pleasant days a year, better than 80% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than 76% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than 74% of zip codes
- Disaster safetyBetter than 72% of zip codes
Where 59024 ranks low
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than only 3% of zip codes
- Big-city accessBetter than only 6% of zip codes
- Household income$46,570 median, better than only 8% of zip codes
- Tree shadeBetter than only 8% of zip codes
- Voter turnoutBetter than only 16% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 59024
A household needs to earn about $106,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 59024 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $46,570, 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 59024's effective rate of 0.67%, 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 59024
59024 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 59024.
Who works in 59024, and how
Work in 59024 centers on construction and education. Unemployment is low, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 78%
- Work from home 15%
- Transit, walk, or bike 7%
Life in 59024
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 59024.
What the weather is like in 59024, month by month
59024 sees roughly 128 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 92 degrees. January highs sit near 39, with lows near 17. The comfortable stretch runs May through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 39° | 27° | 17° |
| April | 60° | 45° | 33° |
| July | 92° | 75° | 59° |
| October | 63° | 48° | 36° |
Flying in and out of 59024
The nearest airport, Billings Logan International, is about 50 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Salt Lake City International, about 429 miles away.
The best schools in and around 59024
Schools across 59024 average a C−, better than 26% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Tongue River ElementaryB+ · 55% proficient
- Custer SchoolC · 31% proficient
- Hardin IntermediateD · 17% proficient
Top middle schools
- Tongue River Middle SchoolA · 60% proficient
- Custer 7-8D+ · 25% proficient
- Hardin Middle SchoolF · 10% proficient
Top high schools
- Tongue River High SchoolB+ · 57% proficient
- Custer High SchoolB− · 42% proficient
- Hardin High SchoolF · 5% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 59024 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
59024 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 59024 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 59024
Is 59024 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 59024 ranks 28,768th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on low taxes, the weather, and clean air, and lowest on the cost of living against local pay and distance from a big city. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 59024 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $411,589. The overall cost of living runs about 0% below the national average. Set against a $46,570 median income, cost of living beats 3% of zip codes.
Is 59024 safe?
Yes, 59024 is safer than 59% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $390 per resident a year.
Compare 59024 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 59024. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 59024 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.
59024 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 59024: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 59024: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 59024: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 59024: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
59024 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.