Best Places59101, MT Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 59101, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. This page is for people who live here or already know they want to. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
59101 ranks 14,980th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on low disaster risk by a wide margin, and distance from a big city ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 59101
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.
59101's strengths and weaknesses
Where 59101 ranks high
- Disaster safetyBetter than 95% of zip codes
- Short commute16.8 minutes each way, better than 94% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than 87% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than 85% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 133 pleasant days a year, better than 83% of zip codes
Where 59101 ranks low
- Big-city accessBetter than only 11% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than only 11% of zip codes
- Tree shadeBetter than only 16% of zip codes
- Healthcare accessBetter than only 24% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than only 29% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 59101
A household needs to earn about $73,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 59101 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $62,926, 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 59101's effective rate of 0.84%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices, buying tends to cost more than renting for about the first 10 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 59101
59101 runs younger 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 59101.
Who works in 59101, and how
Work in 59101 centers on health care & social and retail trade. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 83%
- Work from home 6%
- Transit, walk, or bike 11%
Life in 59101
59101 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 77% of zip codes and more parkland per resident than 89% of zip codes. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of 59101 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 59101, month by month
59101 sees roughly 133 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 59101
The nearest airport, Billings Logan International, is about 3 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Salt Lake City International, about 386 miles away.
The best schools in and around 59101
Schools across 59101 average a C, better than 36% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Elysian SchoolB+ · 53% proficient
- Highland SchoolB · 48% proficient
- Alkali Creek SchoolB · 45% proficient
Top middle schools
- Rocky Mountain Middle SchoolB+ · 52% proficient
- Elysian Middle SchoolB+ · 48% proficient
- Castle Rock Middle SchoolB− · 41% proficient
Top high schools
- Rocky Mountain High SchoolB+ · 57% proficient
- Billings West High SchoolB− · 41% proficient
- Skyview High SchoolC · 32% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 59101 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
59101 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 59101 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 59101 suits
Remote workers
Internet is fast and widely advertised and 6% already work from home.
Common questions about living in 59101
Is 59101 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 59101 ranks 14,980th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on low disaster risk, short commutes, and low taxes, and lowest on distance from a big city and noise. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 59101 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $278,722. The overall cost of living runs about 10% below the national average. Set against a $62,926 median income, cost of living beats 29% of zip codes.
Is 59101 safe?
59101 is safer than 45% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $506 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 59101?
July highs average about 92 degrees, and January highs near 39 with lows near 17. That works out to about 133 pleasant days a year, more than 83% of zip codes.
Is 59101 good for families?
Schools beat 36% of zip codes, crime safety beats 45%, and childcare runs $1,072 a month.
Compare 59101 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 59101. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 59101 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.
59101 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 59101: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 59101: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 59101: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 59101: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
59101 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.