Best Places59102, MT Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 59102, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Costs and crime both read low, and the nearest big city is a drive away. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
59102 ranks 3,621st 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 59102
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.
59102's strengths and weaknesses
Where 59102 ranks high
- Disaster safetyBetter than 98% of zip codes
- Short commute14.9 minutes each way, better than 97% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than 89% of zip codes
- Cell coverageBetter than 88% of zip codes
- BikingBetter than 88% of zip codes
Where 59102 ranks low
- Big-city accessBetter than only 12% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than only 19% of zip codes
- Tree shadeBetter than only 22% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$1,072 a month, better than only 29% of zip codes
- TransitBetter than only 35% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 59102
A household needs to earn about $88,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 59102 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is only a little above the area's median income of $81,104; the gap is small, which keeps homes within reach of local pay.
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 59102's effective rate of 0.83%, 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 59102
59102's age mix sits close to the national median, 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 59102.
Who works in 59102, and how
Work in 59102 centers on health care & social and education. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 86%
- Work from home 10%
- Transit, walk, or bike 4%
Life in 59102
59102 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 84% of zip codes and more parkland per resident than 90% of zip codes. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of 59102 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 59102, month by month
59102 sees roughly 134 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 59102
The nearest airport, Billings Logan International, is about 2 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Salt Lake City International, about 385 miles away.
The best schools in and around 59102
Schools across 59102 average a C+, better than 47% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Meadowlark SchoolA− · 61% proficient
- Arrowhead SchoolA− · 60% proficient
- Boulder SchoolB+ · 53% proficient
Top middle schools
- Elysian Middle SchoolB+ · 48% proficient
- Castle Rock Middle SchoolB− · 41% proficient
- Will James Middle SchoolC+ · 39% proficient
Top high schools
- Billings West High SchoolB− · 41% proficient
- Skyview High SchoolC · 32% proficient
- Billings Sr High SchoolC · 31% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 59102 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
59102 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 59102 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 59102 suits
Families
Schools land around the 47th percentile and crime safety beats 81%.
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 72% of zip codes, internet is fast and widely advertised, and 10% already work from home.
Retirees
The weather beats 83% of zip codes and health care access beats 67%.
Common questions about living in 59102
Is 59102 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 59102 ranks 3,621st of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on low disaster risk, short commutes, and walkability, 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 59102 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $336,031. The overall cost of living runs about 14% below the national average. Set against a $81,104 median income, cost of living beats 72% of zip codes.
Is 59102 safe?
Yes, 59102 is safer than 81% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $328 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 59102?
July highs average about 92 degrees, and January highs near 39 with lows near 17. That works out to about 134 pleasant days a year, more than 83% of zip codes.
Is 59102 good for families?
Schools beat 47% of zip codes, crime safety beats 81%, and childcare runs $1,072 a month.
Compare 59102 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 59102. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 59102 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.
59102 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 59102: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 59102: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 59102: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 59102: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
59102 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.