Best Places59253, MT Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 59253, 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.
59253 ranks 9,663rd of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on a strong job market by a wide margin, and tree cover ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 59253
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.
59253's strengths and weaknesses
Where 59253 ranks high
- Local economyBetter than 99% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than 99% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than 97% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 181 pleasant days a year, better than 96% of zip codes
- Disaster safetyBetter than 93% of zip codes
Where 59253 ranks low
- Tree shadeBetter than only 2% of zip codes
- Big-city accessBetter than only 3% of zip codes
- Cell coverageBetter than only 3% of zip codes
- BikingBetter than only 5% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than only 5% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 59253
A household needs to earn about $34,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 59253 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $66,375, so a typical household can afford the median home outright.
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 59253's effective rate of 1.04%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Who lives in 59253
59253 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 59253.
Who works in 59253, and how
Work in 59253 centers on agriculture & forestry and retail trade. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 76%
- Work from home 13%
- Transit, walk, or bike 10%
Life in 59253
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 59253.
What the weather is like in 59253, month by month
59253 sees roughly 181 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 84 degrees. January highs sit near 25, with lows near 9. The comfortable stretch runs May through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 25° | 16° | 9° |
| April | 54° | 40° | 31° |
| July | 84° | 70° | 59° |
| October | 56° | 43° | 35° |
Flying in and out of 59253
The nearest airport, L M Clayton, is about 46 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Boise Air Trml/Gowen Field, about 610 miles away.
The best schools in and around 59253
Schools across 59253 average a C, better than 38% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Lustre SchoolA · 70% proficient
- Scobey SchoolB · 45% proficient
Top middle schools
- Scobey 7-8B · 45% proficient
Top high schools
- Frazer High SchoolD+ · 25% proficient
- Scobey High SchoolD− · 14% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 59253 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
59253 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 59253 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 59253
Is 59253 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 59253 ranks 9,663rd of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on a strong job market, clean air, and quiet, and lowest on tree cover 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 59253 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $124,600. The overall cost of living runs about 16% below the national average. Set against a $66,375 median income, cost of living beats 47% of zip codes.
Is 59253 safe?
Yes, 59253 is safer than 57% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $381 per resident a year.
Compare 59253 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 59253. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 59253 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.
59253 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 59253: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 59253: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 59253: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 59253: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
59253 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.