Best Places59255, MT Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 59255, 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.
59255 ranks 32,252nd of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on short commutes by a wide margin, and the schools rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 59255
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.
59255's strengths and weaknesses
Where 59255 ranks high
- Short commute16.0 minutes each way, better than 95% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 162 pleasant days a year, better than 92% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than 87% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than 77% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than 76% of zip codes
Where 59255 ranks low
- School gradeF, better than only 1% of zip codes
- Healthcare accessBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than only 2% of zip codes
- Big-city accessBetter than only 3% of zip codes
- Household income$43,503 median, better than only 3% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 59255
A household needs to earn about $21,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 59255 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $43,503, 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 59255's effective rate of 0.55%, 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 6 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 59255
59255 runs younger than the country, and households here run larger than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 59255.
Who works in 59255, and how
Work in 59255 centers on public administration and retail trade. Unemployment runs well above the national rate, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 86%
- Work from home 4%
- Transit, walk, or bike 11%
Life in 59255
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 59255.
What the weather is like in 59255, month by month
59255 sees roughly 162 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 89 degrees. January highs sit near 25, with lows near 4. The comfortable stretch runs May through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 25° | 14° | 4° |
| April | 58° | 41° | 28° |
| July | 89° | 71° | 55° |
| October | 59° | 43° | 30° |
Flying in and out of 59255
The nearest airport, L M Clayton, is about 18 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Denver International, about 571 miles away.
The best schools in and around 59255
Schools across 59255 average an F, better than 1% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Richey SchoolA− · 58% proficient
- Froid Elementary SchoolC · 31% proficient
- Culbertson SchoolD+ · 23% proficient
Top middle schools
- Richey 7-8A+ · 75% proficient
- Froid 7-8B+ · 50% proficient
- Lambert 7-8D− · 16% proficient
Top high schools
- Lambert High SchoolD+ · 25% proficient
- Sidney High SchoolD · 20% proficient
- Poplar High SchoolF · 5% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 59255 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
59255 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 59255 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 59255
Is 59255 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 59255 ranks 32,252nd of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on short commutes, the weather, and low taxes, and lowest on the schools and thin health care access. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 59255 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $83,818. The overall cost of living runs about 23% below the national average. Set against a $43,503 median income, cost of living beats 7% of zip codes.
Is 59255 safe?
59255 is safer than 5% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $1,009 per resident a year.
Compare 59255 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 59255. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 59255 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.
59255 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 59255: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 59255: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 59255: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 59255: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
59255 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.