Best Places59442, MT Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 59442, 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.
59442 ranks 6,896th 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 59442
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.
59442's strengths and weaknesses
Where 59442 ranks high
- Disaster safetyBetter than 99% of zip codes
- Voter turnoutBetter than 96% of zip codes
- Short commute15.6 minutes each way, better than 96% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than 90% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than 87% of zip codes
Where 59442 ranks low
- Big-city accessBetter than only 3% of zip codes
- Tree shadeBetter than only 5% of zip codes
- Housing crash safetyBetter than only 5% of zip codes
- Low vacancyBetter than only 8% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than only 21% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 59442
A household needs to earn about $62,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 59442 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $66,468, 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 59442's effective rate of 0.71%, 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 59442
59442 runs older than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 59442.
Who works in 59442, and how
Work in 59442 centers on agriculture & forestry and health care & social. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 81%
- Work from home 8%
- Transit, walk, or bike 11%
Life in 59442
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 59442.
What the weather is like in 59442, month by month
59442 sees roughly 114 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 88 degrees. January highs sit near 38, with lows near 16. The comfortable stretch runs June through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 38° | 26° | 16° |
| April | 57° | 43° | 29° |
| July | 88° | 71° | 53° |
| October | 60° | 45° | 33° |
Flying in and out of 59442
The nearest airport, Great Falls International, is about 40 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Boise Air Trml/Gowen Field, about 398 miles away.
The best schools in and around 59442
Schools across 59442 average a B+, better than 79% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Highwood SchoolA+ · 75% proficient
- Geraldine ElementaryA+ · 75% proficient
- Fort Benton SchoolA · 65% proficient
Top middle schools
- Geraldine Middle SchoolA+ · 75% proficient
- Fort Benton 7-8A · 60% proficient
- Highwood Middle SchoolB− · 40% proficient
Top high schools
- Fort Benton High SchoolB− · 40% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 59442 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
59442 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 59442 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 59442
Is 59442 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 59442 ranks 6,896th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on low disaster risk, civic engagement, and short commutes, and lowest on distance from a big city and tree cover. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 59442 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $241,119. The overall cost of living runs about 16% below the national average. Set against a $66,468 median income, cost of living beats 40% of zip codes.
Is 59442 safe?
Yes, 59442 is safer than 67% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $352 per resident a year.
Compare 59442 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 59442. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 59442 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.
59442 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 59442: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 59442: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 59442: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 59442: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
59442 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.