Best Places59602, MT Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 59602, 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.
59602 ranks 4,751st of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on civic engagement by a wide margin, and distance from a big city ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 59602
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.
59602's strengths and weaknesses
Where 59602 ranks high
- Voter turnoutBetter than 95% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 155 pleasant days a year, better than 91% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than 87% of zip codes
- Crime safetyBetter than 86% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than 84% of zip codes
Where 59602 ranks low
- Big-city accessBetter than only 6% of zip codes
- Housing crash safetyBetter than only 24% of zip codes
- Tree shadeBetter than only 24% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$1,023 a month, better than only 32% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than only 43% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 59602
A household needs to earn about $112,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 59602 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $91,226, 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 59602's effective rate of 0.70%, 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 59602
59602 runs older than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 59602.
Who works in 59602, and how
Work in 59602 centers on public administration and health care & social. 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 12%
- Transit, walk, or bike 2%
Life in 59602
59602 has fewer places to eat and drink per resident than most zip codes. That concentrates in some parts of 59602 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 59602, month by month
59602 sees roughly 155 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 91 degrees. January highs sit near 34, with lows near 12. The comfortable stretch runs May through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 34° | 23° | 12° |
| April | 60° | 44° | 31° |
| July | 91° | 73° | 55° |
| October | 61° | 46° | 33° |
Flying in and out of 59602
The nearest airport, Helena Regional, is about 4 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Boise Air Trml/Gowen Field, about 297 miles away.
The best schools in and around 59602
Schools across 59602 average a B−, better than 58% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Trinity SchoolA+ · 75% proficient
- Elk City SchoolA+ · 75% proficient
- Warren SchoolB · 45% proficient
Top middle schools
- Augusta 7-8B+ · 50% proficient
- C R Anderson Middle SchlB · 46% proficient
- Helena Middle SchoolC+ · 37% proficient
Top high schools
- Helena High SchoolB− · 44% proficient
- Capital High SchoolB− · 41% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 59602 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
59602 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 59602 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 59602 suits
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 72% of zip codes, internet is fast and widely advertised, and 12% already work from home.
Retirees
The weather beats 91% of zip codes and health care access beats 64%.
Common questions about living in 59602
Is 59602 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 59602 ranks 4,751st of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on civic engagement, the weather, and low taxes, and lowest on distance from a big city and an overheated housing market. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 59602 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $435,033. The overall cost of living runs about 5% below the national average. Set against a $91,226 median income, cost of living beats 72% of zip codes.
Is 59602 safe?
Yes, 59602 is safer than 86% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $286 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 59602?
July highs average about 91 degrees, and January highs near 34 with lows near 12. That works out to about 155 pleasant days a year, more than 91% of zip codes.
Is 59602 good for families?
Schools beat 58% of zip codes, crime safety beats 86%, and childcare runs $1,023 a month.
Compare 59602 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 59602. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 59602 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.
59602 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 59602: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 59602: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 59602: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 59602: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
59602 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.