Best Places59647, MT Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 59647, 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.
59647 ranks 13,827th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on a strong job market by a wide margin, and internet speeds rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 59647
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.
59647's strengths and weaknesses
Where 59647 ranks high
- Local economyBetter than 99% of zip codes
- Crime safetyBetter than 92% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 151 pleasant days a year, better than 90% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than 87% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than 85% of zip codes
Where 59647 ranks low
- Internet speedBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- Housing crash safetyBetter than only 2% of zip codes
- BikingBetter than only 4% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than only 5% of zip codes
- Big-city accessBetter than only 7% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 59647
A household needs to earn about $140,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 59647 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $72,271, 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 59647's effective rate of 0.47%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Who lives in 59647
59647 runs older 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 59647.
Who works in 59647, and how
Work in 59647 centers on construction and hospitality & food. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 91%
- Work from home 7%
- Transit, walk, or bike 2%
Life in 59647
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 59647.
What the weather is like in 59647, month by month
59647 sees roughly 151 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 59647
The nearest airport, Helena Regional, is about 17 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Boise Air Trml/Gowen Field, about 300 miles away.
The best schools in and around 59647
Schools across 59647 average a B−, better than 52% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Salmon Pioneer Primary SchoolB− · 43% proficient
- Cecelia Hazelton SchoolB− · 40% proficient
Top middle schools
- Townsend 7-8B− · 43% proficient
Top high schools
- Broadwater High SchoolB− · 43% proficient
- Salmon Jr/sr High SchoolC · 33% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 59647 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
59647 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 59647 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 59647
Is 59647 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 59647 ranks 13,827th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on a strong job market, low crime, and the weather, and lowest on internet speeds 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 59647 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $562,114. The overall cost of living runs about 3% below the national average. Set against a $72,271 median income, cost of living beats 39% of zip codes.
Is 59647 safe?
Yes, 59647 is safer than 92% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $246 per resident a year.
Compare 59647 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 59647. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 59647 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.
59647 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 59647: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 59647: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 59647: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 59647: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
59647 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.