Best Places59820, MT Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 59820, 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.
59820 ranks 19,175th 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 59820
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.
59820's strengths and weaknesses
Where 59820 ranks high
- Local economyBetter than 96% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than 87% of zip codes
- Educational attainmentBetter than 79% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than 76% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 118 pleasant days a year, better than 74% of zip codes
Where 59820 ranks low
- Internet speedBetter than only 6% of zip codes
- Housing crash safetyBetter than only 8% of zip codes
- Big-city accessBetter than only 9% of zip codes
- Disaster safetyBetter than only 20% of zip codes
- BikingBetter than only 21% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 59820
A household needs to earn about $104,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 59820 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $82,355, 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 59820's effective rate of 0.56%, 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 59820
59820 runs older than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 59820.
Who works in 59820, and how
Work in 59820 centers on construction and health care & social. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 78%
- Work from home 18%
- Transit, walk, or bike 5%
Life in 59820
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 59820.
What the weather is like in 59820, month by month
59820 sees roughly 118 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 91 degrees. January highs sit near 33, with lows near 16. The comfortable stretch runs June through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 33° | 24° | 16° |
| April | 60° | 45° | 31° |
| July | 91° | 71° | 51° |
| October | 60° | 44° | 32° |
Flying in and out of 59820
The nearest airport, Missoula Montana, is about 19 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Boise Air Trml/Gowen Field, about 250 miles away.
The best schools in and around 59820
Schools across 59820 average a C−, better than 24% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Target Range SchoolB+ · 53% proficient
- Frenchtown Elementary SchoolB · 50% proficient
- Frenchtown Intermediate SchoolC+ · 38% proficient
Top middle schools
- Target Range 7-8B · 45% proficient
- Superior 7-8D+ · 26% proficient
- Kamiah Middle SchoolD+ · 25% proficient
Top high schools
- Kamiah Senior HighB · 50% proficient
- Sentinel High SchoolB− · 43% proficient
- Alberton High SchoolB− · 42% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 59820 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
59820 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 59820 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 59820
Is 59820 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 59820 ranks 19,175th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on a strong job market, low taxes, and an educated workforce, 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 59820 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $411,168. The overall cost of living runs about 6% above the national average. Set against a $82,355 median income, cost of living beats 41% of zip codes.
Is 59820 safe?
Yes, 59820 is safer than 58% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $379 per resident a year.
Compare 59820 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 59820. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 59820 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.
59820 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 59820: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 59820: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 59820: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 59820: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
59820 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.