ZIP Code 59601 — Helena city, MT Demographics & Data

ZIP code 59601 covers Helena, MT in Lewis and Clark County with a population of about 31,822.

At a glance, the area shows median age of 41.1 versus a U.S. median of about 38.9.

It sits in telephone area code 406; U.S. House district MT-2; the HELENA media market.

Median household income in ZIP 59601 is about $70,502 — about 6% below the U.S. median ($75,149).

On socioeconomic markers, US5 shows a poverty rate of 9.1%; unemployment rate near 3.0%; 50.9% of adults with a bachelor’s degree or higher (about 17.1 points above the national share (33.7%)).

Labor and commute patterns include leading industry context around Healthcare, Public administration, and Retail trade; about 14.0% of workers reporting work-from-home (about 1.2 points below the U.S. share (15.2%)); a mean commute of about 180.0 minutes (U.S. average near 26.8).

Median home value is about $355,000 — about even with the U.S. median home value ($348,079).

Housing tenure and rents show median gross rent around $924 (about 21% below the U.S. median rent ($1,163)), and owner-occupancy near 56.8% (about 8.6 points below the national owner-occupancy rate (65.4%)).

To comfortably buy a median-priced home in ZIP 59601 in Helena, MT, a household would need roughly $98,000 in annual income under a 20% down, 30-year loan at 6.8% (illustrative), keeping housing costs near 28% of income. Estimated monthly PITI is about $2,280. That is about 39% above the local median household income ($70,502), so the median earner would likely stretch or need a larger down payment. Rates, taxes, insurance, and HOA fees vary — treat this as a planning estimate, not a lender quote.

FEMA’s National Risk Index rates natural-hazard risk for Helena city, MT as Relatively Low (composite score 71.2), which is elevated versus much of the country. The strongest component scores on US5 are wildfire (92.8) and flood (64.6). These scores are county-linked NRI values published for planning context — all ZIP codes in the same county share the same composite score on US5. Useful when comparing insurance and disaster exposure across areas, not a substitute for a parcel-level flood or fire determination.

Climate normals for Helena city, MT show little to no average snow and around 16.4 inches of annual precipitation.

IRS migration statistics show a net inflow of about 1,683 for ZIP 59601 (Helena city, MT) on US5’s published series — a signal of people/tax filers moving in relative to those leaving. Inflows often track job growth, housing demand, or lifestyle migration; treat the figure as a directional indicator rather than a precise headcount.