ZIP Code 59844 — Heron CDP, MT Demographics & Data

ZIP code 59844 covers Heron, MT in Sanders County with a population of about 662.

At a glance, the area shows median age of 56.5 versus a U.S. median of about 38.9.

It sits in telephone area code 406; U.S. House district MT-1; the MISSOULA media market.

Heron, MT reads as a military / base-oriented community on US5’s intent model (elevated veteran share (23.2%) and/or base-related place names). Service members and families often look up Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) rates, on-base mail (PSC / P.O. Box) addresses, and nearby ZIP demographics when relocating.

US5 shows 2026 DoD BAH locality rates for this ZIP’s Military Housing Area on this page (pay grade × with/without dependents). Treat the table as a planning reference and confirm entitlement with your finance office or the official DTMO BAH lookup.

Median household income in ZIP 59844 is about $40,000 — about 47% below the U.S. median ($75,149).

On socioeconomic markers, US5 shows a poverty rate of 39.8%; unemployment rate near 3.3%; 30.1% of adults with a bachelor’s degree or higher (about 3.6 points below the national share (33.7%)).

Labor and commute patterns include leading industry context around Other services, Education, and Construction; about 26.1% of workers reporting work-from-home (about 10.9 points above the U.S. share (15.2%)); a mean commute of about 119.0 minutes (U.S. average near 26.8).

Median home value is about $430,400 — about 24% above the U.S. median home value ($348,079).

Housing tenure and rents show median gross rent around $1,073 (about 8% below the U.S. median rent ($1,163)), and owner-occupancy near 75.8% (about 10.4 points above the national owner-occupancy rate (65.4%)).

To comfortably buy a median-priced home in ZIP 59844 in Heron, MT, a household would need roughly $118,000 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 $2,765. That is about 195% above the local median household income ($40,000), 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 Heron CDP, MT as Relatively Low (composite score 47.4), which is near the middle of the national distribution. The strongest component scores on US5 are wildfire (91.2) and flood (61.9). 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 Heron CDP, MT show little to no average snow and around 34.2 inches of annual precipitation.

IRS migration statistics show a net inflow of about 35 for ZIP 59844 (Heron CDP, 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.