Postal Codes

59521 ZIP Code

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ZIP code 59521 covers Box Elder, Montana, with a population of about 3,616 and a median household income of $45,345.

Population
3,61613 per square mile
Median age
30.48.3 points below the US average
Median household income
$45,34535% below the Montana median
Poverty rate
34.2%21.8 points above the US average
Median home value
$67,80080% below the Montana median
Median rent
$37464% below the Montana median
Degree or higher
16.6%18.4 points below the US average
Homeownership
41.4%23.6 points below the US average
Time zone
Mountain UTC-07:00observes daylight saving time
Businesses
18

Where 59521 is

Box Elder, Montana — the area the Census Bureau draws for this ZIP code. ZIP codes are sets of delivery routes rather than areas, so this is the Census approximation of one, not a Postal Service boundary.

People and households

American Community Survey 2019–2023 five-year estimates

Population3,616
Median age30.4
Family households72.7%
Born outside the US0%
Speaks a language other than English at home2.9%
White (non-Hispanic)2.8%
Black (non-Hispanic)0%
Asian (non-Hispanic)0.1%
Hispanic or Latino3.5%
Veterans2.8%
Population by age
MaleFemale0-45-910-1415-1920-2425-3435-4445-5455-6465-7475-8485+
Income and poverty

American Community Survey 2019–2023 five-year estimates

Median household income$45,345
Income per person$18,261
Poverty rate34.2%
Households on SNAP or cash assistance40.9%

Household income distribution

Under $10k8.9%
$10–15k10.3%
$15–20k4.1%
$20–25k5.4%
$25–30k2.8%
$30–35k7.8%
$35–40k5.4%
$40–45k5.0%
$45–50k7.3%
$50–60k10.1%
$60–75k11.3%
$75–100k7.4%
$100–125k3.3%
$125–150k3.8%
$150–200k6.8%
$200k or more0.4%

Income as declared to the IRS

Filed returns rather than survey responses, so this counts tax units and not households.

Tax returns filed950
Mean adjusted gross income$53,245
Returns declaring $200,000 or more0%
Returns, under $25k33.7%
Returns, $25k–$50k27.4%
Returns, $50k–$75k17.9%
Returns, $75k–$100k8.4%
Returns, $100k–$200k12.6%
Returns, $200k or more0.0%
Housing

American Community Survey 2019–2023 five-year estimates

Median home value$67,800
Median gross rent$374
Rent as a share of household income11%
Owner-occupied41.4%
Vacant homes10.8%
Median year built1983

What the homes are

Detached house91.5%
Attached house2.3%
Mobile home6.2%
Work, commuting and education

American Community Survey 2019–2023 five-year estimates

Unemployment rate11.2%
Bachelor's degree or higher16.6%
High school diploma or higher84.4%
Works from home7.3%
Drives to work alone62.9%
Takes public transport1.2%
Commutes 45 minutes or more2.2%
Health

CDC PLACES 2025 release, model-based estimates. These are modelled small-area estimates for adults, not counts of diagnosed cases.

Obesity45.2% 11.8 pts above the national average of 33.4%
Diagnosed diabetes15.9% 3.9 pts above the national average of 12%
Currently smokes28.6% 15.4 pts above the national average of 13.2%
High blood pressure36% 1.9 pts above the national average of 34.1%
Fair or poor general health33.1% 12.8 pts above the national average of 20.3%
No health insurance (18–64)15.1% 3.8 pts above the national average of 11.3%
Depression27.6% 5.7 pts above the national average of 21.9%
No leisure-time physical activity31.9% 6.5 pts above the national average of 25.4%
Arthritis26.4% 1.3 pts above the national average of 25.1%
Binge drinking20% 4 pts above the national average of 16%
Taking blood pressure medication67.3% 7.4 pts below the national average of 74.7%
Cancer (non-skin)5.1% 2.6 pts below the national average of 7.7%
Current asthma15.8% 5.4 pts above the national average of 10.4%
Coronary heart disease7.4% 1.2 pts above the national average of 6.2%
Routine check-up in past year69.1% 7.6 pts below the national average of 76.7%
Cholesterol screening72.8% 13.1 pts below the national average of 85.9%
Cognitive disability24.3% 9.5 pts above the national average of 14.8%
Colorectal screening49.4% 14.9 pts below the national average of 64.3%
COPD9.6% 3 pts above the national average of 6.6%
Visited a dentist45.1% 16.2 pts below the national average of 61.3%
Any disability44.5% 13.8 pts above the national average of 30.7%
Lacks emotional support32.9% 8.1 pts above the national average of 24.8%
Food insecurity38.9% 21.8 pts above the national average of 17.1%
Received food stamps30.8% 16.5 pts above the national average of 14.3%
Hearing disability10.8% 4.1 pts above the national average of 6.7%
High cholesterol29.6% 6.6 pts below the national average of 36.2%
Housing insecurity27.2% 13.4 pts above the national average of 13.8%
Independent living disability15.4% 7 pts above the national average of 8.4%
Lacks transport24.1% 14.9 pts above the national average of 9.2%
Loneliness41.5% 7.1 pts above the national average of 34.4%
Mammography use59.9% 16 pts below the national average of 75.9%
Poor mental health (14+ days)26.2% 9.4 pts above the national average of 16.8%
Mobility disability20.1% 6.1 pts above the national average of 14%
Poor physical health (14+ days)21.2% 7.7 pts above the national average of 13.5%
Self-care disability6.6% 2.6 pts above the national average of 4%
Utility shut-off threat21.6% 12.8 pts above the national average of 8.8%
Sleeps under 7 hours43.3% 6.9 pts above the national average of 36.4%
Stroke4.8% 1.4 pts above the national average of 3.4%
All natural teeth lost28.9% 15.9 pts above the national average of 13%
Vision disability11.3% 5.7 pts above the national average of 5.6%
Business and employment

Census ZIP Code Business Patterns 2022

Business establishments18
People employed512
Annual payroll$29,132,000
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Natural hazard risk

FEMA National Risk Index, estimated for this ZIP code from census tract data — the NRI is not published per ZIP.

Overall riskHigher than 84.7% of US census tracts
FEMA ratingRelatively Moderate to Very High across the 3 census tracts this ZIP code covers
Expected annual loss71.8 out of 100
Community resilience28.1 out of 100

By hazard

Score is out of 100 and is the area-weighted average across the census tracts this ZIP code covers. The rating beside it is the highest any one of those tracts carries.

Cold wave99.7Very High at its worst in this ZIP code
Winter weather99.1Very High at its worst in this ZIP code
Lightning91.6Very High at its worst in this ZIP code
Drought89.4Relatively Moderate at its worst in this ZIP code
Wildfire87.5Relatively High at its worst in this ZIP code
Landslide77.7Relatively Low at its worst in this ZIP code
River flooding67.8Very High at its worst in this ZIP code
Hail66.7Relatively Moderate at its worst in this ZIP code
Strong wind59.4Relatively Moderate at its worst in this ZIP code
Tornado29Relatively Moderate at its worst in this ZIP code
Earthquake27.8Relatively Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Heat wave26.6Relatively Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Avalanche25.2Relatively Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Ice storm23.8Relatively Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Compared with Montana and the United States

State and national columns are figures for those areas, not for this ZIP code. American Community Survey 2019–2023 five-year estimates

This ZIPMontanaUnited States
Median household income$45,345$69,922$78,538
Income per person$18,261$39,842$43,289
Poverty rate34.2%12%12.4%
Median home value$67,800$338,100$303,400
Median gross rent$374$1,031$1,348
Homeownership41.4%69.4%65%
Bachelor's degree or higher16.6%34.5%35%
Unemployment rate11.2%3.8%5.2%
Works from home7.3%11.6%13.5%
Born outside the US0%2.3%13.9%
Median age30.440.238.7
Climate

NOAA US Climate Normals 1991-2020, from the nearest weather station with a full year of records. The station and its distance are named above, because a station forty kilometres away describes somewhere else.

Weather stationFT ASSINIBOINE, MT US23.9 km away
Rain in a year13 in
Snow in a year35 in

Average high and low by month

January28.2°F / 7.3°F0.42 in rain, 6.4 in snow
February32.7°F / 10.2°F0.34 in rain, 7.3 in snow
March44°F / 19.4°F0.47 in rain, 4 in snow
April57°F / 30.5°F1.18 in rain, 2.7 in snow
May67°F / 40.2°F2.12 in rain, 0.7 in snow
June75°F / 48.5°F2.93 in rain
July85.3°F / 53.7°F1.67 in rain
August84.4°F / 52.1°F0.96 in rain
September73.1°F / 42.7°F1.18 in rain
October57.7°F / 30.7°F0.89 in rain, 1.9 in snow
November42.2°F / 19.9°F0.62 in rain, 5.2 in snow
December31.6°F / 10.6°F0.36 in rain, 6.4 in snow
Access to food

USDA Food Access Research Atlas, estimated for this ZIP code from census tract data. Each figure is the share of the ZIP code's land area that falls in a tract carrying that flag.

Low income and far from a supermarket59% of this ZIP code's area
Far from a supermarketNone of this ZIP code
No vehicle and far from a supermarketNone of this ZIP code
School districts

NCES Geographic Relationship File 2025, which states the association between each district and each ZIP code tabulation area directly. Elementary and secondary districts can cover the same ground, so shares need not total 100%.

This ZIP code is served by 6 school districts, so the address decides which one, not the ZIP code.

Rocky Boy High School District24.3% of this ZIP code's land area
Rocky Boy Elementary School District23.7% of this ZIP code's land area
Box Elder Elementary School District20.6% of this ZIP code's land area
Box Elder High School District20.6% of this ZIP code's land area
North Star Elementary School District4.8% of this ZIP code's land area
North Star High School District4.8% of this ZIP code's land area
Community and walkability

CDC/ATSDR Social Vulnerability Index 2022 and the EPA National Walkability Index, both estimated for this ZIP code from census tract data. Vulnerability figures are national percentile ranks, not measurements.

Overall social vulnerability61more vulnerable than 61% of US census tracts
Socioeconomic status57more vulnerable than 57% of US census tracts
Household characteristics54more vulnerable than 54% of US census tracts
Racial and ethnic minority status53more vulnerable than 53% of US census tracts
Housing type and transport65more vulnerable than 65% of US census tracts
Walkability5.3 out of 20Least walkable
Nearby ZIP codes

The closest ZIP codes by centre point, which is not the same as sharing a border.

59520 Big Sandy, MT24.2 km away
59501 Havre, MT31.8 km away
59532 Kremlin, MT35.1 km away
59525 Gildford, MT48.4 km away
59535 Lloyd, MT54.3 km away
59523 Chinook, MT55 km away
59528 Hingham, MT56 km away
Location, counties and time zone

County shares from Census 2020 ZCTA relationship files. Time zone from the USDOT National Transportation Atlas, which renders the boundaries written into 49 CFR Part 71.

Hill County81.6% of this ZIP code's land area
Chouteau County18.4% of this ZIP code's land area
Time zoneMountain (UTC-07:00 standard)
Daylight saving timeObserved
Land area283.64 sq mi
Water area0.3 sq mi
Population density13 people per sq mi
Latitude, longitude48.2841, -109.8205

Figures are published for this ZIP code or its Census tabulation area unless a section says otherwise. Estimates whose margin of error made them unreliable are omitted rather than shown. Sources: US Census Bureau, CDC, IRS.

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