Postal Codes

59538 ZIP Code

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ZIP code 59538 covers Malta, Montana, with a population of about 2,842 and a median household income of $65,833.

Population
2,8421 per square mile
Median age
445.3 points above the US average
Median household income
$65,8336% below the Montana median
Poverty rate
8.2%4.2 points below the US average
Typical home value
$243,058up 31.3% in five years
Median rent
$67734% below the Montana median
Degree or higher
21.9%13.1 points below the US average
Homeownership
72.8%7.8 points above the US average
Time zone
Mountain UTC-07:00observes daylight saving time
Businesses
118

Where 59538 is

Malta, 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

Population2,842
Median age44
Family households73%
Born outside the US1.8%
Speaks a language other than English at home0.8%
White (non-Hispanic)85.9%
Black (non-Hispanic)0.6%
Asian (non-Hispanic)0%
Hispanic or Latino1.8%
Veterans9.3%
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$65,833
Income per person$36,963
Poverty rate8.2%
Households on SNAP or cash assistance10%

Household income distribution

Under $10k2.7%
$10–15k1.5%
$15–20k8.1%
$20–25k5.1%
$25–30k9.3%
$30–35k2.8%
$35–40k2.1%
$40–45k1.2%
$45–50k7.7%
$50–60k4.6%
$60–75k11.0%
$75–100k10.0%
$100–125k14.4%
$125–150k8.1%
$150–200k5.6%
$200k or more5.5%

Income as declared to the IRS

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

Tax returns filed1,340
Mean adjusted gross income$62,285
Returns declaring $200,000 or more3.7%
Returns, under $25k32.1%
Returns, $25k–$50k23.1%
Returns, $50k–$75k16.4%
Returns, $75k–$100k11.2%
Returns, $100k–$200k13.4%
Returns, $200k or more3.7%
Housing

American Community Survey 2019–2023 five-year estimates

Median home value$174,500
Median gross rent$677
Rent as a share of household income31.7%
Owner-occupied72.8%
Vacant homes14.5%
Median year built1967

What the homes are

Detached house72%
Attached house4.6%
2 to 4 units2.3%
5 to 19 units3.7%
Mobile home17.5%
Home values and rents today

Zillow Home Value Index and Zillow Observed Rent Index, courtesy of Zillow. Monthly and current, where the Census figures above are a five-year average and are capped at $2,000,000.

Typical home value$243,058as of 2026-07
Typical home value, 1 yearup 3.7%
Typical home value, 5 yearsup 31.3%
Typical home value, 10 yearsup 119.4%
Typical home value since 2000
201620212026$243,058$110,782

$110,782 in 2016 to $243,058 in 2026.

Work, commuting and education

American Community Survey 2019–2023 five-year estimates

Unemployment rate0.3%
Bachelor's degree or higher21.9%
High school diploma or higher96%
Works from home9.5%
Drives to work alone69%
Takes public transport0.2%
Commutes 45 minutes or more5.2%
Health

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

Obesity38.7% 5.3 pts above the national average of 33.4%
Diagnosed diabetes11.4% 0.6 pts below the national average of 12%
Currently smokes15.1% 1.9 pts above the national average of 13.2%
High blood pressure34.8% 0.7 pts above the national average of 34.1%
Fair or poor general health19.8% 0.5 pts below the national average of 20.3%
No health insurance (18–64)9.2% 2.1 pts below the national average of 11.3%
Depression24.4% 2.5 pts above the national average of 21.9%
No leisure-time physical activity24.5% 0.9 pts below the national average of 25.4%
Arthritis31.1% 6 pts above the national average of 25.1%
Binge drinking19.3% 3.3 pts above the national average of 16%
Taking blood pressure medication76.7% 2 pts above the national average of 74.7%
Cancer (non-skin)10.4% 2.7 pts above the national average of 7.7%
Current asthma11.3% 0.9 pts above the national average of 10.4%
Coronary heart disease7.9% 1.7 pts above the national average of 6.2%
Routine check-up in past year73% 3.7 pts below the national average of 76.7%
Cholesterol screening83.5% 2.4 pts below the national average of 85.9%
Cognitive disability14.9% same as the national average of 14.8%
Colorectal screening64.7% same as the national average of 64.3%
COPD8.5% 1.9 pts above the national average of 6.6%
Visited a dentist60.3% 1 pts below the national average of 61.3%
Any disability32.2% 1.5 pts above the national average of 30.7%
Lacks emotional support21.2% 3.6 pts below the national average of 24.8%
Food insecurity12% 5.1 pts below the national average of 17.1%
Received food stamps9.1% 5.2 pts below the national average of 14.3%
Hearing disability9.8% 3.1 pts above the national average of 6.7%
High cholesterol35.4% 0.8 pts below the national average of 36.2%
Housing insecurity9.5% 4.3 pts below the national average of 13.8%
Independent living disability8.9% 0.5 pts above the national average of 8.4%
Lacks transport7.6% 1.6 pts below the national average of 9.2%
Loneliness29.5% 4.9 pts below the national average of 34.4%
Mammography use71.1% 4.8 pts below the national average of 75.9%
Poor mental health (14+ days)17.4% 0.6 pts above the national average of 16.8%
Mobility disability15.1% 1.1 pts above the national average of 14%
Poor physical health (14+ days)15.3% 1.8 pts above the national average of 13.5%
Self-care disability4.2% same as the national average of 4%
Utility shut-off threat6.8% 2 pts below the national average of 8.8%
Sleeps under 7 hours34.7% 1.7 pts below the national average of 36.4%
Stroke4.2% 0.8 pts above the national average of 3.4%
All natural teeth lost10.4% 2.6 pts below the national average of 13%
Vision disability5.1% 0.5 pts below the national average of 5.6%
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Business and employment

Census ZIP Code Business Patterns 2022

Business establishments118
People employed792
Annual payroll$28,537,000
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 99.3% of US census tracts
FEMA ratingVery High
Expected annual loss98.5 out of 100
Community resilience14.8 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 wave100Very High at its worst in this ZIP code
Lightning99.9Very High at its worst in this ZIP code
Winter weather99.8Very High at its worst in this ZIP code
River flooding99.6Very High at its worst in this ZIP code
Wildfire95.7Relatively Moderate at its worst in this ZIP code
Landslide91.8Relatively Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Hail90.7Relatively High at its worst in this ZIP code
Drought90.2Relatively Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Strong wind83.3Relatively High at its worst in this ZIP code
Heat wave67.3Relatively Moderate at its worst in this ZIP code
Ice storm42.5Relatively Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Tornado42Relatively Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Earthquake36.6Very Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Avalanche1.4Very 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$65,833$69,922$78,538
Income per person$36,963$39,842$43,289
Poverty rate8.2%12%12.4%
Median home value$174,500$338,100$303,400
Median gross rent$677$1,031$1,348
Homeownership72.8%69.4%65%
Bachelor's degree or higher21.9%34.5%35%
Unemployment rate0.3%3.8%5.2%
Works from home9.5%11.6%13.5%
Born outside the US1.8%2.3%13.9%
Median age4440.238.7
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 stationMALTA, MT US2.5 km away
Rain in a year13 in

Average high and low by month

January28.6°F / 6.6°F0.36 in rain
February32.4°F / 10.6°F0.37 in rain
March45°F / 21°F0.51 in rain
April59°F / 32.8°F1.27 in rain
May68.8°F / 42.4°F1.72 in rain
June76.9°F / 51.8°F2.68 in rain
July86.3°F / 57.4°F1.58 in rain
August85.6°F / 55.7°F1.27 in rain
September74.4°F / 45.5°F1.41 in rain
October59.4°F / 33.2°F1.03 in rain
November43.3°F / 20.4°F0.69 in rain
December31.3°F / 10.2°F0.46 in rain
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 supermarketNone of this ZIP code
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 5 school districts, so the address decides which one, not the ZIP code.

Malta K-12 Schools85.3% of this ZIP code's land area
Saco Elementary School District5.3% of this ZIP code's land area
Saco High School District5.3% of this ZIP code's land area
Dodson K-122.3% of this ZIP code's land area
Whitewater K-12 Schools1.8% 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 vulnerability51more vulnerable than 51% of US census tracts
Socioeconomic status40more vulnerable than 40% of US census tracts
Household characteristics52more vulnerable than 52% of US census tracts
Racial and ethnic minority status29more vulnerable than 29% of US census tracts
Housing type and transport71more vulnerable than 71% of US census tracts
Walkability7.4 out of 20Below average
Nearby ZIP codes

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

59524 Dodson, MT30.1 km away
59261 Saco, MT42.6 km away
59544 Whitewater, MT46.1 km away
59537 Loring, MT47.8 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.

Phillips County100% of this ZIP code's land area
Time zoneMountain (UTC-07:00 standard)
Daylight saving timeObserved
Land area2491.76 sq mi
Water area54.1 sq mi
Population density1 people per sq mi
Latitude, longitude48.3692, -107.8408

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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