Shelby, MT
Toole County · Montana · United States
Home to 3,391 people across 553.082 square miles.
At a glance
59474 by the numbers
Every figure below comes from the 2019–2023 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, the Census Gazetteer, or is computed from those. Margins of error are shown where they matter.
Location
Where 59474 is
| Coordinates | 48.529477, -111.690738 |
|---|---|
| Time zone | America/Denver |
| County | Toole County |
| State | Montana (MT) |
| Land area | 553.082 mi² |
| Coordinate source | Census ZCTA internal point |
Local time
America/Denver
Current weather
Live from the National Weather Service
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Distance to major cities
Straight-line, computed from coordinates
| Seattle, WA | 495.0 mi |
|---|---|
| Denver, CO | 691.7 mi |
| San Francisco, CA | 917.1 mi |
| Phoenix, AZ | 1042.2 mi |
People
Who lives in 59474
3,391 residents in 1,301 households, averaging 2.61 people per household. The largest age group is 65+ at 19.4% of residents.
Age distribution
Share of residents by age band
Households
Composition and size
| Total households | 1,301 |
|---|---|
| Average household size | 2.61 |
| Family households | 55.7% |
| Living alone | 37.8% |
| Median age | 44.1 years |
| Households with internet | 88.5% |
Race & ethnicity
Census race categories. Hispanic or Latino origin is asked separately and overlaps these groups.
Income & work
What people earn in 59474
The median household here earns $54,004 a year, below the US median of $70,109, which puts 59474 ahead of 22% of American ZIP codes. 10.8% of residents live below the poverty line.
Compared to the US
This ZIP against the national median
| Median household income | $54,004 ±$4,155 |
|---|---|
| Per capita income | $31,674 |
| Poverty rate | 10.8% |
| Unemployment rate | 2.0% |
| Labor force participation | 48.2% |
Household income distribution
Share of households in each bracket
Educational attainment among residents 25 and older: 22.1% hold a bachelor's degree or higher, 87.4% finished high school.
Housing
Homes and rent in 59474
A typical home is valued at $203,600, and median rent runs $770 a month. This is an owner-majority area — 66.8% of occupied homes are owned, and the typical building went up in 1969.
Costs
Typical values
| Median home value | $203,600 |
|---|---|
| Median gross rent | $770/mo |
| Median year built | 1969 |
| Housing units | 1,580 |
| Vacancy rate | 17.7% |
Own vs. rent
Of 1,301 occupied units
| Owner households | 869 |
|---|---|
| Renter households | 432 |
Building types
Units by structure size
Getting to work
How 59474 commutes
82.1% of workers drove alone, and the average one-way trip takes 15.0 minutes.
Mode of transport
Workers 16 and older
Travel time
Mean commute 15.0 minutes
Overview
Understanding ZIP code 59474
ZIP code 59474 is assigned to Shelby, MT, and falls within Toole County. Like every US postal code, it began as a mail-routing device rather than a geographic boundary — the US Postal Service groups delivery routes under a single code so carriers and sorting equipment can process mail efficiently. Today it also serves as a practical shorthand for the area itself: roughly 3,391 people live inside it.
At 6 residents per square mile spread over 553.082 square miles, 59474 reads as a rural area. It is a smaller postal code by population, and density shapes almost everything else on this page — how people get to work, whether they own or rent, and what housing costs.
Household earnings run below the national median. At $54,004, 59474 sits in the lower half, ahead of 22% of them. The US median for comparison is $70,109. Bear in mind that median income describes the midpoint household, not the average — it is not pulled upward by a handful of very high earners the way a mean would be.
Living here
What life in Shelby looks like
Housing in 59474 costs close to the national median. A typical home is valued at $203,600 against a US median of $207,500, and median gross rent runs $770 a month. The split between owning and renting is fairly even at 66.8% owner-occupied, which tends to indicate a mix of housing types rather than one dominant form.
The building stock is dominated by detached single-family houses, which account for 70.1% of housing units here. The median construction year is 1969, making the housing here mid-century.
The population skews broadly in line with the national age profile, with a median age of 44.1 against 42 nationally. The average household holds 2.61 people, and 55.7% are family households.
Getting to work takes 15.0 minutes on average one way. The dominant mode is drove alone at 82.1% of workers.
Where to stay
Where to stay in Shelby, MT
59474 covers a rural area, and accommodation within the postal code itself is likely to be sparse — perhaps a country inn, a lodge or a vacation rental rather than a conventional hotel. Widening the search radius is usually the practical approach, and it also opens up more availability at short notice.
Local costs are modest — median rent here is $770 a month — and accommodation prices in the area tend to be correspondingly reasonable. For reference, Seattle, WA is about 495.0 miles away in a straight line, which is worth factoring in if you are comparing a stay here against one closer to the city centre.
Availability and pricing change constantly, so the live search below will give you a more accurate picture than any figure we could publish here. It opens results for this area on Booking.com.
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Practical uses
What ZIP code 59474 is used for
Beyond addressing mail, 59474 does a lot of quiet administrative work. Retailers use it to calculate shipping and sales tax at checkout. Insurers use it to set premiums, since risk profiles vary geographically. Employers and marketers use it to define service areas. Government agencies use it to route benefits and organise reporting. If you have ever been asked for a postal code by a form that clearly does not intend to send you anything, this is why.
For anyone weighing a move, 59474 offers a compact profile of Shelby: 3,391 residents, a median household income of $54,004, 22.1% of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher, and an unemployment rate of 2.0%. A handful of figures like these answer more relocation questions than most neighbourhood guides do.
One caution worth repeating: a postal code is not a neighbourhood. 59474 may cover parts of several distinct areas, and a single neighbourhood in Shelby may be split across more than one code. Boundaries also shift as USPS adjusts delivery routes. Treat the figures here as describing a delivery area, which is what they actually measure.
Nearby
ZIP codes near 59474
The eight closest postal codes by centroid distance, each with its own full profile. You can also browse every Montana ZIP code or use the ZIP Express Lookup to search by city, county or time zone.
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Questions
Common questions about 59474
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Methodology
Where this data comes from
- Postal geography — GeoNames open postal code database (CC BY 4.0), cross-checked against the US Census Gazetteer.
- Demographics, income, housing, commute — US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2019–2023 5-Year Estimates, ZIP Code Tabulation Area 59474. Tables B01001, B01002, B01003, B02001, B03003, B08301, B08303, B11001, B15003, B17001, B19001, B19013, B19301, B23025, B25002, B25003, B25024, B25035, B25064, B25077, B28002.
- Land and water area — US Census Bureau 2023 Gazetteer Files.
- Weather — NOAA National Weather Service, fetched live in your browser.
- Map — OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).