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Compare towns

Elgin vs Mapleton

218 miles apart. The biggest differences: jobs per worker (2.9× in Mapleton) and work in town (+16.1 pts in Mapleton).

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Elgin, IAHomes around $285KIowa · 735 people
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Mapleton, IAHomes around $175KIowa · 989 people
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Where each one shines

Two towns, two different strengths

What each town does better than most of its state (not better than each other). Tap one to see the page behind it.

ElginHomes around $285K
Housing$285K typical home19% above the IA typical home All about Elgin →
MapletonHomes around $175K
Housing$175K typical home27% below the IA typical home All about Mapleton →
The biggest differences

Where they part ways

The rows below where the towns are furthest apart, beyond the Census margin of error. The full table is further down.

Jobs per worker2.9×
Mapleton is more of a job hub
Mapleton 0.86Elgin 0.30
Work in town+16.1 pts
More of Mapleton’s workers stay in town
Mapleton 19%Elgin 2.9%
Property tax bill+26%
Tax bills are bigger in Elgin
Elgin $1,651Mapleton $1,313
Average commute6 min
Elgin has the shorter commute
Mapleton 23 minElgin 18 min
Growth since 2010+5.1 pts
Elgin has grown faster since 2010
Elgin +0.3%Mapleton -4.8%
Typical home built15 yrs
Mapleton’s homes are older
Elgin 1973Mapleton 1958
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $800 more a month in Elgin

A typical home in each town, bought with 20% down at 6.3% for 30 years, plus property tax at the town’s own rate and insurance. Change the numbers to fit you.

Elgin$1,890/mo
Typical home $285K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.67% · or rent about $538/mo · Housing →
Mapleton$1,090/mo
Typical home $175K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.16% · or rent about $846/mo · Housing →

The difference: $800 a month, about $9,600 a year, between Elgin and Mapleton.

Estimates, not a quote: your price, rate, tax bill and insurance will differ. Tax rate = the Census median tax bill over the median home value.

Report cards

Grades and rankings, side by side

Our letter grades for safety, schools and health, then every Iowa ranking list both towns are on. A grade is one measure; read the page behind it.

Schools
–ElginNot graded B−MapletonBetter than 48% of districts in the state
Life in each

What daily life feels like in each

The weather, the land, the history and the people, row by row. None of it is a grade: more snow is a plus to a skier.

Seasons
ElginMapleton
Snow a year41″31″
January low6°F9°F
July high82°F84°F
Growing season (days)151d151d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)85th65th
Outdoors & history
ElginMapleton
National Register places11
Archive photos2—
Famous people born here—5
Community
ElginMapleton
Library hours a week27 hrs43 hrs
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined00

A dot marks the most on each row. Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 normals at the nearest station. Hazard risk: FEMA National Risk Index, expected yearly damage vs U.S. towns.

Where they are

218 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

ElginIAMapletonIA
Elgin ↔ Mapleton218 miles apart
Everything, side by side

What matters to you?

Pick a few. Those rows jump to the top and the best fit on each is marked. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

ElginMapleton
People
Population 735Lowest 989Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +0.3%Highest IA: +4.7% -4.8%Lowest IA: +4.7%
Median age 51.9±10.7Lowest 34% above IA 53.1±7.7Highest 38% above IA
Mapleton and Elgin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 18.2%±4.1Highest IA: 22.9% 15.8%±3.4Lowest IA: 22.9%
Elgin and Mapleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 31.6%±7.5Highest IA: 18.1% 29.1%±5.6Lowest IA: 18.1%
Elgin and Mapleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 19.6%Lowest IA: 31.4% 21.3%Highest IA: 31.4%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 0.4%±1.5Lowest IA: 6.2% 2.3%±1.3Highest IA: 6.2%
Mapleton and Elgin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $54,688±$12kLowest 27% below IA $55,208±$12kHighest 26% below IA
Mapleton and Elgin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $98,800±$22kLowest 53% below IA $113,000±$31kHighest 46% below IA
Mapleton and Elgin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $538±$312Lowest 45% below IA $846±$69Highest 13% below IA
Mapleton and Elgin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $1,651Highest 43% below IA $1,313Lowest 55% below IA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 13.6%±31.5Lowest IA: 43.9% 59.6%±15.7Highest IA: 43.9%
Mapleton and Elgin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 3.7%Lowest IA: 11.1% 8.4%Highest IA: 11.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 82.5%Highest IA: 71.7% 74%Lowest IA: 71.7%
Typical home builtmedian year 1973Highest 1 yr newer than IA 1958Lowest 14 yrs older than IA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 18 minLowest 11% below IA 23 minHighest 18% above IA
Work from home 14.9%±6.5Highest IA: 11.3% 7.3%±3.6Lowest IA: 11.3%
Elgin and Mapleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 2.9%Lowest 19%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 22.3 miLowest 35.3 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.30Lowest 0.86Highest
Top workplaceoutside town West Union (19%)Sioux City (12%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in MapletonFew work in Elgin
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 0% 0%
Trailsmapped miles 0.0 miLowest 0.7 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.0 miLowest 0.4 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 0 0
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 85.8Highest 63.5Lowest
Schools
School district —Maple Valley-Anthon Oto Comm School District
High school in town —Maple Valley-Anthon Oto High School
Students per teacherat that high school — 11.4
Iowa average“±” Census margin of errorACS 2020–2024
Deciding?

Ask the people who live there

The numbers stop at the town line. Neighbors can tell you about the commute at 7am, the schools, the winters and the feel of the place.

Elgin neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Elgin’s Town Square.

Mapleton neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Mapleton’s Town Square.

Add a town

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Towns like Elgin

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Sioux Rapids722 people · $89K homes
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Sutherland629 people · $101K homes
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Armstrong703 people · $91K homes
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Griswold975 people · $99K homes

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2010 & 2020 censuses, LEHD commute flows; Zillow Home Value Index; NCES Common Core of Data; FBI crime reporting; CDC PLACES; FEMA National Risk Index; NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020; USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. “±” is the Census margin of error; differences inside it are never called. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. There is no overall score: which town is better depends on what matters to you.

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