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Compare towns

Mapleton vs Odebolt

29 miles apart. The biggest differences: trails (7× in Mapleton) and work in town (+10.9 pts in Mapleton).

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Mapleton, IAHomes around $175KIowa · 989 people
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Odebolt, IAKnown for its schoolsIowa · 945 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.

MapletonHomes around $175K
Housing$175K typical home27% below the IA typical home All about Mapleton →
OdeboltKnown for its schools
SchoolsBetter than 83%of IA districts Housing$156K typical home35% below the IA typical home All about Odebolt →
The biggest differences

Where they differ most

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

Trails7×
Mapleton has more miles of trail
Mapleton 0.7 miOdebolt 0.1 mi
Work in town+10.9 pts
More of Mapleton’s workers stay in town
Mapleton 19%Odebolt 8.1%
Average commute5 min
Odebolt has the shorter commute
Mapleton 23 minOdebolt 18 min
★ What stands out · 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
B−MapletonBetter than 48% of districts in the state A−OdeboltBetter than 83% of districts in the state
Monthly cost

A typical home costs about the same each month

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.

Mapleton$1,090/mo
Typical home $175K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.16% · or rent about $846/mo · Housing →
Odebolt$1,000/mo
Typical home $156K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.41% · or rent about $660/mo · Housing →

The difference: $90 a month, about $1,100 a year, between Mapleton and Odebolt.

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.

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
MapletonOdebolt
Snow a year31″31″
January low9°F8°F
July high84°F83°F
Growing season (days)151d158d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)65th46th
Outdoors & history
MapletonOdebolt
Settled—1877
National Register places1—
Archive photos—1
Famous people born here53
Community
MapletonOdebolt
Library hours a week43 hrs29 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

29 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

MapletonOdeboltMapletonOdebolt
Mapleton ↔ Odebolt29 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.

MapletonOdebolt
People
Population 989Highest 945Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -4.8%Lowest IA: +4.7% -1.9%Highest IA: +4.7%
Median age 53.1±7.7Highest 38% above IA 49.7±12.9Lowest 29% above IA
Mapleton and Odebolt are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 15.8%±3.4Lowest IA: 22.9% 21.6%±5.2Highest IA: 22.9%
Odebolt and Mapleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 29.1%±5.6Highest IA: 18.1% 22.5%±4.3Lowest IA: 18.1%
Mapleton and Odebolt are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 21.3%Highest IA: 31.4% 17.6%Lowest IA: 31.4%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 2.3%±1.3Highest IA: 6.2% 0.4%±0.6Lowest IA: 6.2%
Mapleton and Odebolt are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $55,208±$12kLowest 26% below IA $65,417±$17kHighest 13% below IA
Odebolt and Mapleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $113,000±$31kHighest 46% below IA $98,800±$23kLowest 53% below IA
Mapleton and Odebolt are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $846±$69Highest 13% below IA $660±$236Lowest 32% below IA
Mapleton and Odebolt are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $1,313Lowest 55% below IA $1,392Highest 52% below IA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 59.6%±15.7Highest IA: 43.9% 35.4%±25.7Lowest IA: 43.9%
Mapleton and Odebolt are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 8.4%Highest IA: 11.1% 6.6%Lowest IA: 11.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 74%Lowest IA: 71.7% 77.5%Highest IA: 71.7%
Typical home builtmedian year 1958Lowest 14 yrs older than IA 1960Highest 12 yrs older than IA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 23 minHighest 18% above IA 18 minLowest 9% below IA
Work from home 7.3%±3.6Highest IA: 11.3% 2.3%±2.5Lowest IA: 11.3%
Mapleton and Odebolt are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 19%Highest 8.1%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 35.3 miHighest 21.3 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.86Highest 0.59Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Sioux City (12%)Wall Lake (9%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in OdeboltFew work in Mapleton
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 0% 0%
Trailsmapped miles 0.7 miHighest 0.1 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.4 miHighest 0.1 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 0 0
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 63.5Lowest 79.1Highest
Schools
School district Maple Valley-Anthon Oto Comm School DistrictOdebolt Arthur Battle Creek Ida Grove Comm School District
High school in town Maple Valley-Anthon Oto High SchoolNone in town
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.

Mapleton neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Mapleton’s Town Square.

Odebolt neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Odebolt’s Town Square.

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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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