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Compare towns

Mapleton vs Tabor

88 miles apart. The biggest differences: rent (2.9× in Mapleton) and home values (+81% in Tabor).

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Mapleton, IAHomes around $175KIowa · 989 people
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Tabor, IAA history townIowa · 877 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 →
TaborA history town
HistorySettled in 18524 places on the National Register All about Tabor →
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.

Rent2.9×
Rent runs higher in Mapleton
Mapleton $846Tabor $289
Home values+81%
Homes cost more in Tabor
Tabor $204,200Mapleton $113,000
Property tax bill+83%
Tax bills are bigger in Tabor
Tabor $2,400Mapleton $1,313
Trails3.5×
Mapleton has more miles of trail
Mapleton 0.7 miTabor 0.2 mi
Street grid2×
Mapleton has the more walkable street grid
Mapleton 63.5Tabor 31.0
Jobs per worker2.2×
Mapleton is more of a job hub
Mapleton 0.86Tabor 0.40
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $350 more a month in Tabor

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 →
Tabor$1,440/mo
Typical home $231K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.18% · or rent about $289/mo · Housing →

The difference: $350 a month, about $4,200 a year, between Tabor 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
B−MapletonBetter than 48% of districts in the state –TaborNot graded
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
MapletonTabor
Snow a year31″24″
January low9°F—
July high84°F—
Growing season (days)151d—
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)65th41st
Outdoors & history
MapletonTabor
Trails—0 mi
Conserved land—0%
Settled—1852
National Register places14
Famous people born here5—
Community
MapletonTabor
Library hours a week43 hrs31 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

88 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

MapletonIATaborIA
Mapleton ↔ Tabor88 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.

MapletonTabor
People
Population 989Highest 877Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -4.8%Lowest IA: +4.7% -2.5%Highest IA: +4.7%
Median age 53.1±7.7Lowest 38% above IA 57.2±5.1Highest 48% above IA
Tabor and Mapleton 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% 19.7%±4.4Highest IA: 22.9%
Tabor and Mapleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 29.1%±5.6Lowest IA: 18.1% 30%±6Highest IA: 18.1%
Tabor and Mapleton 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%±1.3Lowest IA: 6.2% 2.4%±1.9Highest IA: 6.2%
Tabor and Mapleton 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 $58,750±$20kHighest 22% below IA
Tabor 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±$31kLowest 46% below IA $204,200±$18kHighest about the IA average
Rentmedian gross, monthly $846±$69Highest 13% below IA $289±$175Lowest 70% below IA
Property taxmedian, yearly $1,313Lowest 55% below IA $2,400Highest 17% below IA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 59.6%±15.7Highest IA: 43.9% 14.4%±13Lowest IA: 43.9%
Below poverty line 8.4%Lowest IA: 11.1% 14.5%Highest IA: 11.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 74%Highest IA: 71.7% 73.7%Lowest IA: 71.7%
Typical home builtmedian year 1958 14 yrs older than IA 1958 14 yrs older than IA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 23 minLowest 18% above IA 25 minHighest 25% above IA
Work from home 7.3%±3.6Lowest IA: 11.3% 7.6%±3.9Highest IA: 11.3%
Tabor and Mapleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 19%Highest 4.7%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 35.3 miHighest 25.8 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.86Highest 0.40Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Sioux City (12%)Omaha (14%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in TaborFew work in Mapleton
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 0% 0%
Trailsmapped miles 0.7 miHighest 0.2 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.4 miHighest 0.2 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 0Lowest 1Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 63.5Highest 31.0Lowest
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.

Mapleton neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Mapleton’s Town Square.

Tabor neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Tabor’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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