Compare towns
Mapleton vs Strafford vs Epping vs Pittston
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against the U.S..
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Mapleton has the most affordable homes ($192k median).
Strafford has the highest household income ($122k).
Epping has the most people working from home (24%).
Pittston has the shortest commute (26 min average).
What matters to you?
Pick a few. We’ll pull those rows to the top and mark which town comes out ahead on each. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.
| Measure | Mapleton | Strafford | Epping | Pittston |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | ||||
| People | ||||
| Population | 1,884Lowest |
4,306 |
7,430Highest |
3,093 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -3.2%Lowest U.S.: +7.4% |
+6% U.S.: +7.4% |
+11.1%Highest U.S.: +7.4% |
+7.8% U.S.: +7.4% |
| Median age | 41.8±6 7% above U.S. |
46.3±2.1Highest 19% above U.S. |
45.1±3.5 16% above U.S. |
41.4±5.9Lowest 6% above U.S. |
| Strafford and Epping are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Kids under 18 | 22.2%±5.1Highest U.S.: 22% |
17.6%±3.5 U.S.: 22% |
18.7%±4.8 U.S.: 22% |
17.2%±7.4Lowest U.S.: 22% |
| Mapleton and Epping are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Age 65+ | 18.3%±3.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2% |
19.4%±4.1 U.S.: 17.2% |
22.6%±5.2Highest U.S.: 17.2% |
18.5%±6.1 U.S.: 17.2% |
| Epping and Strafford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 34.3% U.S.: 35.7% |
40.2%Highest U.S.: 35.7% |
37% U.S.: 35.7% |
26.7%Lowest U.S.: 35.7% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 5%±2.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4% |
5.4%±2.6Highest U.S.: 6.4% |
5.1%±3.3 U.S.: 6.4% |
5.4%±4.1Highest U.S.: 6.4% |
| Cost of living | ||||
| Household incomemedian | $91,731±$25k 14% above U.S. |
$122,105±$22kHighest 51% above U.S. |
$104,220±$7k 29% above U.S. |
$86,614±$18kLowest 7% above U.S. |
| Strafford and Epping are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $191,800±$23kLowest 42% below U.S. |
$427,900±$29k 29% above U.S. |
$436,900±$35kHighest 31% above U.S. |
$238,700±$66k 28% below U.S. |
| Epping and Strafford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $610±$277Lowest 57% below U.S. |
$1,635±$246 16% above U.S. |
$1,742±$576Highest 23% above U.S. |
$1,080±$593 24% below U.S. |
| Epping and Strafford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $1,789Lowest 43% below U.S. |
$6,086 95% above U.S. |
$6,936Highest 122% above U.S. |
$1,909 39% below U.S. |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 16.7%±10.5Lowest U.S.: 51.1% |
76.3%±30.3Highest U.S.: 51.1% |
67.8%±25.9 U.S.: 51.1% |
57.6%±34.6 U.S.: 51.1% |
| Strafford and Epping are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Below poverty line | 8.9% U.S.: 12.5% |
8% U.S.: 12.5% |
4.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5% |
10.2%Highest U.S.: 12.5% |
| Housing | ||||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 79.9%Lowest U.S.: 65.2% |
93.5%Highest U.S.: 65.2% |
86.3% U.S.: 65.2% |
81% U.S.: 65.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1977Lowest 3 yrs older than U.S. |
1985 5 yrs newer than U.S. |
1989Highest 9 yrs newer than U.S. |
1983 3 yrs newer than U.S. |
| Getting to work | ||||
| Average commuteone way | 28 min 5% above U.S. |
36 minHighest 36% above U.S. |
32 min 22% above U.S. |
26 minLowest about the U.S. average |
| Work from home | 10.8%±3.8 U.S.: 15.1% |
15.9%±5 U.S.: 15.1% |
24%±6.9Highest U.S.: 15.1% |
3.8%±3.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1% |
| Epping and Strafford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Schools | ||||
| Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading | — | #73 of 120 in NH | #77 of 120 in NH | #123 of 133 in ME |
| School district | RSU 79/MSAD 01 | Strafford School District | Epping School District | RSU 11/MSAD 11 |
| High school in town | None in town | None in town | Epping High School | None in town |
| Students per teacherat that high school | — | — | 9.3 |
— |
| On TownTapestry | ||||
| Old photos in History | None yet | None yet | None yet | None yet |
U.S. average · Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates 2020–2024; 2010 & 2020 decennial census; NCES Common Core of Data. “±” is the Census margin of error. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. School rank compares math and reading proficiency against the state average.