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Compare towns

Mariposa vs Etna

315 miles apart. The biggest differences: trails (6.2× in Etna) and street grid (3.5× in Etna).

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Mariposa, CAA regional job hubCalifornia · 1,137 people
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Etna, CAHomes around $281KCalifornia · 642 people
Swap order
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.

MariposaA regional job hub
Work2,510 jobsbased in Mariposa, a regional job hub Housing$391K typical home49% below the CA typical home All about Mariposa →
EtnaHomes around $281K
Housing$281K typical home63% below the CA typical home Work279 jobsbased in Etna, a regional job hub All about Etna →
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.

Trails6.2×
Etna has more miles of trail
Etna 8.0 miMariposa 1.3 mi
Street grid3.5×
Etna has the more walkable street grid
Etna 105Mariposa 29.6
Growth since 2010+21.8 pts
Etna has grown faster since 2010
Etna -8%Mariposa -29.8%
Rent+45%
Rent runs higher in Etna
Etna $859Mariposa $593
Jobs per worker2.8×
Mariposa is more of a job hub
Mariposa 4.51Etna 1.59
Average commute13 min
Etna has the shorter commute
Mariposa 35 minEtna 22 min
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $1,000 more a month in Mariposa

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.

Mariposa$2,640/mo
Typical home $391K (Zillow) · tax rate est. 1.8% · or rent about $593/mo · Housing →
Etna$1,640/mo
Typical home $281K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.70% · or rent about $859/mo · Housing →

The difference: $1,000 a month, about $12,000 a year, between Mariposa and Etna.

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 California ranking list both towns are on. A grade is one measure; read the page behind it.

Schools
B−MariposaBetter than 50% of districts in the state BEtnaBetter than 57% of districts in the state
Health
B−MariposaHealthier than 50% of U.S. towns –EtnaNot 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
MariposaEtna
Snow a year—4″
January low—28°F
July high—90°F
Growing season (days)—135d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)90th99th
Outdoors & history
MariposaEtna
Trails1 mi8 mi
Conserved land7%2.4%
Settled—1878
National Register places4—
Archive photos—7
Community
MariposaEtna
Library hours a week48 hrs26 hrs
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined01

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

315 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

MariposaCAEtnaCA
Mariposa ↔ Etna315 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.

MariposaEtna
People
Population 1,137Highest 642Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -29.8%Lowest CA: +6.1% -8%Highest CA: +6.1%
Median age 59±11.8Highest 56% above CA 48.7±11.5Lowest 28% above CA
Mariposa and Etna are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 12.9%±7 CA: 22% 12.9%±9.3 CA: 22%
Age 65+ 41.6%±10.1Highest CA: 15.7% 28.2%±6.7Lowest CA: 15.7%
Mariposa and Etna are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 38%Highest CA: 37.1% 30.2%Lowest CA: 37.1%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 2.2%±3.1Lowest CA: 7.6% 5.6%±4Highest CA: 7.6%
Etna and Mariposa are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $40,772±$20kLowest 59% below CA $49,063±$24kHighest 51% below CA
Etna and Mariposa are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $270,900±$110kHighest 63% below CA $221,200±$50kLowest 70% below CA
Mariposa and Etna are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $593±$131Lowest 71% below CA $859±$132Highest 58% below CA
Property taxmedian, yearly — $1,544 70% below CA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 58.1%±16.2Lowest CA: 55.3% 70.3%±16.9Highest CA: 55.3%
Etna and Mariposa are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 37.1%Highest CA: 12% 18%Lowest CA: 12%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 50.6%Lowest CA: 55.9% 61.2%Highest CA: 55.9%
Typical home builtmedian year 1975Highest 1 yr older than CA 1961Lowest 15 yrs older than CA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 35 minHighest 21% above CA 22 minLowest 24% below CA
Work from home 8%±10Highest CA: 17.2% 4.1%±4.9Lowest CA: 17.2%
Mariposa and Etna are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 19.9%Highest 14.8%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 43.3 miHighest 11.3 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 4.51Highest 1.59Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Yosemite Valley (6%)Yreka (14%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in EtnaFew work in Mariposa
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 7%Highest 2.4%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 1.3 miLowest 8.0 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.3 miLowest 10.0 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 3Highest 1Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 29.6Lowest 105Highest
Schools
School district Mariposa County UnifiedScott Valley Unified
High school in town Mariposa County HighEtna Union High
Students per teacherat that high school 16.3Highest 13.0Lowest
California 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.

Mariposa neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Mariposa’s Town Square.

Etna neighborsTown Square →
T Weaver · 6d

Missing Local Spots

1 neighbor in Etna can answer.

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Towns like Mariposa

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Blue Lake982 people · $445K homes
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Ferndale1,552 people · $542K homes
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Dunsmuir1,407 people · $279K homes
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Sutter Creek2,702 people · $544K 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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