Photo: Andrew Filer · CC BY-SA 2.0Measured against area pay, Mapleton costs less to live in than 52% of U.S. towns
Up 3.9% in a year, 19% above the North Dakota typical home.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of the Fargo, ND-MN metro area ($77K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
Only 1 sale in September 2026: in a market this size, monthly medians swing a lot, so the typical value is the steadier guide.
The grade compares costs with what households across the Fargo metro earn ($77K, Census 2020–24). The typical home costs 4.0 years of metro income, and 12% of renters pay 30% or more of income for housing.
In dollars
- $347Ktypical home, 19% above the North Dakota typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $1,440a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
- 91prices across the Fargo metro, where the U.S. is 100 (housing 81)BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
In paychecks the grade
- 4.0 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$77K, Fargo-area income
- 16%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 14%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
What Mapleton’s housing numbers say
Mostly newer homes
Half of Mapleton’s homes were built after 2010, against 1982 for North Dakota as a whole. Property taxes ↓
Nearly every household owns
94% of Mapleton households own their home, against 63% across North Dakota. There are only 25 renter households, so rentals are scarce. Property taxes ↓
Written from the data on this page. Home values are the Zillow Home Value Index, through September 2026; permits are Census figures through 2025; incomes, rents paid, taxes and ownership come from the Census American Community Survey.
What’s behind Mapleton’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Mapleton is more affordable than 52% of U.S. towns. Property tax pulls the grade down most; the share of households paying 30%+ for housing holds it up.
Values have lagged North Dakota: the typical Mapleton home is up 10.9% in five years, against 19.0% statewide (Zillow).
Up 10.9% in five years
Slower than North Dakota (19%).
Show as a table
| January | Mapleton | North Dakota |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $258,000 | $225,000 |
| 2018 | $262,000 | $222,000 |
| 2019 | $267,000 | $219,000 |
| 2020 | $276,000 | $227,000 |
| 2021 | $290,000 | $234,000 |
| 2022 | $318,000 | $249,000 |
| 2023 | $328,000 | $260,000 |
| 2024 | $311,000 | $257,000 |
| 2025 | $327,000 | $271,000 |
| 2026 | $341,000 | $285,000 |
| September 2026 | $347,000 | $291,000 |
A typical Mapleton home worth $255K in October 2016 is worth about $347K today.
Zillow Home Value Index: the typical value of all homes (middle third), smoothed and seasonally adjusted, through September 2026.
A typical home costs 4.0 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Mapleton’s own median, or type yours.
That’s $59K short of a typical Mapleton home.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,440 a month here, $730 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Mapleton’s typical property tax (1.20% of value a year, from the Census) and insurance of about 0.35%. Mortgage insurance, HOA fees and other debts aren’t included.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,440
Renters already here pay a median of $1,042, so moving in tends to cost more than staying put.
Fair Market Rent a month, utilities included
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents by ZIP code (Fargo, ND-MN MSA): the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent and renters: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
14 new homes permitted in 2025
Builders were permitted 14 new homes in Mapleton in 2025, all single-family houses, worth about $8.2 million to build. That's 10 per 1,000 residents, faster than across North Dakota (3.4). Over the past 10 years, Mapleton has permitted 218 homes in all.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Mapleton gained 558 residents while 200 new homes were permitted: about 2.8 new residents per new home, more than across North Dakota (1.7): growth outpaced building.
Every year as a table
| Year | New homes | Single-family | 2+ per building | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (Jan–Aug) | 13 | 13 | 0 | $6.3 million |
| 2025 | 14 | 14 | 0 | $8.2 million |
| 2024 | 12 | 12 | 0 | $5.8 million |
| 2023 | 12 | 12 | 0 | $6.4 million |
| 2022 | 16 | 16 | 0 | $7.1 million |
| 2021 | 12 | 12 | 0 | $4.2 million |
| 2020 | 18 | 18 | 0 | $5.2 million |
| 2019 | 17 | 17 | 0 | $4.4 million |
| 2018 | 54 | 54 | 0 | $5.9 million |
| 2017 | 28 | 28 | 0 | $7.6 million |
| 2016 | 35 | 21 | 14 | $6.3 million |
| 2015 | 27 | 19 | 8 | $5.1 million |
| 2014 | 6 | 6 | 0 | $1.3 million |
| 2013 | 8 | 8 | 0 | $2 million |
| 2012 | 13 | 13 | 0 | $2.5 million |
| 2011 | 5 | 5 | 0 | $805,000 |
| 2010 | 7 | 7 | 0 | $886,000 |
| 2009 | 7 | 7 | 0 | $886,000 |
| 2008 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $1.3 million |
| 2007 | 13 | 13 | 0 | $1.8 million |
| 2006 | 29 | 29 | 0 | $3.6 million |
| 2005 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $440,000 |
| 2004 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $440,000 |
| 2003 | 15 | 15 | 0 | $1.4 million |
| 2002 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $275,000 |
| 2001 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $275,000 |
| 2000 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $50,000 |
Homes authorized by building permits, counted in the year the permit was issued. U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey.
Property tax runs above the North Dakota norm
The median bill is $3,730 (North Dakota: $2,468), 1.20% of a home’s value a year, against 0.99% statewide.
Census American Community Survey 2020–24: the median real-estate tax bill homeowners report, and that bill ÷ the median home value. Bills include town, school and county taxes. The Census reports bills over $10,000 only as “$10,000+”.
The rest of a budget near Mapleton
Only figures published free for the whole country, each labeled with the area it covers: the Fargo, ND-MN metro area, or North Dakota. Groceries follow the goods price level; nobody publishes them town by town.
| Cost | Here | Compared with | Area | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prices overall U.S. = 100 | 91 | ND 89 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Goods (groceries, clothing, cars…) U.S. = 100 | 96 | ND 96 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Utilities U.S. = 100 | 77 | ND 74 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Other services U.S. = 100 | 91 | ND 91 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
Price levels: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities 2024 (metro area and state). Electricity: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Monthly, table 5.6.A.
Mapleton vs. its neighbors
Of the 1 towns here with a Zillow value, Mapleton has the lowest.
Cost next door · one source per column
| Town | Cost | Typical home Zillow, September 2026 | Median value Census 2020–24 | Tax rate bill ÷ value | 2-bed rent HUD 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mapleton | B− | $347K | $310K | 1.20% | $1,440 |
| Mapleton Township | – | — | $553K | 0.65% | $1,350 |
| Durbin Township | – | — | $347K | — | $1,370 |
| Harmony Township | – | — | $434K | — | $1,030 |
“—” under Cost: not graded (too little Census data, or under 1,000 residents). “—” under Zillow: Zillow publishes no value for that town, so it’s left blank rather than mixed with Census figures.
Questions about the cost of living in Mapleton
Is Mapleton expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Mapleton costs less than 52% of U.S. towns: a B− for cost of living. The typical home costs 4.0 years of the median household income of the Fargo, ND-MN metro area ($77K).
How much does a house cost in Mapleton?
About $347K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, up 3.9% in a year. The North Dakota typical home is $291K.
What salary do you need to live in Mapleton?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $93,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $2,170 a month with tax and insurance) at 28% of income. To rent a two-bedroom at 30% of income, about $58,000.
How much is rent in Mapleton?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $1,440 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $1,042 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Mapleton?
The median bill is $3,730 a year, 1.20% of the median home value (North Dakota: $2,468, 0.99%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in Mapleton going up?
Yes: up 3.9% in the past year and 10.9% in five years, against 19.0% across North Dakota (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What Mapleton buyers, sellers and renters are saying.
Home values: Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), Zillow Research, September 2026. Sales, days on market and supply: Redfin Data Center, September 2026. Income, ownership, taxes and rent: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey. New homes: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey. Fair Market Rents: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The calculator is an estimate, not a loan offer. Regional price levels: BEA; electricity: EIA. How TownRatings grades cost of living.