What stands out worked out from the figures below

Andover has the most people working from home (23.2%).

Appleton has grown the fastest since 2010 (+7.2%).

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.

Raising kidsAffordabilityOwning a homeShort commuteWorking from homeYounger crowdSettled, older crowdGrowing town

Measure	Andover	Appleton
People
Population	679Lowest	1,360Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-8.4%Lowest ME: +2.6%	+7.2%Highest ME: +2.6%
Median age	51.8±3.9Highest 16% above ME	49.2±7.4Lowest 10% above ME
	Andover and Appleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	8.8%±3.2Lowest ME: 18.1%	15.3%±2.7Highest ME: 18.1%
Age 65+	27.1%±6.3Highest ME: 22.4%	26.1%±9.3Lowest ME: 22.4%
	Andover and Appleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	24.4%Lowest ME: 36.2%	34.1%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.1%±2.5Lowest ME: 5.8%	3.7%±2.4Highest ME: 5.8%
	Appleton and Andover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$49,922±$9kLowest 33% below ME	$53,618±$19kHighest 28% below ME
	Appleton and Andover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$168,300±$22kLowest 43% below ME	$235,600±$33kHighest 21% below ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,104±$82 3% below ME
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,513Lowest 50% below ME	$3,588Highest 18% above ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	100%±100Highest ME: 48.4%	85.4%±100Lowest ME: 48.4%
	Andover and Appleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	16.1%Highest ME: 10.7%	9.7%Lowest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	97.7%Highest ME: 74.3%	82.6%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1976Lowest 1 yr older than ME	1988Highest 11 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minLowest 21% above ME	30 minHighest 23% above ME
Work from home	23.2%±15.8Highest ME: 15.9%	11.1%±3.5Lowest ME: 15.9%
	Andover and Appleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Andover Public Schools	Appleton Public Schools
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

ME 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.