What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Ashland has the most affordable homes ($125k median).

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	Appleton	Ashland
People
Population	1,360Highest	1,080Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+7.2%Highest ME: +2.6%	-7.7%Lowest ME: +2.6%
Median age	49.2±7.4Lowest 10% above ME	53.4±9.1Highest 19% above ME
	Ashland and Appleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	15.3%±2.7Highest ME: 18.1%	14.3%±3.8Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Appleton and Ashland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	26.1%±9.3Lowest ME: 22.4%	32.2%±8Highest ME: 22.4%
	Ashland and Appleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	34.1%Highest ME: 36.2%	13.8%Lowest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.7%±2.4Lowest ME: 5.8%	4.3%±2.3Highest ME: 5.8%
	Ashland and Appleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$53,618±$19kHighest 28% below ME	$46,838±$15kLowest 37% below ME
	Appleton and Ashland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$235,600±$33kHighest 21% below ME	$125,000±$49kLowest 58% below ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,104±$82 3% below ME	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,588Highest 18% above ME	$1,511Lowest 50% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	85.4%±100Highest ME: 48.4%	25.7%±27.5Lowest ME: 48.4%
	Appleton and Ashland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	9.7%Lowest ME: 10.7%	23.6%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	82.6%Highest ME: 74.3%	66.1%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1988Highest 11 yrs newer than ME	1973Lowest 4 yrs older than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minHighest 23% above ME	21 minLowest 14% below ME
Work from home	11.1%±3.5Highest ME: 15.9%	4.7%±2.7Lowest ME: 15.9%
Schools
School district	Appleton Public Schools	—
High school 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.