What stands out worked out from the figures below

Appleton has the most affordable homes ($236k median).

Brookline has the highest household income ($171k).

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	Brookline
People
Population	1,360Lowest	5,736Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+7.2%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+13%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	49.2±7.4Highest 26% above U.S.	41.2±1.5Lowest 6% above U.S.
	Appleton and Brookline are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	15.3%±2.7Lowest U.S.: 22%	26.7%±4Highest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	26.1%±9.3Highest U.S.: 17.2%	11.4%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	34.1%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	57.7%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.7%±2.4Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	6.3%±3.2Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Brookline 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±$19kLowest 34% below U.S.	$171,046±$4kHighest 112% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$235,600±$33kLowest 29% below U.S.	$544,400±$38kHighest 64% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,104±$82Lowest 22% below U.S.	$2,500±$1kHighest 77% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,588Lowest 15% above U.S.	$10,000+Highest at least 221% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	85.4%±100Highest U.S.: 51.1%	23.8%±43.5Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Appleton and Brookline are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	9.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	0.6%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	82.6%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	95.1%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1988Lowest 8 yrs newer than U.S.	1993Highest 13 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minLowest 14% above U.S.	33 minHighest 26% above U.S.
Work from home	11.1%±3.5Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	24.7%±5.8Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#23 of 120 in NH
School district	Appleton Public Schools	Brookline School District
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	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.