What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Pownal has the most people working from home (23.9%).

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	Pownal
People
Population	1,360Lowest	1,696Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+7.2%Highest ME: +2.6%	+6.2%Lowest ME: +2.6%
Median age	49.2±7.4Highest 10% above ME	47.2±8.4Lowest 5% above ME
	Appleton and Pownal are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	15.3%±2.7Lowest ME: 18.1%	24.2%±4.7Highest ME: 18.1%
Age 65+	26.1%±9.3Highest ME: 22.4%	23.5%±2.6Lowest ME: 22.4%
	Appleton and Pownal are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	34.1%Lowest ME: 36.2%	49%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.7%±2.4Lowest ME: 5.8%	4.2%±1.9Highest ME: 5.8%
	Pownal 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 28% below ME	$104,333±$14kHighest 40% above ME
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$235,600±$33kLowest 21% below ME	$436,800±$32kHighest 47% above ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,104±$82Highest 3% below ME	$981±$636Lowest 14% below ME
	Appleton and Pownal are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,588Lowest 18% above ME	$5,212Highest 72% above ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	85.4%±100Highest ME: 48.4%	78.9%±22.5Lowest ME: 48.4%
	Appleton and Pownal are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	9.7%Highest ME: 10.7%	5.5%Lowest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	82.6%Lowest ME: 74.3%	89.4%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1988Highest 11 yrs newer than ME	1971Lowest 6 yrs older than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minHighest 23% above ME	30 minLowest 22% above ME
Work from home	11.1%±3.5Lowest ME: 15.9%	23.9%±5.4Highest ME: 15.9%
Schools
School district	Appleton Public Schools	RSU 05
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.