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Appleton vs Eau Claire

157 miles apart. The biggest differences: trails (4.2× in Eau Claire) and work in town (+25 pts in Eau Claire).

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Appleton, WIA history townWisconsin · 75,023 people
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Eau Claire, WIA history townWisconsin · 70,322 people
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Where each one shines

Two towns, two different strengths

What each town does better than most of its state (not better than each other). Tap one to see the page behind it.

AppletonA history town
HistorySettled in 184821 places on the National Register Famous people73 notable peopleborn in Appleton Outdoors#17 most walkable in WI12 miles of trails across 40 parks and preserves All about Appleton →
Eau ClaireA history town
History64 historic places64 places on the National Register Famous people81 notable peopleborn in Eau Claire Work44,475 jobsbased in Eau Claire, a regional job hub All about Eau Claire →
The biggest differences

Where they part ways

The rows below where the towns are furthest apart, beyond the Census margin of error. The full table is further down.

Trails4.2×
Eau Claire has more miles of trail
Eau Claire 52.4 miAppleton 12.4 mi
Work in town+25 pts
More of Eau Claire’s workers stay in town
Eau Claire 50.5%Appleton 25.5%
Household income+19%
Households in Appleton earn more
Appleton $80,483Eau Claire $67,395
Homeowners+12.7 pts renters
Eau Claire has more renters
Appleton 67.1%Eau Claire 54.4%
Kids under 18+5 pts
Appleton has more kids
Appleton 22.7%Eau Claire 17.7%
Median age4.6 yrs
Appleton skews older
Appleton 37.5Eau Claire 32.9
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs about the same each month

A typical home in each town, bought with 20% down at 6.3% for 30 years, plus property tax at the town’s own rate and insurance. Change the numbers to fit you.

Appleton$2,000/mo
Typical home $306K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.55% · or rent about $1,030/mo · Housing →
Eau Claire$2,050/mo
Typical home $318K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.43% · or rent about $1,045/mo · Housing →

The difference: $50 a month, about $600 a year, between Eau Claire and Appleton.

Estimates, not a quote: your price, rate, tax bill and insurance will differ. Tax rate = the Census median tax bill over the median home value.

Report cards

Appleton places higher on 11 of 23 WI lists

Our letter grades for safety, schools and health, then every Wisconsin ranking list both towns are on. A grade is one measure; read the page behind it.

Safety
B−AppletonSafer than 46% of U.S. towns C+Eau ClaireSafer than 37% of U.S. towns
Schools
C−AppletonBetter than 22% of districts in the state C−Eau ClaireBetter than 21% of districts in the state
Health
B+AppletonHealthier than 70% of U.S. towns A−Eau ClaireHealthier than 76% of U.S. towns
11Appleton
10Eau Claire

Lists won, of 23 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

Most new homesHousing · 294 towns #219#44 Lowest depressionHealth · 366 towns #178#359 Most trailsOutdoors · 301 towns #144#28 Best schoolsSchools · 262 towns #186#114 Lowest obesityHealth · 366 towns #102#3 Shortest commuteGetting around · 371 towns #92#26 Highest incomeIncome · 371 towns #229#291 SafestSafety · 161 towns #117#136

Left end = #1 in Wisconsin. Showing the lists where the towns are furthest apart. All of Appleton’s rankings →

Life in each

What daily life feels like in each

The weather, the land, the history and the people, row by row. None of it is a grade: more snow is a plus to a skier.

Seasons
AppletonEau Claire
Snow a year49″55″
January low10°F6°F
July high82°F83°F
Growing season (days)154d149d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)5th39th
Outdoors & history
AppletonEau Claire
Trails12 mi52 mi
Conserved land5%6%
Settled1848—
National Register places2164
Archive photos246
Famous people born here7381
Community
AppletonEau Claire
Library hours a week66 hrs62 hrs
Colleges in town12
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined00

A dot marks the most on each row. Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 normals at the nearest station. Hazard risk: FEMA National Risk Index, expected yearly damage vs U.S. towns.

Where they are

157 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

AppletonWIEau ClaireWI
Appleton ↔ Eau Claire157 miles apart
Everything, side by side

What matters to you?

Pick a few. Those rows jump to the top and the best fit on each is marked. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

AppletonEau Claire
People
Population 75,023Highest 70,322Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +4.2%Lowest WI: +3.6% +5.4%Highest WI: +3.6%
Median age 37.5±0.7Highest 7% below WI 32.9±0.6Lowest 18% below WI
Kids under 18 22.7%±1Highest WI: 21.4% 17.7%±0.9Lowest WI: 21.4%
Age 65+ 16.6%±1Highest WI: 18.5% 16.3%±1.2Lowest WI: 18.5%
Appleton and Eau Claire are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 38.2%Highest WI: 33.4% 36.7%Lowest WI: 33.4%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 6.2%±0.7Lowest WI: 5.8% 13.4%±1.1Highest WI: 5.8%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $80,483±$3kHighest 4% above WI $67,395±$3kLowest 13% below WI
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $231,400±$5kLowest 13% below WI $247,600±$7kHighest 7% below WI
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,030±$38Lowest 5% below WI $1,045±$39Highest 4% below WI
Eau Claire and Appleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $3,588Highest 5% below WI $3,553Lowest 6% below WI
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 38.9%±3.6Lowest WI: 43.7% 40.8%±3.9Highest WI: 43.7%
Eau Claire and Appleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 8.3%Lowest WI: 10.6% 14.3%Highest WI: 10.6%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 67.1%Highest WI: 67.8% 54.4%Lowest WI: 67.8%
Typical home builtmedian year 1971Lowest 4 yrs older than WI 1975Highest same as WI
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 19 minHighest 13% below WI 17 minLowest 25% below WI
Work from home 12.6%±1.3Highest WI: 13.1% 12.4%±1.2Lowest WI: 13.1%
Appleton and Eau Claire are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 25.5%Lowest 50.5%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 6.3 miHighest 4.3 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.23Lowest 1.51Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Grand Chute (11%)Union (5%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Eau ClaireFew work in Appleton
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 5%Lowest 6%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 12.4 miLowest 52.4 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.5 miLowest 1.4 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 40Lowest 50Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 95.9Highest 71.5Lowest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #186 of 262 in WI#114 of 262 in WI
School district Appleton Area School DistrictEau Claire Area School District
High school in town North HighNorth High
Students per teacherat that high school 17.3Highest 16.9Lowest
Wisconsin average“±” Census margin of errorACS 2020–2024
Deciding?

Ask the people who live there

The numbers stop at the town line. Neighbors can tell you about the commute at 7am, the schools, the winters and the feel of the place.

Appleton neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Appleton’s Town Square.

Eau Claire neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Eau Claire’s Town Square.

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Bordering Appleton

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Grand Chute24,168 people · $295K homes
H
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Harrison13,658 people · $349K homes
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Freedom6,223 people · $333K homes
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Fox Crossing19,131 people · $248K homes

Towns like Appleton

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Waukesha71,233 people · $316K homes
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Janesville66,030 people · $223K homes
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Kenosha99,372 people · $225K homes
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West Allis59,612 people · $204K homes
Not sure which town to add? Find your place ranks Wisconsin towns on what matters to you.Find your place →

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2010 & 2020 censuses, LEHD commute flows; Zillow Home Value Index; NCES Common Core of Data; FBI crime reporting; CDC PLACES; FEMA National Risk Index; NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020; USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. “±” is the Census margin of error; differences inside it are never called. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. There is no overall score: which town is better depends on what matters to you.

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