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.

Down paymentRate%

Appleton$2,000/mo

Typical home $306K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.55% · or rent about $1,030/mo · Housing →

Grand Chute$2,980/mo

Typical home $464K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.40% · or rent about $1,108/mo · Housing →

The difference: $980 a month, about $11,700 a year, between Grand Chute 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

Grand Chute places higher on 12 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 DGrand ChuteSafer than 10% of U.S. towns

Schools

C−AppletonBetter than 22% of districts in the state C−Grand ChuteBetter than 22% of districts in the state

Health

B+AppletonHealthier than 70% of U.S. towns A−Grand ChuteHealthier than 83% of U.S. towns

10Appleton

12Grand Chute

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

Most new homesHousing · 294 towns #219#45 Fewest uninsuredHealth · 366 towns #217#39 Most walkableOutdoors · 371 towns #17#165 Fastest growingGrowth · 358 towns #171#50 Lowest depressionHealth · 366 towns #178#78 SafestSafety · 161 towns #117#158 Most activeHealth · 366 towns #166#76 Fewest smokersHealth · 366 towns #118#35

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

Where they are

Appleton and Grand Chute share a border

And the people who already live in one and work in the other.

AppletonGrand Chute

Appleton ↔ Grand Chute3.4 miles apart · They share a border

Who commutes between them

3,958 Appleton residents work in Grand Chute (10.8% of its workers)

2,468 Grand Chute residents work in Appleton (21.1% of its workers)

Work & commute in Appleton →

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

AppletonGrand Chute

Snow a year49″49″

January low10°F 10°F

July high82°F 82°F

Growing season (days)154d 154d

Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)5th 2nd

Outdoors & history

AppletonGrand Chute

Trails12 mi 12 mi

Conserved land5%4.1%

Settled1848 1849

National Register places21 —

Archive photos24 7

Famous people born here73 2

Community

AppletonGrand Chute

Library hours a week66 hrs —

Colleges in town1 1

Posts this month0 0

Neighbors joined0 0

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.

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.

Only big differences vs Wisconsin average

AppletonGrand Chute

People

Population 75,023Highest 24,168Lowest

Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +4.2%Lowest WI: +3.6% +13.9%Highest WI: +3.6%

Median age 37.5±0.7Lowest 7% below WI 39.2±1.1Highest about the WI average

Grand Chute and Appleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Kids under 18 22.7%±1Highest WI: 21.4% 18.8%±2Lowest WI: 21.4%

Age 65+ 16.6%±1Lowest WI: 18.5% 19%±1.9Highest WI: 18.5%

Grand Chute and Appleton 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% 34.6%Lowest WI: 33.4%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 6.2%±0.7Highest WI: 5.8% 5.8%±1.6Lowest WI: 5.8%

Appleton and Grand Chute are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Cost of living

Household incomemedian $80,483±$3kHighest 4% above WI $78,105±$6kLowest about the WI average

Appleton and Grand Chute are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $231,400±$5kLowest 13% below WI $294,700±$11kHighest 11% above WI

Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,030±$38Lowest 5% below WI $1,108±$34Highest about the WI average

Property taxmedian, yearly $3,588Lowest 5% below WI $4,123Highest 9% above WI

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 38.9%±3.6Highest WI: 43.7% 38.3%±5.9Lowest WI: 43.7%

Appleton and Grand Chute are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Below poverty line 8.3%Highest WI: 10.6% 6%Lowest WI: 10.6%

Housing

Homeownersof occupied homes 67.1%Highest WI: 67.8% 50.8%Lowest WI: 67.8%

Typical home builtmedian year 1971Lowest 4 yrs older than WI 1989Highest 14 yrs newer than WI

Getting to work

Average commuteone way 19 minHighest 13% below WI 18 minLowest 18% below WI

Work from home 12.6%±1.3Highest WI: 13.1% 11.5%±2.2Lowest WI: 13.1%

Appleton and Grand Chute are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Work in townworking residents 25.5%Highest 15.3%Lowest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 6.3 mi 6.3 mi

Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.23Lowest 2.13Highest

Top workplaceoutside town Grand Chute (11%)Appleton (21%)

Between these townsresidents who work in the others 11% work in Grand Chute21% work in Appleton

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 5%Highest 4.1%Lowest

Trailsmapped miles 12.4 miHighest 11.5 miLowest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.5 mi 0.5 mi

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 40Highest 12Lowest

Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 95.9Highest 44.1Lowest

Schools

Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #186 of 262 in WI #140 of 262 in WI

School district Appleton Area School DistrictAppleton Area School District

High school in town North HighNone in town

Students per teacherat that high school 17.3 —

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.

Grand Chute neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Grand Chute’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Appleton and Grand Chute

One tap adds it. Up to 4 towns at once.

Bordering Appleton

+ Compare

Harrison13,658 people · $349K homes

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Freedom6,223 people · $333K homes

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Fox Crossing19,131 people · $248K homes

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Menasha18,273 people · $192K homes

Towns like Appleton

+ Compare

Waukesha71,233 people · $316K homes

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Janesville66,030 people · $223K homes

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Kenosha99,372 people · $225K homes

+ Compare

Eau Claire70,322 people · $248K 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.

Appleton vs Grand Chute

Two towns, two different strengths

Where they part ways

A typical home costs $980 more a month in Grand Chute

Grand Chute places higher on 12 of 23 WI lists

Appleton and Grand Chute share a border

What daily life feels like in each

What matters to you?

Ask the people who live there

Set another town beside Appleton and Grand Chute

Bordering Appleton

Towns like Appleton

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