What stands out worked out from the figures below

Brighton has the most renters (48.9% rent).

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

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	Brighton	Appleton
People
Population	1,167Lowest	1,360Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-5.3%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+7.2%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	45.2±11.6Lowest 16% above U.S.	49.2±7.4Highest 26% above U.S.
	Appleton and Brighton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.3%±5.7Highest U.S.: 22%	15.3%±2.7Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Brighton and Appleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	27.2%±4.6Highest U.S.: 17.2%	26.1%±9.3Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Brighton and Appleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	25.9%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	34.1%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.6%±2.4Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3.7%±2.4Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Brighton and Appleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$47,375±$21kLowest 41% below U.S.	$53,618±$19kHighest 34% below U.S.
	Appleton and Brighton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$163,900±$39kLowest 51% below U.S.	$235,600±$33kHighest 29% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$775±$33Lowest 45% below U.S.	$1,104±$82Highest 22% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,360Lowest 8% above U.S.	$3,588Highest 15% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	55%±17Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	85.4%±100Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Appleton and Brighton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	22%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	9.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	51.1%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	82.6%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1967Lowest 13 yrs older than U.S.	1988Highest 8 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	33 minHighest 25% above U.S.	30 minLowest 14% above U.S.
Work from home	12.4%±8.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%	11.1%±3.5Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Brighton and Appleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Brighton School District	Appleton Public Schools
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.