What stands out worked out from the figures below

Croydon has the highest household income ($98k).

Appleton has the most people working from home (11.1%).

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	Croydon	Appleton
People
Population	798Lowest	1,360Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4.8%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+7.2%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	43±9.1Lowest 11% above U.S.	49.2±7.4Highest 26% above U.S.
	Appleton and Croydon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19%±6.3Highest U.S.: 22%	15.3%±2.7Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Croydon and Appleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	27.4%±3.6Highest U.S.: 17.2%	26.1%±9.3Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Croydon and Appleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	21.4%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	34.1%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4%±3.3Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3.7%±2.4Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Croydon and Appleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$98,333±$21kHighest 22% above U.S.	$53,618±$19kLowest 34% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$317,300±$33kHighest 5% below U.S.	$235,600±$33kLowest 29% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$991±$336Lowest 30% below U.S.	$1,104±$82Highest 22% below U.S.
	Appleton and Croydon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,806Highest 22% above U.S.	$3,588Lowest 15% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	7.1%±75.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	85.4%±100Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Appleton and Croydon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	6.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	9.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.6%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	82.6%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1981Lowest 1 yr newer than U.S.	1988Highest 8 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minLowest about the U.S. average	30 minHighest 14% above U.S.
Work from home	5.3%±4.9Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	11.1%±3.5Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Appleton and Croydon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Croydon 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.