What stands out worked out from the figures below

Dayton has the highest household income ($114k).

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

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	Dayton	Appleton
People
Population	2,313Highest	1,360Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+8.3%Highest ME: +2.6%	+7.2%Lowest ME: +2.6%
Median age	42.1±5.5Lowest 6% below ME	49.2±7.4Highest 10% above ME
	Appleton and Dayton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.4%±4Highest ME: 18.1%	15.3%±2.7Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Dayton and Appleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	14.3%±3.2Lowest ME: 22.4%	26.1%±9.3Highest ME: 22.4%
	Appleton and Dayton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	27.6%Lowest ME: 36.2%	34.1%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.1%±2.6Highest ME: 5.8%	3.7%±2.4Lowest ME: 5.8%
	Dayton and Appleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$113,750±$24kHighest 52% above ME	$53,618±$19kLowest 28% below ME
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$398,200±$34kHighest 34% above ME	$235,600±$33kLowest 21% below ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,215±$867Highest 7% above ME	$1,104±$82Lowest 3% below ME
	Dayton and Appleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,872Highest 28% above ME	$3,588Lowest 18% above ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	38%±19.6Lowest ME: 48.4%	85.4%±100Highest ME: 48.4%
	Appleton and Dayton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	3.7%Lowest ME: 10.7%	9.7%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	89.7%Highest ME: 74.3%	82.6%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1990Highest 13 yrs newer than ME	1988Lowest 11 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minHighest 26% above ME	30 minLowest 23% above ME
Work from home	16.3%±3.9Highest ME: 15.9%	11.1%±3.5Lowest ME: 15.9%
	Dayton and Appleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Dayton Public Schools	Appleton Public Schools
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	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.