Guest, Sign inJoin
Compare towns

Eau Claire vs Appleton

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

×
Eau Claire, WIA history townWisconsin · 70,322 people
×
Appleton, WIA history townWisconsin · 75,023 people
Swap order
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.

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 →
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 →
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.

Eau Claire$2,050/mo
Typical home $318K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.43% · or rent about $1,045/mo · Housing →
Appleton$2,000/mo
Typical home $306K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.55% · or rent about $1,030/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
C+Eau ClaireSafer than 37% of U.S. towns B−AppletonSafer than 46% of U.S. towns
Schools
C−Eau ClaireBetter than 21% of districts in the state C−AppletonBetter than 22% of districts in the state
Health
A−Eau ClaireHealthier than 76% of U.S. towns B+AppletonHealthier than 70% of U.S. towns
10Eau Claire
11Appleton

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

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

Left end = #1 in Wisconsin. Showing the lists where the towns are furthest apart. All of Eau Claire’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
Eau ClaireAppleton
Snow a year55″49″
January low6°F10°F
July high83°F82°F
Growing season (days)149d154d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)39th5th
Outdoors & history
Eau ClaireAppleton
Trails52 mi12 mi
Conserved land6%5%
Settled—1848
National Register places6421
Archive photos624
Famous people born here8173
Community
Eau ClaireAppleton
Library hours a week62 hrs66 hrs
Colleges in town21
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.

Eau ClaireWIAppletonWI
Eau Claire ↔ Appleton157 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.

Eau ClaireAppleton
People
Population 70,322Lowest 75,023Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +5.4%Highest WI: +3.6% +4.2%Lowest WI: +3.6%
Median age 32.9±0.6Lowest 18% below WI 37.5±0.7Highest 7% below WI
Kids under 18 17.7%±0.9Lowest WI: 21.4% 22.7%±1Highest WI: 21.4%
Age 65+ 16.3%±1.2Lowest WI: 18.5% 16.6%±1Highest 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+ 36.7%Lowest WI: 33.4% 38.2%Highest WI: 33.4%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 13.4%±1.1Highest WI: 5.8% 6.2%±0.7Lowest WI: 5.8%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $67,395±$3kLowest 13% below WI $80,483±$3kHighest 4% above WI
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $247,600±$7kHighest 7% below WI $231,400±$5kLowest 13% below WI
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,045±$39Highest 4% below WI $1,030±$38Lowest 5% 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 $3,553Lowest 6% below WI $3,588Highest 5% below WI
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 40.8%±3.9Highest WI: 43.7% 38.9%±3.6Lowest 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 14.3%Highest WI: 10.6% 8.3%Lowest WI: 10.6%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 54.4%Lowest WI: 67.8% 67.1%Highest WI: 67.8%
Typical home builtmedian year 1975Highest same as WI 1971Lowest 4 yrs older than WI
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 17 minLowest 25% below WI 19 minHighest 13% below WI
Work from home 12.4%±1.2Lowest WI: 13.1% 12.6%±1.3Highest 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 50.5%Highest 25.5%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 4.3 miLowest 6.3 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.51Highest 1.23Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Union (5%)Grand Chute (11%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in AppletonFew work in Eau Claire
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 6%Highest 5%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 52.4 miHighest 12.4 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 1.4 miHighest 0.5 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 50Highest 40Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 71.5Lowest 95.9Highest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #114 of 262 in WI#186 of 262 in WI
School district Eau Claire Area School DistrictAppleton Area School District
High school in town North HighNorth High
Students per teacherat that high school 16.9Lowest 17.3Highest
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.

Eau Claire neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Eau Claire’s Town Square.

Appleton neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Appleton’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Eau Claire and Appleton

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

Bordering Eau Claire

W
+ Compare
Washington7,593 people · $367K homes
U
+ Compare
Union2,624 people · $307K homes
S
+ Compare
Seymour3,300 people · $320K homes
+ Compare
Altoona8,878 people · $233K homes

Towns like Eau Claire

+ Compare
Waukesha71,233 people · $316K homes
+ Compare
Oshkosh66,729 people · $178K homes
+ Compare
La Crosse51,356 people · $210K homes
+ Compare
Kenosha99,372 people · $225K 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.

Post to Eau Claire

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in