Guest, Sign inJoin
Compare towns

Fox Crossing vs Appleton

Next-door neighbors. The biggest differences: trails (3× in Appleton) and size (3.9× in Appleton).

×
Fox Crossing, WIKnown for its schoolsWisconsin · 19,131 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.

Fox CrossingKnown for its schools
Schools#61 for schools in WIof 262 towns Work15,956 jobsbased in Fox Crossing, a regional job hub HealthHealthier than 63%of U.S. towns on CDC estimates All about Fox Crossing →
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 differ most

The rows below where the towns are furthest apart, beyond the Census margin of error. The full table is further down.

Trails3×
Appleton has more miles of trail
Appleton 12.4 miFox Crossing 4.2 mi
Size3.9×
Appleton is the bigger place
Appleton 75,023Fox Crossing 19,131
Street grid2.2×
Appleton has the more walkable street grid
Appleton 95.9Fox Crossing 44.6
Work in town+15.2 pts
More of Appleton’s workers stay in town
Appleton 25.5%Fox Crossing 10.3%
★ What stands out · Report cards

Appleton places higher on 12 of 22 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
A−Fox CrossingSafer than 77% of U.S. towns B−AppletonSafer than 46% of U.S. towns
Schools
A−Fox CrossingBetter than 82% of districts in the state C−AppletonBetter than 22% of districts in the state
Health
BFox CrossingHealthier than 63% of U.S. towns B+AppletonHealthier than 70% of U.S. towns
8Fox Crossing
12Appleton

Lists won, of 22 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

Highest graduation rateSchools · 301 towns #25#269 Best schoolsSchools · 262 towns #61#186 SafestSafety · 161 towns #50#117 Most walkableOutdoors · 371 towns #161#17 Lowest obesityHealth · 366 towns #244#102 Most new homesHousing · 294 towns #117#219 Rent easiest to affordCost of living · 99 towns #10#38 Lowest depressionHealth · 366 towns #78#178

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

Monthly cost

A typical home costs $360 more a month in Appleton

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.

Fox Crossing$1,640/mo
Typical home $248K (Census) · tax rate 1.62% · or rent about $1,009/mo · Housing →
Appleton$2,000/mo
Typical home $306K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.55% · or rent about $1,030/mo · Housing →

The difference: $360 a month, about $4,300 a year, between Appleton and Fox Crossing.

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.

Where they are

Fox Crossing and Appleton share a border

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

Fox CrossingAppletonFox CrossingAppleton
Fox Crossing ↔ Appleton5.9 miles apart · They share a border
Who commutes between them
2,147 Appleton residents work in Fox Crossing (5.9% of its workers)
1,510 Fox Crossing residents work in Appleton (16% 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
Fox CrossingAppleton
Snow a year49″49″
January low10°F10°F
July high82°F82°F
Growing season (days)154d154d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)44th5th
Outdoors & history
Fox CrossingAppleton
Trails4 mi12 mi
Conserved land2.5%5%
Settled20161848
National Register places—21
Archive photos—24
Famous people born here—73
Community
Fox CrossingAppleton
Library hours a week—66 hrs
Colleges in town—1
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.

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.

Fox CrossingAppleton
People
Population 19,131Lowest 75,023Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census — +4.2% WI: +3.6%
Median age 38.3±2.4Highest 5% below WI 37.5±0.7Lowest 7% below WI
Fox Crossing and Appleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 20.2%±2.6Lowest WI: 21.4% 22.7%±1Highest WI: 21.4%
Appleton and Fox Crossing are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 17.3%±2.5Highest WI: 18.5% 16.6%±1Lowest WI: 18.5%
Fox Crossing and Appleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 33.3%Lowest WI: 33.4% 38.2%Highest WI: 33.4%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 4.3%±1.5Lowest WI: 5.8% 6.2%±0.7Highest WI: 5.8%
Appleton and Fox Crossing are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $79,187±$4kLowest about the WI average $80,483±$3kHighest 4% above WI
Appleton and Fox Crossing are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $248,100±$14kHighest 7% below WI $231,400±$5kLowest 13% below WI
Fox Crossing and Appleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,009±$45Lowest 7% below WI $1,030±$38Highest 5% below WI
Appleton and Fox Crossing are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $4,022Highest 6% above WI $3,588Lowest 5% below WI
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 31.6%±7.8Lowest WI: 43.7% 38.9%±3.6Highest WI: 43.7%
Appleton and Fox Crossing are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 8.2%Lowest WI: 10.6% 8.3%Highest WI: 10.6%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 59.6%Lowest WI: 67.8% 67.1%Highest WI: 67.8%
Typical home builtmedian year 1982Highest 7 yrs newer than WI 1971Lowest 4 yrs older than WI
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 18 minLowest 20% below WI 19 minHighest 13% below WI
Work from home 12.3%±2.5Lowest WI: 13.1% 12.6%±1.3Highest WI: 13.1%
Appleton and Fox Crossing are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 10.3%Lowest 25.5%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 5.8 miLowest 6.3 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.69Highest 1.23Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Appleton (16%)Grand Chute (11%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others 16% work in Appleton6% work in Fox Crossing
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 2.5%Lowest 5%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 4.2 miLowest 12.4 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.3 miLowest 0.5 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 16Lowest 40Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 44.6Lowest 95.9Highest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #61 of 262 in WI#186 of 262 in WI
School district Neenah Joint School DistrictAppleton Area School District
High school in town Neenah HighNorth High
Students per teacherat that high school 17.6Highest 17.3Lowest
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.

Fox Crossing neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Fox Crossing’s Town Square.

Appleton neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Appleton’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Fox Crossing and Appleton

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

Bordering Fox Crossing

+ Compare
Menasha18,273 people · $192K homes
N
+ Compare
Neenah3,660 people · $331K homes
C
+ Compare
Clayton4,466 people · $410K homes
+ Compare
Neenah27,336 people · $211K homes

Towns like Fox Crossing

+ Compare
Howard21,087 people · $316K homes
H
+ Compare
Holmen11,372 people · $286K homes
+ Compare
Superior26,677 people · $180K homes
S
+ Compare
South Milwaukee20,442 people · $236K 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 Fox Crossing

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