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.

Down paymentRate%

Harrison$2,880/mo

Typical home $457K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.28% · or rent about $1,422/mo · Housing →

Appleton$2,000/mo

Typical home $306K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.55% · or rent about $1,030/mo · Housing →

The difference: $890 a month, about $10,600 a year, between Harrison 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

Harrison places higher on 12 of 19 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

–HarrisonNot graded B−AppletonSafer than 46% of U.S. towns

Schools

A−HarrisonBetter than 75% of districts in the state C−AppletonBetter than 22% of districts in the state

Health

AHarrisonHealthier than 90% of U.S. towns B+AppletonHealthier than 70% of U.S. towns

12Harrison

6Appleton

Lists won, of 19 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

Most new homesHousing · 294 towns #10#219 Best schoolsSchools · 262 towns #2#186 Most walkableOutdoors · 371 towns #237#17 Fewest uninsuredHealth · 366 towns #9#217 Highest incomeIncome · 371 towns #40#229 Closest to a top hospitalHealth · 371 towns #156#3 Cheapest rentCost of living · 348 towns #295#155 Most affordableCost of living · 371 towns #252#111

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

Where they are

Harrison and Appleton share a border

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

HarrisonAppleton

Harrison ↔ Appleton7.6 miles apart · They share a border

Who commutes between them

1,344 Harrison residents work in Appleton (20.5% of its workers)

Work & commute in Harrison →

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

HarrisonAppleton

Snow a year49″49″

January low10°F 10°F

July high82°F 82°F

Growing season (days)154d 154d

Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)15th 5th

Outdoors & history

HarrisonAppleton

Trails17 mi 12 mi

Conserved land5.4%5%

Settled—1848

National Register places—21

Archive photos—24

Famous people born here—73

Community

HarrisonAppleton

Library hours a week—66 hrs

Colleges in town—1

Posts this month0 0

Neighbors joined0 0

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.

Only big differences vs Wisconsin average

HarrisonAppleton

People

Population 13,658Lowest 75,023Highest

Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census — +4.2% WI: +3.6%

Median age 39.6±2.3Highest about the WI average 37.5±0.7Lowest 7% below WI

Harrison and Appleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Kids under 18 27%±2.5Highest WI: 21.4% 22.7%±1Lowest WI: 21.4%

Age 65+ 11.8%±1.8Lowest WI: 18.5% 16.6%±1Highest WI: 18.5%

Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 45.9%Highest WI: 33.4% 38.2%Lowest WI: 33.4%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 4.5%±1.3Lowest WI: 5.8% 6.2%±0.7Highest WI: 5.8%

Appleton and Harrison are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Cost of living

Household incomemedian $121,504±$7kHighest 57% above WI $80,483±$3kLowest 4% above WI

Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $348,500±$11kHighest 31% above WI $231,400±$5kLowest 13% below WI

Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,422±$69Highest 31% above WI $1,030±$38Lowest 5% below WI

Property taxmedian, yearly $4,455Highest 17% above WI $3,588Lowest 5% below WI

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 50.5%±23.1Highest WI: 43.7% 38.9%±3.6Lowest WI: 43.7%

Harrison and Appleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Below poverty line 2.2%Lowest WI: 10.6% 8.3%Highest WI: 10.6%

Housing

Homeownersof occupied homes 89.2%Highest WI: 67.8% 67.1%Lowest WI: 67.8%

Typical home builtmedian year 2002Highest 27 yrs newer than WI 1971Lowest 4 yrs older than WI

Getting to work

Average commuteone way 20 minHighest 10% below WI 19 minLowest 13% below WI

Work from home 18%±3.2Highest WI: 13.1% 12.6%±1.3Lowest WI: 13.1%

Work in townworking residents 1.9%Lowest 25.5%Highest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 8.3 miHighest 6.3 miLowest

Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.24Lowest 1.23Highest

Top workplaceoutside town Appleton (21%)Grand Chute (11%)

Between these townsresidents who work in the others 21% work in AppletonFew work in Harrison

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 5.4%Highest 5%Lowest

Trailsmapped miles 16.5 miHighest 12.4 miLowest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.5 mi 0.5 mi

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 4Lowest 40Highest

Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 15.5Lowest 95.9Highest

Schools

Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #2 of 262 in WI #186 of 262 in WI

School district Kimberly Area School DistrictAppleton Area School District

High school in town None in townNorth High

Students per teacherat that high school — 17.3

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.

Harrison neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Harrison’s Town Square.

Appleton neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Appleton’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Harrison and Appleton

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

Bordering Harrison

+ Compare

Harrison

+ Compare

Menasha18,273 people · $192K homes

+ Compare

Sherwood3,252 people · $351K homes

+ Compare

Kaukauna17,706 people · $226K homes

Towns like Harrison

+ Compare

Greenville12,987 people · $357K homes

+ Compare

Suamico12,985 people · $367K homes

+ Compare

Lisbon10,736 people · $415K homes

+ Compare

DeForest11,501 people · $360K homes

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.

Harrison vs Appleton

Two towns, two different strengths

Where they part ways

A typical home costs $890 more a month in Harrison

Harrison places higher on 12 of 19 WI lists

Harrison and Appleton share a border

What daily life feels like in each

What matters to you?

Ask the people who live there

Set another town beside Harrison and Appleton

Bordering Harrison

Towns like Harrison

Post to Harrison

Check your email