What stands out worked out from the figures below

Salisbury has the most people working from home (23.3%).

Appleton has grown the fastest since 2010 (+7.2%).

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	Salisbury	Appleton
People
Population	1,609Highest	1,360Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.9%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+7.2%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	51.5±4.5Highest 32% above U.S.	49.2±7.4Lowest 26% above U.S.
	Salisbury and Appleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.1%±9.6Highest U.S.: 22%	15.3%±2.7Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Salisbury and Appleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	24.9%±4Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	26.1%±9.3Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Appleton and Salisbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	37.3%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	34.1%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2%±1.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	3.7%±2.4Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Appleton and Salisbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$111,591±$17kHighest 38% above U.S.	$53,618±$19kLowest 34% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$363,400±$47kHighest 9% above U.S.	$235,600±$33kLowest 29% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,917±$632Highest 36% above U.S.	$1,104±$82Lowest 22% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,859Highest 88% above U.S.	$3,588Lowest 15% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	0%±100Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	85.4%±100Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Appleton and Salisbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.1%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	9.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	96.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	82.6%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1982Lowest 2 yrs newer than U.S.	1988Highest 8 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minHighest 21% above U.S.	30 minLowest 14% above U.S.
Work from home	23.3%±10.6Highest U.S.: 15.1%	11.1%±3.5Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Salisbury and Appleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Merrimack Valley 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.