What stands out worked out from the figures below

Starks has the most affordable homes ($149k median).

Appleton has the most people working from home (11.1%).

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	Starks	Appleton
People
Population	556Lowest	1,360Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-7.3%Lowest ME: +2.6%	+7.2%Highest ME: +2.6%
Median age	46.7±9.4Lowest 4% above ME	49.2±7.4Highest 10% above ME
	Appleton and Starks are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.4%±4.4Highest ME: 18.1%	15.3%±2.7Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Starks and Appleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.3%±2.2Lowest ME: 22.4%	26.1%±9.3Highest ME: 22.4%
	Appleton and Starks are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	21%Lowest ME: 36.2%	34.1%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	0.9%±2.3Lowest ME: 5.8%	3.7%±2.4Highest ME: 5.8%
	Appleton and Starks are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$63,500±$8kHighest 15% below ME	$53,618±$19kLowest 28% below ME
	Starks and Appleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$148,500±$27kLowest 50% below ME	$235,600±$33kHighest 21% below ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,063±$301Lowest 7% below ME	$1,104±$82Highest 3% below ME
	Appleton and Starks are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,348Lowest 56% below ME	$3,588Highest 18% above ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	45.5%±90.3Lowest ME: 48.4%	85.4%±100Highest ME: 48.4%
	Appleton and Starks are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	19.2%Highest ME: 10.7%	9.7%Lowest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	90%Highest ME: 74.3%	82.6%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1988 11 yrs newer than ME	1988 11 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	33 minHighest 33% above ME	30 minLowest 23% above ME
Work from home	3.3%±2.4Lowest ME: 15.9%	11.1%±3.5Highest ME: 15.9%
Schools
School district	—	Appleton Public Schools
High school 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.