What stands out worked out from the figures below

Trenton has the most expensive homes ($357k median).

Appleton has the most affordable homes ($236k median).

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	Trenton	Appleton
People
Population	1,599Highest	1,360Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+7%Lowest ME: +2.6%	+7.2%Highest ME: +2.6%
Median age	43.5±7.7Lowest about the ME average	49.2±7.4Highest 10% above ME
	Appleton and Trenton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.1%±4.5Highest ME: 18.1%	15.3%±2.7Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Trenton and Appleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	25.5%±4.2Lowest ME: 22.4%	26.1%±9.3Highest ME: 22.4%
	Appleton and Trenton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	42.3%Highest ME: 36.2%	34.1%Lowest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.2%±2.9Highest ME: 5.8%	3.7%±2.4Lowest ME: 5.8%
	Trenton and Appleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$60,455±$13kHighest 19% below ME	$53,618±$19kLowest 28% below ME
	Trenton and Appleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$357,400±$36kHighest 20% above ME	$235,600±$33kLowest 21% below ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,102±$241Lowest 3% below ME	$1,104±$82Highest 3% below ME
	Appleton and Trenton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,310Lowest 24% below ME	$3,588Highest 18% above ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	50.3%±20.4Lowest ME: 48.4%	85.4%±100Highest ME: 48.4%
	Appleton and Trenton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	18.2%Highest ME: 10.7%	9.7%Lowest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	77.4%Lowest ME: 74.3%	82.6%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1991Highest 14 yrs newer than ME	1988Lowest 11 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minLowest 17% above ME	30 minHighest 23% above ME
Work from home	11.3%±4.9Highest ME: 15.9%	11.1%±3.5Lowest ME: 15.9%
	Trenton and Appleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Trenton Public Schools	Appleton Public Schools
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.