What stands out worked out from the figures below

Waltham has the most people working from home (20.6%).

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	Waltham	Appleton
People
Population	452Lowest	1,360Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+7.2% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	60.8±7.3Highest 56% above U.S.	49.2±7.4Lowest 26% above U.S.
	Waltham and Appleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	12.8%±7.4Lowest U.S.: 22%	15.3%±2.7Highest U.S.: 22%
	Appleton and Waltham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	45.4%±3.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%	26.1%±9.3Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	39%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	34.1%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.1%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	3.7%±2.4Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Appleton and Waltham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$97,500±$14kHighest 21% above U.S.	$53,618±$19kLowest 34% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$329,700±$51kHighest about the U.S. average	$235,600±$33kLowest 29% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,096±$113Lowest 22% below U.S.	$1,104±$82Highest 22% below U.S.
	Appleton and Waltham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,714Highest 83% above U.S.	$3,588Lowest 15% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	29.2%±58.6Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	85.4%±100Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Appleton and Waltham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.3%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	9.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.3%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	82.6%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1986Lowest 6 yrs newer than U.S.	1988Highest 8 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minLowest 5% above U.S.	30 minHighest 14% above U.S.
Work from home	20.6%±5.7Highest U.S.: 15.1%	11.1%±3.5Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
School district	—	Appleton Public Schools
High school 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.