What stands out worked out from the figures below

Wells River has the most renters (52.1% rent).

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	Wells River	Appleton
People
Population	340Lowest	1,360Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+7.2% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	42.7±12.7Lowest 10% above U.S.	49.2±7.4Highest 26% above U.S.
	Appleton and Wells River are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.1%±6.5Highest U.S.: 22%	15.3%±2.7Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Wells River and Appleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	19.4%±3.5Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	26.1%±9.3Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Appleton and Wells River are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	16.3%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	34.1%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	0.6%±3.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	3.7%±2.4Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Appleton and Wells River are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$38,688±$5kLowest 52% below U.S.	$53,618±$19kHighest 34% below U.S.
	Appleton and Wells River are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$170,800±$103kLowest 49% below U.S.	$235,600±$33kHighest 29% below U.S.
	Appleton and Wells River are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$900±$336Lowest 36% below U.S.	$1,104±$82Highest 22% below U.S.
	Appleton and Wells River are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,154Highest 33% above U.S.	$3,588Lowest 15% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	47.6%±14.8Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	85.4%±100Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Appleton and Wells River are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	38.8%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	9.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	47.9%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	82.6%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1938Lowest 42 yrs older than U.S.	1988Highest 8 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	34 minHighest 27% above U.S.	30 minLowest 14% above U.S.
Work from home	5.2%±9.3Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	11.1%±3.5Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Appleton and Wells River are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
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.