What stands out worked out from the figures below

Whitefield has the highest household income ($74k).

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	Whitefield	Appleton
People
Population	2,157Highest	1,360Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4.7%Lowest ME: +2.6%	+7.2%Highest ME: +2.6%
Median age	51.9±5.2Highest 16% above ME	49.2±7.4Lowest 10% above ME
	Whitefield and Appleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.6%±4.7Highest ME: 18.1%	15.3%±2.7Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Whitefield and Appleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	29.1%±4.6Highest ME: 22.4%	26.1%±9.3Lowest ME: 22.4%
	Whitefield and Appleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	32.7%Lowest ME: 36.2%	34.1%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4%±2Highest ME: 5.8%	3.7%±2.4Lowest ME: 5.8%
	Whitefield and Appleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$73,875±$10kHighest about the ME average	$53,618±$19kLowest 28% below ME
	Whitefield and Appleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$242,300±$24kHighest 18% below ME	$235,600±$33kLowest 21% below ME
	Whitefield and Appleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$895±$126Lowest 21% below ME	$1,104±$82Highest 3% below ME
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,366Lowest 22% below ME	$3,588Highest 18% above ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	33.3%±22.1Lowest ME: 48.4%	85.4%±100Highest ME: 48.4%
	Appleton and Whitefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.1%Lowest ME: 10.7%	9.7%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	91.5%Highest ME: 74.3%	82.6%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1983Lowest 6 yrs newer than ME	1988Highest 11 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minHighest 23% above ME	30 minLowest 23% above ME
Work from home	13.5%±6.8Highest ME: 15.9%	11.1%±3.5Lowest ME: 15.9%
	Whitefield and Appleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	RSU 12	Appleton Public Schools
High school in town	None 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.