What stands out worked out from the figures below

Whiting has the shortest commute (22 min average).

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	Whiting	Appleton
People
Population	506Lowest	1,360Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+7.2% ME: +2.6%
Median age	50±5Highest 12% above ME	49.2±7.4Lowest 10% above ME
	Whiting and Appleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.8%±4.8Highest ME: 18.1%	15.3%±2.7Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Whiting and Appleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	27.5%±6.1Highest ME: 22.4%	26.1%±9.3Lowest ME: 22.4%
	Whiting and Appleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	34.9%Highest ME: 36.2%	34.1%Lowest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.8%±1.8Lowest ME: 5.8%	3.7%±2.4Highest ME: 5.8%
	Appleton and Whiting are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$55,263±$2kHighest 26% below ME	$53,618±$19kLowest 28% below ME
	Whiting and Appleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$214,200±$52kLowest 28% below ME	$235,600±$33kHighest 21% below ME
	Appleton and Whiting are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$600±$333Lowest 47% below ME	$1,104±$82Highest 3% below ME
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,728Lowest 43% below ME	$3,588Highest 18% above ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	33.3%±100Lowest ME: 48.4%	85.4%±100Highest ME: 48.4%
	Appleton and Whiting are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.3%Lowest ME: 10.7%	9.7%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	93.6%Highest ME: 74.3%	82.6%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1981Lowest 4 yrs newer than ME	1988Highest 11 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	22 minLowest 10% below ME	30 minHighest 23% above ME
Work from home	5.1%±2.8Lowest ME: 15.9%	11.1%±3.5Highest ME: 15.9%
	Appleton and Whiting are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Whiting Public Schools	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.