Best PlacesDowntown Appleton, Appleton, WI Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Downtown Appleton, Appleton, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Several measures below read low, and the ranked lists name which ones. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
Downtown Appleton, Appleton ranks 2,931st of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on cheap car insurance by a wide margin, and distance from a big city ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in Downtown Appleton, Appleton
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
Downtown Appleton, Appleton's strengths and weaknesses
Where Downtown Appleton, Appleton ranks high
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than 99% of neighborhoods
- Heat safetyBetter than 95% of neighborhoods
- Internet speedBetter than 95% of neighborhoods
- Short commute17.0 minutes each way, better than 93% of neighborhoods
- Disaster safetyBetter than 88% of neighborhoods
Where Downtown Appleton, Appleton ranks low
- Big-city accessBetter than only 9% of neighborhoods
- Household income$47,650 median, better than only 13% of neighborhoods
- Low property taxBetter than only 17% of neighborhoods
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than only 21% of neighborhoods
- School gradeC−, better than only 26% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in Downtown Appleton, Appleton
A household needs to earn about $57,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Downtown Appleton, Appleton home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $47,650, so buying stretches a typical household.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses Downtown Appleton, Appleton's effective rate of 1.48%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices, buying tends to cost more than renting for about the first 8 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in Downtown Appleton, Appleton
Downtown Appleton, Appleton runs younger than the country, and households here run smaller than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for Downtown Appleton, Appleton.
Who works in Downtown Appleton, Appleton, and how
Work in Downtown Appleton, Appleton centers on retail trade and hospitality & food. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 69%
- Work from home 21%
- Transit, walk, or bike 10%
Life in Downtown Appleton, Appleton
Downtown Appleton, Appleton has more restaurants and bars per resident than 82% of neighborhoods. That concentrates in some parts of Downtown Appleton, Appleton and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in Downtown Appleton, Appleton, month by month
Downtown Appleton, Appleton sees roughly 197 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 81 degrees. January highs sit near 27, with lows near 16. The comfortable stretch runs May through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 27° | 21° | 16° |
| April | 54° | 44° | 36° |
| July | 81° | 72° | 63° |
| October | 59° | 50° | 43° |
Flying in and out of Downtown Appleton, Appleton
The nearest airport, Appleton International, is about 6 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is General Mitchell International, about 95 miles away.
The best schools in and around Downtown Appleton, Appleton
Schools across Downtown Appleton, Appleton average a C−, better than 26% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Franklin ElementaryC · 33% proficient
- Jefferson ElementaryC · 32% proficient
- Edison ElementaryC− · 27% proficient
Top middle schools
- Einstein MiddleB · 45% proficient
- Wilson MiddleD+ · 24% proficient
Top high schools
- North HighC · 35% proficient
- West HighD · 22% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Downtown Appleton, Appleton school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Downtown Appleton, Appleton measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare Downtown Appleton, Appleton against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in Downtown Appleton, Appleton
Is Downtown Appleton, Appleton a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Downtown Appleton, Appleton ranks 2,931st of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on cheap car insurance, heat safety, and fast internet, and lowest on distance from a big city and low incomes. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Downtown Appleton, Appleton expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $198,105. The overall cost of living runs about 15% below the national average. Set against a $47,650 median income, cost of living beats 21% of neighborhoods.
Is Downtown Appleton, Appleton safe?
Downtown Appleton, Appleton is safer than 50% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $540 per resident a year.
Compare Downtown Appleton, Appleton with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Downtown Appleton, Appleton. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Downtown Appleton, Appleton represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
Downtown Appleton, Appleton detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Downtown Appleton, Appleton: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Downtown Appleton, Appleton: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Downtown Appleton, Appleton: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Downtown Appleton, Appleton: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Downtown Appleton, Appleton detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.