Metro Life Score
Appleton, WI
Above-median composite Life Score — grade B, 63rd percentile of the national corpus.
- 52.6
- Life Score / 100
- B
- Grade (curved)
- #144
- of 387 metros
- 63%
- composite percentile
Data updated August 2026
Verify: BEA · BLS · HUD · FBI · NCES · EPA · Census · Report a data issue · Data changelog
The verdict
Appleton is above-median composite Life Score — #144 of 387 (52.6/100, grade B, 63rd percentile). Carried by safety at 69/100; held back most by environment at 23/100.
- 63rd
- composite percentile
- #144
- of 387 peers
- 60th
- cost dimension percentile
- 57th
- wages dimension percentile
Life Score shape · MID · SAFE-LED · signature composite
Appleton: mid-curve composite with a readable shape
Appleton is a mid-curve MID · SAFE-LED metro (composite #144, 52.6/100, 63rd percentile). Cost MID (60th) · wages MID (57th). Strongest safety 69/100; weakest environment 23/100; dimension gap 46. According to PlainCompare's federal Life Score corpus ranking, Appleton, WI ranks #144 of 387 metros by composite Life Score (highest = #1) and #154 of 387 by cost-of-living dimension score (highest = #1). Methodology.
BEA RPP 92.4 (rent-RPP 70.8). BLS median salary $65,438, 117,960 jobs (Retail Salespersons, Fast Food and Counter Workers, Home Health and Personal Care Aides). HUD 2BR FMR $1,236/mo (studio $858).
FBI UCR (WI): 280 violent, 1157 property/100K. NCES: 14.1:1 ratio, 10.6% charter. DOL infant childcare $11,256/yr. EPA: 46 Superfund sites (WI).
Where Appleton sits among all US metros
Composite Life Score vs the national field
53 63rd percentile higher than 63% of 387 US metros
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US metros. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source PlainCompare composite of BEA, BLS, HUD, FBI, NCES, DOL, EPA data · August 2026
How the 52.6 is built
Appleton's Life Score, decomposed
Dimension detail
How Appleton scores, dimension by dimension
Score Breakdown
Dimension Scores
Key Data Points
Geography used: crime, schools, childcare, and environment cards above are WI state-level when metro-specific feeds are unavailable, see the scope key at the top of this page.
Compare Appleton With...
Ranking Context
Appleton outranks 63% of U.S. metros.
| Rank | Metro | Score | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| #141 | Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL | 52.7 | B |
| #142 | Springfield, OH | 52.9 | B |
| #143 | Madison, WI | 52.9 | B |
| #144 | Appleton, WI | 52.6 | B |
| #145 | Joplin, MO-KS | 52.6 | B |
| #146 | Fayetteville, NC | 52.5 | B |
| #147 | Slidell-Mandeville-Covington, LA | 52.5 | B |
Quality vs. Affordability
Appleton, WI's quality rank (top 37% highest-quality) and affordability rank (top 40% most affordable) sit close together -- an unusually proportionate metro where overall quality and cost-of-living move together.
WI Metro Scores
Read with Appleton
Nearest composite peers and cost poles for Appleton (MID · SAFE-LED · MID/MID), replacing the fixed Explore/Guides strip.
Joplin, MO-KS
ABS(composite) peer at 52.6 (Δ 0.0 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B vs this page's MID · SAFE-LED · MID/MID.
Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL
ABS(composite) peer at 52.7 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B vs this page's MID · SAFE-LED · MID/MID.
Fayetteville, NC
ABS(composite) peer at 52.5 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); lower Life Score · grade B vs this page's MID · SAFE-LED · MID/MID.
Slidell-Mandeville-Covington, LA
ABS(composite) peer at 52.5 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); lower Life Score · grade B vs this page's MID · SAFE-LED · MID/MID.
Niles, MI (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 61/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp MID vs this metro's MID.
San Angelo, TX (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 60/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp MID vs this metro's MID.
Appleton, WI relocation guide
Stamp-branched guide for MID · SAFE-LED · MID/MID - how to read federal Life Score inputs before a move.
Using Appleton's middle-third Life Score
Appleton scores 52.6/100 overall, but Safety (68.9) and Environment (23.1) sit 45.9 points apart, so decide which of the two matters more to you before leaning on the total.
- Safety is the strongest of Appleton's seven dimensions (weighted 15% in the composite); if it is your priority, this is where the metro earns its rank. See all seven dimensions
- Environment is the weakest (weighted 10% in the composite); if it is a dealbreaker, weigh it before the ranking does. Rank metros on the composite
- Oshkosh is the nearest comparison this page can offer; put the two side by side on the same seven dimensions. Compare with Oshkosh
A middle-third composite is a weighted blend; individual dimensions can sit well above or below it.