Side-by-side relocation research with housing, income, commute, career, lifestyle, and friction signals. Green marks the strongest metric in each row; red marks the weakest.
Appleton, WI
Home
$302,027
Rent
$1,189/mo
Income
$80,483
Pop.
75,344
Career
75
Remote
42
Madison, WI
Home
$429,253
Rent
$1,697/mo
Income
$78,050
Pop.
285,300
Career
97
Remote
51
Wausau, WI
Home
$243,982
Rent
$1,007/mo
Income
$64,389
Pop.
40,262
Career
76
Remote
42
| Metric | Appleton, WI | Madison, WI | Wausau, WI |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 75,344 | 285,300 | 40,262 |
| Population growth / yr | -0.1% | +1.4% | +0.2% |
| Median home value | $302,027 | $429,253 | $243,982 |
| Median rent | $1,189/mo | $1,697/mo | $1,007/mo |
| Median household income | $80,483 | $78,050 | $64,389 |
| Home value YoY | +7.4% | +2.2% | +8.7% |
| 5-year home CAGR | +9.2% | +5.8% | +8.3% |
| Off 5-year peak | +0.0% | -0.0% | +0.0% |
| Momentum score | 76 | 71 | 79 |
| Career fit | 75 | 97 | 76 |
| Remote-work fit | 42 | 51 | 42 |
| Average commute | 21 min | 21 min | 17 min |
| Traffic friction | 29 | 33 | 21 |
| Public transit gap | 95 | 63 | 95 |
| Outdoors fit | 33 | 33 | 33 |
| Dating scene proxy | 34 | 66 | 27 |
Best-fit read
- Wausau, WI tends to score better for lower purchase budget.
- Wausau, WI tends to score better for lower rent.
- Appleton, WI tends to score better for higher local income.
- Madison, WI tends to score better for career momentum.
- Madison, WI tends to score better for remote-work fit.
Use this next
Open the city profiles for neighborhood, market, and state context, or build a custom comparison with different cities.