Jobs, pay and daily life in Appleton, from official statistics with source and year on every table.
Click any dot to open that city: jobs, pay, rent, commute, county economy and climate. Dot size follows population; colours follow the state flag.
By AtiveSite · Published 07/11/2026 · Updated 07/11/2026 · Every figure is linked to its source below.
Appleton is a city in Wisconsin with 75,023 residents. The median household earns $80,483 a year and the median rent is $1,030 a month, which is 15.4% of the median household income. It is part of the Appleton, WI metropolitan area, where BLS counts 124,230 jobs.
How Appleton compares. Among the 80 largest places in Wisconsin, Appleton is #6 by population, #26 for rent (#1 = cheapest), #28 for homeownership (#1 = highest), #30 for long commutes (#1 = fewest). Its county, Outagamie County, is #7 of 72 counties for average pay ($61,834).
Appleton has 75,023 residents (ACS 2020–2024), about 1.3% of the population of Wisconsin. It covers 25 square miles of land, which works out to roughly 2,951 people per square mile. The median age is 37.5, 7% younger than the state median (37.5 against 40.2).
The median gross rent is $1,030 a month (rent plus utilities), 5% below the state median ($1,030 against $1,087). Over a year that is 15.4% of the median household income. US housing guidance treats housing as affordable when it takes 30% of income or less, so the typical household is under that line. The median home value is $231,400, which is 2.9 times the median household income ($80,483); a ratio under 4 usually means ownership is within reach for many households. 67.0% of households own their home, about the same as the state average (67.0% against 67.8%).
The Appleton, WI metropolitan area has 124,230 jobs in the BLS wage survey, and the median pay across all occupations is $49,910 a year, about the same as the national median ($49,910 against $50,980). The biggest occupation groups are production (15,030 jobs, median $50,140); office and administrative support (13,780 jobs, median $47,100); sales and related (12,150 jobs, median $38,070). The area is most specialised in production (2.2 times) and construction and extraction (1.4 times), where the share of workers is well above the national share. The best-paying groups with at least 5,000 jobs are management ($119,890) and healthcare practitioners and technical ($84,850). In 2026M09 the unemployment rate of Outagamie County was 2.6%. 68.6% of residents aged 16 and over are in the labour force. The city lies in Outagamie County; its jobs, pay by industry and GDP are on the county page.
Among workers, 74.4% drive alone, 0.7% use public transit, 2.4% walk, 12.6% work from home. 6.0% of workers commute 45 minutes or more, 41% below the state average (6.0% against 10.2%).
38.2% of adults aged 25 and over hold a bachelor's degree or higher, 14% above the state share (38.2% against 33.4%). 7.2% of residents were born outside the United States, 38% above the state share (7.2% against 5.2%). The poverty rate is 8.3%, 22% below the state rate (8.3% against 10.6%).
The warmest month is Jul, averaging 71°F (21.6°C), and the coolest is Jan at 18°F (-8.0°C). About 878 mm (35 inches) of precipitation falls in a year; Jun is the wettest month (113 mm) and Jan the driest (34 mm). These values come from NASA satellite-based climatology on a grid of about 50 km, so they describe the wider area, not a weather station in the city.
Closest cities in this guide: Menasha (5 miles, rent 12% lower); Fox Crossing (6 miles, similar rent); Kaukauna (6 miles, rent 5% higher); Harrison (8 miles, rent 38% higher). Rent differences are against Appleton; use the Compare tab to put any two cities side by side.
Federal jobs in Wisconsin (285) →State guide: WisconsinCountry guideOutagamie CountyWisconsin rankings
These links go to official sources and open in a new window. The first one is the government's or company's own site as listed in Wikidata (property "official website"); check it before relying on it.
There are 285 federal postings open in Wisconsin (USAJOBS, state level; we do not have a city filter for them). Private-sector jobs are not in this feed.
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| Occupation ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Location quotient ⇅ | Median pay (year) ⇅ | Entry (10th pct.) ⇅ | Top (90th pct.) ⇅ | Median vs US ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail Salespersons | 3,610 | 1.16 | $34,540 | $27,480 | $47,410 | -2% |
| Fast Food and Counter Workers | 3,150 | 1.02 | $29,010 | $22,400 | $35,870 | -7% |
| Home Health and Personal Care Aides | 2,820 | 0.82 | $37,010 | $29,700 | $43,870 | +3% |
| Cashiers | 2,750 | 1.11 | $31,610 | $23,230 | $37,540 | -4% |
| Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand | 2,610 | 1.11 | $43,610 | $32,230 | $56,150 | +8% |
| Customer Service Representatives | 2,540 | 1.22 | $45,760 | $35,120 | $62,130 | +2% |
| Registered Nurses | 2,310 | 0.85 | $86,680 | $74,340 | $109,030 | -11% |
| Office Clerks, General | 2,260 | 1.15 | $45,640 | $30,660 | $63,190 | +1% |
| Stockers and Order Fillers | 2,000 | 0.88 | $34,430 | $29,280 | $48,460 | -8% |
| Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers | 1,980 | 1.20 | $58,730 | $46,440 | $75,510 | +0% |
| Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners | 1,790 | 1.02 | $36,700 | $29,910 | $46,910 | -0% |
| Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators | 1,650 | 1.47 | $45,670 | $36,030 | $61,790 | +2% |
| General and Operations Managers | 1,640 | 0.58 | $109,890 | $58,740 | $231,420 | +4% |
| Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products | 1,640 | 1.66 | $63,840 | $38,250 | $124,110 | -11% |
| Waiters and Waitresses | 1,490 | 0.82 | $30,370 | $17,270 | $64,690 | -14% |
| Food Batchmakers | 1,420 | 10.15 | $49,390 | $35,480 | $59,060 | +17% |
| Maintenance and Repair Workers, General | 1,340 | 1.10 | $57,420 | $36,770 | $76,360 | +16% |
| First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers | 1,240 | 2.30 | $77,240 | $55,160 | $102,190 | +4% |
| Bartenders | 1,230 | 2.04 | $23,330 | $17,270 | $42,000 | -32% |
| Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive | 1,180 | 0.87 | $47,940 | $36,670 | $60,830 | +1% |
These figures are for the whole Appleton, WI metropolitan area, not the city alone.
Median pay across all occupations: $49,910 (US $50,980); unemployment 2.5% (2026M09).
| Industry (residents) ⇅ | Share of employed residents ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Education and health care | 22.4% |
| Manufacturing | 20.6% |
| Professional, scientific, management, administrative | 11.0% |
| Retail trade | 11.0% |
| Arts, entertainment, accommodation, food | 8.3% |
| Finance, insurance, real estate | 7.0% |
| Transportation, warehousing, utilities | 4.7% |
| Construction | 4.5% |
| Other services | 3.9% |
| Wholesale trade | 2.2% |
| Public administration | 2.1% |
| Information | 1.9% |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing, mining | 0.3% |
Cities have no official GDP or payroll count of their own. These figures are for the county (the first of several) where Appleton lies and cover the whole county, not only the city. The city also extends into Calumet County, Winnebago County.
| County ⇅ | Population ⇅ | GDP (2024) ⇅ | GDP per resident ⇅ | Jobs (QCEW 2024) ⇅ | Employer sites ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Job change vs 2023 ⇅ | Unemployment rate ⇅ | Labour force ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Outagamie County | 192,826 | $17,224 million | $89,323 | 108,592 | 6,053 | $61,834 | +0.8% | 2.6% | 106,354 |
| Calumet County | 52,942 | $2,315 million | $43,720 | 16,250 | 1,007 | $51,037 | -1.8% | 2.4% | 29,999 |
| Winnebago County | 171,769 | $13,881 million | $80,813 | 93,556 | 4,383 | $64,380 | +0.8% | 2.7% | 91,902 |
| Industry ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Share of private jobs ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Concentration vs US (location quotient) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 20,122 | 20.7% | $73,256 | 2.26 |
| Health care and social assistance | 14,145 | 14.5% | $63,280 | 0.91 |
| Retail trade | 11,985 | 12.3% | $35,443 | 1.11 |
| Accommodation and food services | 8,922 | 9.2% | $21,266 | 0.90 |
| Construction | 8,896 | 9.1% | $89,620 | 1.56 |
| Administrative and waste services | 6,996 | 7.2% | $51,495 | 1.09 |
| Wholesale trade | 5,206 | 5.3% | $88,460 | 1.22 |
| Finance and insurance | 4,328 | 4.4% | $93,311 | 0.98 |
| Professional and technical services | 4,204 | 4.3% | $92,483 | 0.56 |
| Other services (except public administration) | 3,880 | 4.0% | $41,287 | 1.19 |
| Transportation and warehousing | 3,425 | 3.5% | $56,902 | 0.74 |
| Arts, entertainment, recreation | 1,454 | 1.5% | $18,269 | 0.80 |
| Educational services | 1,195 | 1.2% | $42,874 | 0.53 |
| Real estate and rental | 979 | 1.0% | $56,880 | 0.58 |
| Management of companies | 770 | 0.8% | $150,650 | 0.42 |
| Information | 685 | 0.7% | $76,057 | 0.34 |
| Utilities | 181 | 0.2% | $116,160 | 0.44 |
QCEW counts jobs covered by unemployment insurance; sectors with too few employers are withheld by BLS. Latest-month unemployment is preliminary.
| How residents get to work ⇅ | Share ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Drive alone | 74.4% |
| Public transit | 0.7% |
| Walk | 2.4% |
| Work from home | 12.6% |
| Commute of 45 minutes or more | 6.0% |
Shares are of workers aged 16 and over; they describe residents, wherever they work.
| Indicator ⇅ | Value ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Median household income | $80,483 |
| Income per person | $50,397 |
| Median gross rent per month | $1,030 |
| Yearly rent as share of median household income | 15.4% |
| Median home value | $231,400 |
| Homeowners | 67.0% |
| Poverty rate | 8.3% |
| Price level of the metro area (US = 100) | 92.4 |
| Metro median pay, all occupations | $49,910 |
Estimate for a wage earner: 2026 federal brackets and standard deduction (IRS), Social Security 6.2% up to $184,500, Medicare 1.45% (+0.9% above $200,000 single / $250,000 married), and a state rate you set; graduated states show 0 until you enter your own estimate. It ignores credits, pre-tax deductions, local taxes and benefits. Sources: IRS: tax year 2026 inflation adjustments · SSA wage base per Federal Register notice 2025-19763.
State tax: Graduated, top rate 7.65%.
| Indicator ⇅ | Value ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Median age | 37.5 |
| High school or higher (25+) | 94.8% |
| Bachelor's degree or higher (25+) | 38.2% |
| Born abroad | 7.2% |
| Labour force participation (16+) | 68.6% |
Work permits are federal: see permits and first steps.
| Month ⇅ | Mean temperature (°C) ⇅ | Mean temperature (°F) ⇅ | Precipitation (mm) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | -8.0 | 18 | 34 |
| Feb | -7.1 | 19 | 35 |
| Mar | -0.6 | 31 | 54 |
| Apr | 5.6 | 42 | 86 |
| May | 12.1 | 54 | 102 |
| Jun | 17.9 | 64 | 113 |
| Jul | 21.6 | 71 | 89 |
| Aug | 21.0 | 70 | 89 |
| Sep | 16.9 | 62 | 85 |
| Oct | 9.2 | 49 | 87 |
| Nov | 2.3 | 36 | 53 |
| Dec | -4.5 | 24 | 51 |
Satellite-reanalysis climatology on a grid of roughly 50 km, so it smooths local effects (hills, coast, city heat). It is not a weather-station record.
| City ⇅ | State ⇅ | Distance (straight line) ⇅ | Population ⇅ | Median household income ⇅ | Median rent ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Menasha | WI | 5 mi | 18,273 | $64,698 | $903 |
| Fox Crossing | WI | 6 mi | 19,131 | $79,187 | $1,009 |
| Kaukauna | WI | 6 mi | 17,706 | $80,365 | $1,083 |
| Harrison | WI | 8 mi | 13,658 | $121,504 | $1,422 |
| Neenah | WI | 9 mi | 27,336 | $75,374 | $1,006 |
| De Pere | WI | 19 mi | 25,301 | $84,869 | $1,053 |
| Oshkosh | WI | 20 mi | 66,729 | $62,188 | $935 |
| Ashwaubenon | WI | 20 mi | 17,314 | $69,667 | $964 |
| Allouez | WI | 22 mi | 13,975 | $91,250 | $1,114 |
| Bellevue | WI | 25 mi | 16,442 | $84,672 | $1,154 |
Straight-line distance in miles, not driving distance.
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vs
75,023 (Census Bureau ACS 2020–2024 5-year estimate).
$1,030 a month (ACS 2020–2024), which is 15.4% of the median household income.
$80,483 (ACS 2020–2024, in 2024 dollars).
2.6% (BLS county, Outagamie County (latest month 2026M09)).
Wisconsin. See the state guide for minimum wage, taxes and pay.