Green Bay vs Appleton
The short version
- Overall prices are about the same in both metro areas (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $207,200 in Green Bay and $231,400 in Appleton.
- Households earn more in Appleton ($80,483 vs $66,206 median).
Side by side
| Green Bay, WI | Appleton, WI | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 106,675 | 75,452 |
| Growth since 2020 | -0.6% | -0.3% |
| People per square mile | 2,346 | 2,968 |
| Median age | 36.0 | 37.5 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 27% | 38% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $66,206 | $80,483 |
| Median home value | $207,200 | $231,400 |
| Home value to income | 3.1× | 2.9× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $932 | $1,030 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 93.1 | 92.4 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 74.7 | 70.8 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $69,800 | $69,300 |
| Homeowners | 58% | 67% |
| Top state income tax | 7.65% | 7.65% |
| Combined sales tax | 5.72% | 5.72% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 19.2 | 19.3 |
| Work from home | 11% | 13% |
| Take public transit | 1% | 1% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 3.7% | 3.5% |
| Poverty rate | 14.7% | 8.3% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 26° / 11° | 25° / 10° |
| July high / low | 81° / 60° | 82° / 61° |
| Precipitation per year | 32 in | 33 in |
| Snowfall per year | 56 in | 49 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 6 | 6 |
| Nights below freezing | 152 | 157 |
| Comfortable months | 5 | 4 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively Moderate | Relatively Low |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 90.0 | 79.7 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 72% | 72% |
| Home prices, past year | +5% | +5.1% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +59.7% | +56.8% |
Highlighted cells are the better value where "better" is clear (lower prices, higher income, shorter commutes). Sources: Census Bureau 2025 estimates and ACS 2020-2024, BEA 2024, NOAA 1991-2020, Tax Foundation 2026.
Weather, month by month
Most comfortable months: Green Bay: May to September. Appleton: May and July to September.
Full monthly tables: Green Bay weather by month and Appleton weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $69,800 in Green Bay and $69,300 in Appleton. Moving from Green Bay to Appleton, you would need about $74,500 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Green Bay and Appleton
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Green Bay and Appleton.
Which would you pick?
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