Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 1,361, laid out in 1872.
Appleton’s best subject grades are an A+ for cost of living and an A for safety and walkability; its weakest is a D− for incomes. Appleton City Hall is on the National Register of Historic Places. Appleton's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 83% of U.S. towns. Appleton has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Appleton beats most towns.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Minnesota), ordered by how far Appleton is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 400 in 1880, a peak of 2,871 in 2000, 1,392 in 2020. The archive holds 11 old photos and papers going back to 1895 and 2 maps from 1958 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Appleton, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Appleton.
In Appleton, the typical rent is $717 a month. Values rose 5.6% in the 12 months to September 2026. Among households in the town, 69% own their home.
| Appleton | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $717 a month | $1,196 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 69% | 75% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its one school is below. The public schools here belong to the Lac qui Parle Valley Schools. Appleton’s only public school teaches 230 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appleton-Milan ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–4 | Grades PK–4 | 230 | C− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MN on state tests and graduation
Appleton’s violent crime rate is 0.7 per 1,000 residents, below both Minnesota’s towns (1.1) and U.S. towns (1.6).
| Appleton | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.7 per 1,000 residents | 8.7 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.7 per 1,000 residents | 1.1 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
In Appleton, 31% of adults feel lonely, near the Minnesota town median (30%) and below the median of U.S. towns (33%). The share of adults in Appleton who have high blood pressure: 39%. This Minnesota town does better than the Minnesota average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and worse on 18. Among 272 Minnesota towns, just 9 have a higher share of adults who report frequent physical distress than Appleton.
| Appleton | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 31% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 10% | 12% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 23% | 25% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 14% | 14% |
| What stands out | Appleton | MN |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 80.5% | 76.1% |
| More adults with COPD | 8.4% | 5.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Compared with 71% of U.S. communities, expected storm and flood damage in Appleton is lower. Expected losses in Appleton break down as 41% from inland flooding and 22% from cold waves. Federal disaster aid has reached households in Appleton after 2 declared disasters, most recently in 2022.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Among 275 Minnesota towns, just 8 have a higher peak summer temperature than Appleton. July afternoons reach 83°, January nights drop to 3° and about 51 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Only 2 of the 274 Minnesota towns we compare have a lower typical household income than Appleton. 30% of working residents work locally in the town. The top destinations are Montevideo (5%), Morris (5%) and Hantho Township (5%). For half of commuters, work is under 22 miles away.
| Appleton | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 28% | 7% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 30% | 9.8% | 8% |
| Median household income | $44,000 | $90,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Appleton’s concentration of trails comes in at 0.8 miles per square mile. 1.5 miles of trail.
| Appleton | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.8 miles per square mile | 0.5 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 0.6% | 4.7% | 4.3% |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Appleton; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 Appleton residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Minnesota.
8 notable people were born in Appleton.
City in Minnesota, United States
Appleton is a city in Swift County, Minnesota, United States. Its population was 1,392 at the 2020 census. The town is home to a vacant medium-security prison, the Prairie Correctional Facility, which is wholly owned and operated by Corrections Corporation of America. Appleton also includes a plant-protein factory operated by Eat Just, Inc. Elmer A. Benson, who served as a United States Senator and as governor of Minnesota, was born in Appleton on September 22, 1895. All of its twenty-odd streets, except Minnesota Street, are named for local veterans who died in combat.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Appleton was laid out in 1872 and has 1 place on the National Register of Historic Places. 8 notable people were born here, including Elmer Austin Benson and Clinton Sundberg.
