With 245,768 residents, Appleton, WI ranks 195th among the 387 metropolitan areas. Households, home values, education, business density, and which trades are already crowded, all from Census data.
The metropolitan statistical area is centered on Appleton, Wisconsin.
Income in Appleton, WI: a median of $85,825 per household against $80,734 nationally, so 6 percent above the national figure. Home values tell their own story; here the median is $268,900, 19 percent below the national figure.
Homeownership is 73.3% here, 8 points above the US share; that is the pool of people who hire roofers, plumbers and landscapers rather than calling a landlord. The share of adults with a bachelor's or above is 32.8%, 3 points below the US share. A older-than-average population: median age 39.4, 0.5 years above the national median. The unemployment rate stands at 2.6%, 3 points below the US share.
One more comparison, this time with Wisconsin: median income 11 percent higher than the Wisconsin figure, median home value about the same as the Wisconsin figure, business density 4 percent denser than the Wisconsin figure.
How crowded is the market overall? Appleton, WI has 6,272 employer establishments. Business density is a first proxy for competition: 25.5 per 1,000 residents, in line with the national figure. The busiest category listed below is restaurants (418 establishments). The home-services slice is 413 establishments, 6.6% of the base, 2 points above the US share.
| Category | Locations | Per 100k people | Local ÷ US share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Concrete foundation and structure contractors | 49 | 19.9 | 2.80× |
| Highway, street and bridge construction | 12 | 4.9 | 1.73× |
| Roofing contractors | 30 | 12.2 | 1.57× |
| Beauty salons | 93 | 37.8 | 1.47× |
| Electrical contractors | 89 | 36.2 | 1.42× |
| Automobile dealers | 48 | 19.5 | 1.36× |
| General automotive repair | 86 | 35 | 1.35× |
| Other specialty trade contractors (paving, asphalt, fencing) | 43 | 17.5 | 1.34× |
| Personal care services (all) | 152 | 61.8 | 1.26× |
| Plumbing, heating and air-conditioning contractors | 101 | 41.1 | 1.21× |
| Landscaping services | 101 | 41.1 | 1.14× |
| Physicians' offices | 159 | 64.7 | 0.97× |
| General freight trucking | 80 | 32.6 | 0.91× |
| Restaurants and other eating places | 418 | 170.1 | 0.90× |
| Dentists | 84 | 34.2 | 0.83× |
| Child day care services | 42 | 17.1 | 0.68× |
| Legal services | 63 | 25.6 | 0.46× |
| Lessors of real estate (all) | 47 | 19.1 | 0.46× |
| Grocery and convenience retailers | 29 | 11.8 | 0.39× |
| Self-storage facilities | 4 | 1.6 | 0.29× |
The last column divides the local share of establishments by the national share (1.00 = the same mix as the US).
Relative to the national mix, concrete contractors, road and paving contractors, roofing contractors and beauty salons take up an outsized slice of the Appleton, WI business base. Concrete contractors are the clearest case: 49 establishments, 2.8 times the share they hold nationally. The thin end of the table is self-storage operators, grocery stores, legal services and real estate lessors. Self-storage operators are the clearest gap with 4 establishments, about 29% of the share they hold across the US. Roughly where the national mix would put them: landscaping services, physicians' offices and restaurants.
Three categories dominate by count: restaurants at 418, physicians' offices at 159 and personal care services at 152. Per 100,000 residents: restaurants 170.1, followed by physicians' offices and personal care services. By sector, the home-services trades are the most over-represented at 1.4 times the US share; legal services are the least, at about half of.
A crowded category like concrete contractors, road and paving contractors and roofing contractors rewards precision: exact-match search terms, service-area fencing, Local Services Ads where the trade is eligible, and a Business Profile that is answered daily. Broad campaigns get outspent. With self-storage operators, grocery stores and legal services in short supply, the map pack often has room; a complete listing and a handful of recent reviews can put a business in it. At 73.3% owner-occupied, home-services demand comes straight from residents rather than through landlords. An older-than-average market (median age 0.5 years above the national median) responds to search results, review counts and a phone number that is answered; it is less swayed by feed advertising.
The services that fit this market, given the numbers above. Each links to the full description.
A site assistant that answers questions and captures the lead at any hour.
Campaigns on Google fenced to the service area and judged on booked work.
Management of the Google listing that decides the map pack.
Organic visibility for the searches that do not need an ad to win.
A clean, fast site with one job: make the call happen.
A steady flow of new reviews and a reply on every one of them.
Appleton, WI has 245,768 residents (US Census Bureau ACS 2024 5-year estimate), ranking 195th of 387 metropolitan areas.
The median household income in Appleton, WI is $85,825 (ACS 2024 5-year), above the US median of $80,734.
The Census Bureau counts 6,272 employer establishments in Appleton, WI (County Business Patterns 2023), or 25.5 businesses per 1,000 residents.
The median home value in Appleton, WI is $268,900, and 73.3% of homes are owner-occupied (ACS 2024 5-year).
Measured against the US business mix (County Business Patterns 2023), concrete contractors, road and paving contractors and roofing contractors have more establishments per resident than the US average; self-storage operators, grocery stores and legal services have fewer in Appleton, WI.
One conversation about your trade, your area and your goals; then a written plan.
Data: US Census Bureau ACS 2024 5-year estimates and County Business Patterns 2023. Updated 2026-09-29.