akashic
1876–2024
Appleton, WI·Wisconsin

Appleton, WI delivered R+12 in 2024.

Fox River corridor where manufacturing wages still shape the margin

1876 — 2024·38 elections
WI
LatestR+12in 2024
TypologyIndustrial Catholic Metrocluster typology
Population245,7682024 ACS

Appleton, WI, Wisconsin: Industrial Catholic Metro metro. In 2024, voted R+12%. Republican peak: R+57 in 1920.

Key facts

2024 presidential margin
R+12MIT Election Lab
Political typology
Industrial Catholic MetroAkashic typology
Population
245,7682024 5-year
Median household income
$85,8752024 5-year
White (non-Hispanic)
86.3%2024 5-year
Black
1.5%2024 5-year
Hispanic / Latino
5.4%2024 5-year
Peak Democratic margin
D+37 in 1932MIT Election Lab
Peak Republican margin
R+57 in 1920MIT Election Lab
2024 presidential election
Appleton, WI
TrumpR+12
—
2024 presidential margin by county for Appleton, WI, WIA map of the constituent counties of Appleton, WI, WI, each outlined and filled by its 2024 presidential margin from deep red (Republican) through neutral to deep blue (Democratic).Outagamie County, WI · R+10Calumet County, WI · R+20
How it voted
Share of the 2024 vote
Donald Trump ✓Republican55.4%80,315
Kamala HarrisDemocratic43.1%62,365
OtherAll other candidates1.5%2,168
D+60
R+60
2 counties, each filled by 2024 D-vs-R margin. Hover any county for its result.
presidential history
Presidential margin, 1876–2024
Democratic minus Republican, by election
Presidential margin over timeDemocratic-minus-Republican presidential margin from 1876 to 2024. Most recent: −12.4% in 2024.flipped R · 2012−12.4%DR18762024
Presidential margin over time
YearMargin (D minus R)
1876No data
1880No data
1884No data
1888No data
1892+26.4%
1896−7.6%
1900−7.3%
1904−26.3%
1908−5.0%
1912+19.7%
1916−10.8%
1920−56.7%
1924−23.9%
1928+5.0%
1932+37.4%
1936+27.3%
1940−22.7%
1944−33.3%
1948−18.7%
1952−49.1%
1956−52.9%
1960−15.1%
1964+8.9%
1968−24.8%
1972−20.4%
1976−8.6%
1980−17.7%
1984−29.9%
1988−9.2%
1992−9.3%
1996+1.2%
2000−9.8%
2004−11.4%
2008+9.5%
2012−3.9%
2016−14.5%
2020−12.1%
2024−12.4%
DemocraticRepublican
38 presidential elections
Source · MIT Election Lab · ICPSR · VEST (precinct-level 2024).
YearWonMarginDemocraticRepublicanTotal
R
−12.4%
62,36580,315144,848
R
−12.1%
59,78376,541138,796
R
−14.5%
47,71065,246120,528
R
−3.9%
57,14861,911121,016
D
+9.5%
63,58952,399118,037
R
−11.4%
50,45963,624115,326
R
−9.8%
40,93750,29795,689
D
+1.2%
35,75534,80781,188
R
−9.3%
29,43637,91191,312
R
−9.2%
34,25241,22075,986
R
−29.9%
24,52645,74370,871
R
−17.7%
26,32039,38573,734
R
−8.6%
29,32034,95265,639
R
−20.4%
22,25133,97957,550
R
−24.8%
17,83330,87252,504
D
+8.9%
26,91222,50049,472
R
−15.1%
21,59929,31251,008
R
−52.9%
9,82432,25642,385
R
−49.1%
11,34333,24344,635
R
−18.7%
13,89520,34634,581
R
−33.3%
11,92123,90536,015
R
−22.7%
14,49223,06037,792
D
+27.3%
20,85711,45734,477
D
+37.4%
21,6719,73031,903
D
+5.0%
16,34514,78331,287
O
−23.9%
1,8247,36423,206
R
−56.7%
3,70714,87019,681
R
−10.8%
5,8247,28113,470
D
+19.7%
5,5053,31511,131
R
−5.0%
5,9976,65513,106
R
−26.3%
4,4017,68512,504
R
−7.3%
5,9186,87613,127
R
−7.6%
5,9656,98013,278
D
+26.4%
6,4083,64210,492
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Demographics

2024 ACS
Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.
German
43.4%
Irish
9.8%
Polish
6.4%
English
5.5%
American
3.5%
French
2.9%
Italian
2.1%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release. Hispanic/Latino is an ethnicity that overlaps the race categories, so these shares can total more than 100%. Ancestry is a self-reported, multiple-response item; ancestry percentages do not sum to the parent race percentage.
2024 ACS
Age distribution by sex
Median age: 39.5 in this county, 39.1 nationally
Male
Age
Female
0.8%
85+
1.1%
2.0%
75–84
2.6%
4.9%
65–74
5.3%
6.9%
55–64
6.9%
6.2%
45–54
6.1%
7.0%
35–44
6.6%
6.5%
25–34
6.2%
4.2%
18–24
3.9%
8.9%
5–17
8.3%
2.8%
<5
2.7%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
2024 ACS
Median household income
Inflation-adjusted dollars
$85,875
Appleton, WI ranks near the middle of US counties.
Appleton, WI$85,875
Wisconsin$77,485
United States$80,734
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
2024 ACS
Poverty rate
All persons below federal poverty line
6.2%
Child poverty is below the national average.
Children under 186.9%
Working age (18–64)5.7%
Seniors (65+)8.3%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
2024 ACS
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
92.7%
speak English only
Spanish3.3%
Asian & Pacific Islander2.3%
Other Indo-European1.3%
Other languages0.4%
Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.
2020 religion census
Religious adherents
Adherents per capita by tradition
Catholic & Orthodox
30.5%
Mainline Protestant
17.9%
Other Christian
9.9%
Methodist
1.0%
Non-Christian
0.9%
Pentecostal & Holiness
0.4%
Baptist
0.3%
Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 39.2% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.

The Appleton metro anchors Wisconsin's Fox Valley, a historically paper-and-packaging economy whose blue-collar workforce has shifted ticket-splitting patterns noticeably over the past three federal election cycles.

Across the recorded series it reached a Democratic high of thirty-seven points in 1932 and a Republican high of fifty-seven points in 1920. The 2024 margin was twelve points.

A population of 245,768, a 86% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $85,875 describe the metro.

Compare two places, side by side

Twelve curated comparisons line up election history, demographics, and the divergence story for two places at a glance. Browse all comparisons →

Cite this page
All citations released under CC BY 4.0. Attribution: Akashic Intelligence.
Appleton, WI, Wisconsin. Akashic. https://akashic.app/cbsa/11540/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
License: CC BY 4.0

Frequently asked questions

How did Appleton, WI, Wisconsin vote in 2024?
In 2024, Appleton, WI, Wisconsin voted Republican by 12.4 points (R+12), carried by the Republican candidate. Out of 144,848 votes cast, 62,365 went Democratic and 80,315 went Republican.
What is Appleton, WI, Wisconsin's political typology?
Akashic places Appleton, WI, Wisconsin in the "Industrial Catholic Metro" typology. The typology is a data-driven cluster built from vote share, vote swing, race and ethnicity, income, language spoken at home, religion, and ancestry. Across 38 elections in the dataset, the metro has voted Democratic 8 times, Republican 25 times, and other 1 times.
When did Appleton, WI, Wisconsin last vote Democratic?
The most recent presidential election in which Appleton, WI, Wisconsin voted Democratic was 2008.
How many people live in Appleton, WI, Wisconsin?
Appleton, WI, Wisconsin has a population of 245,768 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Appleton, WI, Wisconsin?
Median household income in Appleton, WI, Wisconsin is $85,875 — above the national median of $80,734. The Wisconsin state median is $77,485.
What is the political history of Appleton, WI, Wisconsin?
Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in Appleton, WI, Wisconsin from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 8 went Democratic and 25 went Republican. The metro's typology — "Industrial Catholic Metro" — captures where that record, its demographics, and its recent swing place it among American communities.