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Outagamie County, WI

Migration of people and income, 20222023 filing years

At a glance (2023)

Cost of living
94
6% below the U.S. average
Median home value
$244,100
national $303,400
Home prices, 5 years
+56.1%
over the 5 years to 2023
Monthly rent
$998
national $1,348
Homeownership
72%
national 65%
Unemployment
2.4%
national 3.6%
Household income
$82,857
national $78,538
Median age
38.7 yrs
national 38.7

Cost of living is the metro-area price level for Appleton, WI.

The cost of living runs about 6% below the national average. The median home is valued at $244,100 (nominal). Home prices have risen about 56% over the five years to 2023. Median rent is about $998 a month. Unemployment averaged 2.4% in 2023 (national 3.6%). Median household income is $82,857. These figures describe all residents, not just tax filers, come from separate sources than the migration data on this page, and do not indicate why anyone moved.

Between the 2022 and 2023 filing years, Outagamie County, WI saw a net gain of 126 tax-filing households and a net gain of 447 individuals. Against a population of about 193,234, that is a net inflow of about 2.3 per 1,000 residents. On net, the area lost $25.3M in associated adjusted gross income (AGI, nominal dollars). The largest inflow, about 1,380 households, came from Winnebago County; the largest outflow, about 1,392 households, went to Winnebago County. In the prior (2022) filing year, the area saw a net gain of 557 individuals. These figures cover federal income tax filers only and do not indicate why people moved.

Net income (AGI)
-$25.3M
nominal dollars
Net households
+126
tax returns
Net people
+447
exemptions

+2.3 net people per 1,000 residents (population 193,234)

Income (AGI) in and out

Moved in$366.7M
Moved out$392M
Net -$25.3M (nominal)
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Outagamie County within Wisconsin

Outagamie County is outlined, with arrows tracing its largest moves to and from other Wisconsin counties. Hover any county for its figures; click to open it.

Net outNet in(AGI $)
Hover an area to trace its top 5 inbound (in) and outbound (out) moves.
Net income (AGI) that moved in minus out, in nominal dollars (not adjusted for inflation).Net tax returns (filing households) that moved in minus out.Net people per 1,000 residents, so larger and smaller areas compare fairly.
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Where movers came from

  1. 1Winnebago County, WI1,380$81M
  2. 2Brown County, WI690$42.9M
  3. 3Calumet County, WI552$47.5M
  4. 4Waupaca County, WI295$14.6M
  5. 5Milwaukee County, WI126$5.7M
  6. 6Dane County, WI113$7M
  7. 7Shawano County, WI92$6.6M
  8. 8Fond du Lac County, WI88$4.1M
  9. 9Manitowoc County, WI76$4.1M
  10. 10Marathon County, WI62$3.7M
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Where movers went

  1. 1Winnebago County, WI1,392$80.1M
  2. 2Brown County, WI663$73.2M
  3. 3Calumet County, WI509$35.8M
  4. 4Waupaca County, WI301$15.7M
  5. 5Milwaukee County, WI198$9.9M
  6. 6Dane County, WI177$10.7M
  7. 7Shawano County, WI100$5.3M
  8. 8Waukesha County, WI74$5.9M
  9. 9Fond du Lac County, WI59$3M
  10. 10Manitowoc County, WI59$2.7M
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Churn by county · both directions at once

The biggest two-way exchanges of filing households, 20222023. Moved in and moved out are gross one-way counts; net is the difference. Click a column to sort.

Winnebago County, WI1,3801,392-12+$832K
Brown County, WI690663+27-$30.3M
Calumet County, WI552509+43+$11.7M
Waupaca County, WI295301-6-$1.1M
Milwaukee County, WI126198-72-$4.2M
Dane County, WI113177-64-$3.7M
Shawano County, WI92100-8+$1.3M
Fond du Lac County, WI8859+29+$1.1M
Manitowoc County, WI7659+17+$1.4M
Waukesha County, WI5474-20-$2.4M
Cook County, IL5852+6+$261K
Portage County, WI5748+9-$275K

Counts are filing households (IRS returns), matching the lists above; income is nominal AGI. A dash means the IRS published only one direction of that exchange (small flows are suppressed), so no net is computed.

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Net migration by year

Net 2012–2023: -$189.8M (+3,102 people)
20122023
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Net AGI and net people by year (nominal dollars)
YearNet AGINet people
2012-$7.5M-173
2013+$5.5M+326
2014-$2.5M+720
2015-$28M-964
2016+$4.3M+389
2017-$5.2M+606
2018-$27.2M+309
2019-$47.5M+355
2020-$8.4M+129
2021-$21.8M+401
2022-$26.1M+557
2023-$25.3M+447
Migration in context

How big is this move, relative to the county?

In the 20222023 filing year, about 447 more people moved into Outagamie County, WI than left (counting tax filers and their dependents) — a net loss of about $25.3M in income (nominal) — in a county of 193,628 people.

Population
193,628
Census 2023 estimate
Net migration rate
+2.3
net people per 1,000 residents
A town of 10,000 would net about +23 people.
Net income per resident
−$131
nominal dollars
-$25.3M total across 193,628 residents.

The rate lets you compare Outagamie County, WI with a countyof any size: it’s the net flow divided by population. The IRS counts tax filers; population counts all residents, so read the rate as a scale indicator, not a literal share of people.

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Components of population change · 2023 (Census)

Where the county’s overall change came from. Census counts all residents; the IRS migration above is one slice of the domestic-migration component.

Births
+1,981
Deaths
-1,641
Net domestic migration
+391
Net international migration
+411
Total change
+1,118

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program. Figures are people, not tax filers.

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Income & cost of living

What a dollar is worth here

Prices around Outagamie County, WI run about 6% below the national average. In plain terms: $100 spent here buys about what $107 buys in the average American community. The figures below apply that to income, each compared to the U.S. average of $70,002 per person.

Income per person
$64,206
what people here earn (BEA 2023, nominal)
8% below the U.S. average
Price level
93.7
100 = U.S. average prices (BEA price parity)
everyday costs about 6.3% lower than average
What that income buys
$68,497
local income restated at U.S.-average prices
2% below the U.S. average
Cheaper than U.S. avgU.S. average (100)Pricier

Cost of living shown for the Appleton, WI metro area (BEA publishes price parities by metro, not by county).

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Where the cost comes from · price parity by category

Index where 100 = U.S. average for that category. Housing is usually what separates one place from another.

Housing & rents81.6
Goods93.8
Utilities90.3
Other services97.7

Housing is measured from rents (including an estimated rental value for owner-occupied homes), so a run-up in purchase prices shows here only as it reaches rents. Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. Covers all residents, a separate universe from the IRS filer income above. How the data works.

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Who lives here

The people of Outagamie County, WI

American Community Survey, 2019–2023 (a 5-year average of all residents, not just tax filers).

Median age
38.7
years
Median household income
$82,857
per household (ACS 2019–2023, nominal)
5% above the U.S. median
College degree
32%
adults 25+ with a bachelor's or higher
Poverty rate
6.4%
residents below the poverty line
Average commute
21 min
mean travel time to work
Broadband at home
92%
households with any broadband
Race and ethnicity (share of residents)
White 85%Hispanic 5%Black 1%Asian 4%Other 5%

White, Black, and Asian counts are people who are not Hispanic or Latino; Hispanic or Latino can be of any race. Shares are rounded and may not total 100.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Covers all residents, a separate universe from the IRS filer data. A 5-year estimate is an average over 2019–2023; compare years at least five apart, since consecutive windows overlap. How the data works.

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Housing · what it costs to live here (ACS 2019–2023)

Median home value
$244,100
owner-occupied homes
20% below the U.S. median
Median rent
$998
gross rent per month
26% below the U.S. median
Homeownership
72%
of occupied homes are owner-occupied
Home-price appreciation · FHFA index, 2023
Past year
+12.9%
price change, 2022 to 2023
Past 5 years
+56%
price change, 2018 to 2023

A repeat-sales index (how much the same homes changed in price), so it tracks the market over time rather than the current level. Source: Federal Housing Finance Agency, annual all-transactions HPI; the county series is FHFA’s developmental index.

New home construction · building permits, 2023
561new housing units authorized in 2023
Single-family 60%Multifamily 40%

Units authorized by residential building permits (new supply), summed from counties for the state and U.S. Permits are authorizations, not completions. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey.

Home value is what owners estimate their homes are worth, not recent sale prices. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2019–2023), nominal dollars. How the data works.

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Local economy & risk

Jobs and natural hazards

Unemployment rate
2.4%
BLS 2023 annual average
Labor force
105,892
103,341 employed
Disaster declarations
major federal, 2023

Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (LAUS) and FEMA. A disaster declaration marks federal assistance eligibility, not damage severity, and says nothing about why anyone moved. How the data works.

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Unemployment now
2.9%
April 2026 · ▲ 0.1 points vs April 2025
January 2024April 2026

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (LAUS). Monthly unemployment for this county, not seasonally adjusted. Updated every month, so it moves faster than the annual average above. How the data works.

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How Outagamie County, WI has voted. Certified returns, popular vote only. This is a separate dataset from the migration figures on this page.

YearDemocraticRepublicanOtherMarginTotal
202449,43860,8271,667R +10.2111,932
202047,66758,3851,970R +9.9108,022
201638,08749,8845,897R +12.693,868
201245,65947,3721,565R +1.894,596
200850,29439,6771,592D +11.691,563
200440,16948,903978R +9.790,050
200032,73539,4603,547R +8.975,742

Source: MIT Election Data and Science Lab county returns (CC0). Margins are the popular-vote gap as a share of all votes cast.

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