Appleton, MN

City in Swift County, MN, US

By Neilsberg Research

Last updated May 1, 2026

Key Indicators

A quick look at key numbers

Population

1,393

Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates

Median Age

46.5

years ∙ half population younger than 46.5, half older

Diversity Index

39.5%

chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity

Nativity

5.9%

foreign-born population

94.1%Native

5.9% Foreign-born

Geographic Context

Location, size, and surroundings

About

Appleton is a city within Swift County, Minnesota, United States.

Location

City in Swift County, MN, US

Co-ordinates

DEC45.199475° N, 96.022226° W

DMS45° 11′ 58.11″ N, 96° 01′ 20.01″ W

Population Density & area

737/sq mi (284.9/km²)

Total Area

1.95 sq mi (5.04 km²)

Land Area

1.89 sq mi (4.89 km²) · 97.1%

Water Area

0.06 sq mi (0.15 km²) · 2.9%

Demographics & Living

Who lives here, how households are formed, and community composition

Population Composition

Key characteristics of the population

Sex Distribution

46.3% male

Male 46.3%

Female 53.7%

males per 100 females

Appleton 86.2

Swift County 101.7

Minnesota 100.4

Nativity

5.9%

foreign-born population

94.1%Native

5.9% Foreign-born

% Foreign-born

Appleton 5.9%

Swift County 3%

Minnesota 8.7%

Age Distribution

How the population is spread across age groups

Median Age

46.5

years ∙ half population younger than 46.5, half older

Appleton

46.5

Swift County

41.8

Minnesota

38.8

Dependency ratio

107.9

dependents per 100 working-age adults

Appleton 107.9

Swift County 85.2

Minnesota 67.1

AGE DISTRIBUTION

Distribution of age group

Median age

	Appleton	Swift County	Minnesota
Age Group
Children (Under 18)	23.5%	22.5%	22.9%
Working age (18-64)	48.1%	54%	59.8%
Senior (65+)	28.4%	23.5%	17.3%
Dependency ratio
Total dependency ratio	107.9	85.2	67.1
Child dependency ratio	48.8	41.7	38.2
Old-age dependency ratio	59.1	43.5	28.9

Racial & Ethnic Composition

Racial and ethnic makeup and how it compares

Race & Ethnicity

White

76.9%

Black

1.1%

Asian

Hispanic

6.5%

Other

15.5%

Note: White, Black, and Asian refer to individuals belonging to a single race and not of Hispanic origin. Hispanics may be of any race.

Diversity Index

39.5%

chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity

Appleton 39.5%

Swift County 25.4%

Minnesota 41%

Note: The Diversity Index (DI), based on the Blau Index, measures the probability that two randomly selected individuals differ in race and ethnicity. Values range from 0 (no diversity) to 1 (high diversity) and are shown as percentages.

RACIAL & ETHNIC COMPOSITION

Race & Ethnicity

Percentage of Appleton population

Racial and ethnic composition — Appleton vs Swift County vs Minnesota. Source: ACS 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates.
	Appleton	Swift County	Minnesota
Hispanic or Latino	6.5%	7.2%	6.4%
Mexican	3.2%	4.8%	3.9%
Puerto Rican	0%	0.6%	0.3%
Cuban	0%	0%	0.1%
Other Hispanic / Latino	3.3%	1.8%	2%
Not Hispanic or Latino	93.5%	92.8%	93.6%
One race	90.7%	89.8%	89.1%
White	76.9%	86%	75.9%
Black or African American	1.1%	0.7%	6.9%
American Indian and Alaska Native	4.7%	1.9%	0.7%
Asian	0%	0%	5.1%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander	8%	1.1%	0%
Some Other Race	0%	0.1%	0.5%
Two or more races (Multiracial)	2.8%	3%	4.5%

Household & Families Composition

Household size, type, and family structure

Household structure

46.3% family

Family 46.3%

Non family 53.7%

% family households

Appleton 46.3%

Swift County 64%

Minnesota 62.3%

Average household size

2.23

persons per household

Appleton

2.23

Swift County

2.31

Minnesota

2.43

Household & Family COMPOSITION

Households

Percentage of Appleton population

	Appleton	Swift County	Minnesota
Total households	596	4,121	2,307,955
Average houshold size	2.23	2.31	2.43
Family households	276	2,639	1,438,404
Average family size	3.32	2.85	3.04
Married couple family	173	1,902	1,129,003
Other families	103	737	309,401
Male householder	23	336	102,922
Female householder	80	401	206,479
Non-family households	320	1,482	869,551
One-person households	260	1,338	686,475
Male householder	115	638	320,418
Senior (65+) living alone	53	234	97,557
Female householder	145	700	366,057
Senior (65+) living alone	73	515	186,557
Other living arrangements	60	144	183,076

Housing Profile

Housing stock, ownership, rentals, and cost burdens

Total housing units

725

housing units

Appleton 725

Swift County 4,706

Minnesota 2,545,030

Occupancy status

82.2% occupied

Occupied 82.2%

Vacant 17.8%

vacancy rate

Appleton 17.8%

Swift County 12.4%

Minnesota 9.3%

Housing Characteristics

How the housing supply is structured and used

Types of Housing unit

69.3%

Single family houses

69.3%

Apartments in multi-unit structures

30.8%

Mobile homes

Boat, RV, van, etc

Median Year Built

1952

Half of houses were built before 1952, and half after.

Historic ∙ 1939 or earlier

35%

Postwar & mid-century ∙ 1940 - 1969

30.4%

Late 20th century ∙ 1970 - 1999

31.8%

Modern ∙ 2000 or later

2.8%

Note: Median year built reflects occupied units only; distribution includes all units.

Housing Characteristics

Units, rooms & bedrooms

Physical characteristics of housing units

	Appleton	Swift County	Minnesota
Rooms per unit
Median rooms	6	6.4	6.1
1–3 rooms	19.4%	8.4%	14.9%
4–6 rooms	38.9%	44%	41.4%
7+ rooms	41.7%	47.6%	43.7%
Bedrooms
No bedroom / studio	0%	1.2%	2.7%
1 bedroom	14.3%	6.2%	11.4%
2 bedrooms	26.9%	22.8%	24.5%
3 bedrooms	36.7%	39.1%	32.2%
4+ bedrooms	22%	30.7%	29.1%
At a glance
Median year built	1952	1960	1979
Total housing units	725	4,706	2,545,030

Occupancy Profile

Who is inside and how they use it

Homeownership

68.5% owners

Renter-occupied 31.5%

Owner-occupied 68.5%

homeownership rate

Appleton 68.5%

Swift County 72.4%

Minnesota 72.2%

Average household size

2.1

Owner-occupied

2.51

Renter-occupied

owner-occupied average size

Appleton 2.1

Swift County 2.4

Minnesota 2.59

Housing Characteristics

Occupied unit characteristics

Tenure, crowding, and utilities

	Appleton	Swift County	Minnesota
Total occupied units	596	4,121	2,307,955
Year moved in
2020 or later	21.5%	17.3%	23.8%
2010 to 2019	31%	38%	38.9%
2000 to 2009	15.6%	16.5%	16.1%
1999 or earlier	31.9%	28.3%	21.2%
Occupants per room
1.00 or fewer	95.8%	98.3%	97.7%
1.01 to 1.50	3.2%	1.5%	1.5%
1.51 or more	1%	0.2%	0.8%
Vehicles availability
No vehicles	6.5%	7.1%	6.7%
1 vehicle	48%	31.4%	30.8%
2 vehicles	31.4%	34.4%	39.5%
3 or more vehicles	14.1%	27.2%	23.1%
House heating fuel used
Gas	62.1%	72.1%	75.9%
Electricity	32.9%	21.7%	19.4%
Solar	0%	0.1%	0.1%
Fuel oil, kerosene etc	4%	3.5%	1.3%
All other fuels	0%	1.9%	2.5%
No fuel used	1%	0.7%	0.9%
Selected characteristics
Lacking complete plumbing	0.3%	0.1%	0.4%
Lacking complete kitchen	1%	0.2%	0.7%
No telephone service available	2.5%	1.1%	0.7%

Housing Value

What owner-occupied units are worth

Median home value

$77,000

owner-occupied units

Median value(USD)

Appleton

$77,000

Swift County

$161,400

Minnesota

$329,300

Housing Cost Burden

24.3%

of homeowners with a mortgage are cost-burdened

% Cost-Burdened Households

Owners with a mortgage

24.3%

Owners without a mortgage

16.6%

Renters

43.1%

Note: Households spending 30% or more of their income on housing costs are considered cost-burdened.

Financial characteristics

Property value and housing costs

Tenure, crowding, and utilities

	Appleton	Swift County	Minnesota
Property value
Median Value	$77,000	$161,400	$329,300
Under $100,000	68.6%	29.1%	7.7%
$100,000 - $200,000	23.5%	31.8%	13.3%
$200,000 - $300,000	4.2%	21.3%	22.6%
$300,000 - $500,000	2.9%	12.5%	36.9%
$500,000 - $1,000,000	0.7%	2.8%	17%
$1,000,000 and more	0%	2.4%	2.6%
Owner-occupied households
With a mortgage	33.3%	42.7%	64%
Without a mortgage	66.7%	57.3%	36%
Median monthly owner costs
With a mortgage	$1,068	$1,373	$1,947
Without a mortgage	$437	$537	$698
Gross rent
Median rent	$717	$920	$1,280

Education Profile

How educated is the community and how education pays off

Adults with a college degree

15%

of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher

Appleton 15%

Swift County 24.2%

Minnesota 39.4%

Adults without a high school diploma

11.6%

of adults (25+) without a high school diploma

Appleton 11.6%

Swift County 6.2%

Minnesota 6.1%

School Enrollment

Who is enrolled in school and at what level

School enrollment

294

population (age 3+) enrolled in school

Nursery / Preschool

6.8%

K–12

80.3%

College / Undergraduate

7.8%

Graduate / Professional

5.1%

College-going rate (18-24 yr olds)

9.8%

of 18-24-year-olds in college or graduate school

Appleton

9.8%

Swift County

26.7%

Minnesota

39.1%

Enrollment & school type

Enrollment levels, college-going rate, and public vs private school split

Population 3+ currently enrolled in a school

	Appleton	Swift County	Minnesota
Total enrolled (age 3+)	294	2,122	1,385,086
Nursery / preschool	6.8%	7.5%	6.2%
K–12	80.3%	74.1%	69.9%
Kindergarten	4.4%	8.9%	5.2%
Elementary: Grades 1–4	29.6%	24.4%	20.6%
Elementary: Grades 5–8	25.5%	19.5%	21.7%
High School: Grades 9–12	20.7%	21.4%	22.4%
College or graduate school	12.9%	18.4%	23.9%
College, undergraduate	7.8%	14.2%	18.8%
Graduate, professional school	5.1%	4.1%	5.1%
College-going rate · 18-24 yr olds	9.8%	26.7%	39.1%
School type
Public school	90.8%	91.6%	83.3%
Private school	9.2%	8.4%	16.7%

Education Attainment by Level & Gender

What is the highest level of education completed among adults

Education attainment

984

population 25 years and over

Total adults (25+)

Less than 9th grade

9th-12th, no diploma

8.6%

HS graduate

44.8%

Some college no degree

17%

Associates degree

11.5%

Bachelors degree

11.7%

Graduate or professional degree

3.4%

Attainment by gender

Male vs Female

Adults (25+) · Share within each education level

% male · % female

Less than 9th grade

83.3% · 16.7%

9th-12th, no diploma

51.8% · 48.2%

HS graduate

46.9% · 53.1%

Some college no degree

53.3% · 46.7%

Associates degree

52.2% · 47.8%

Bachelors degree

41.7% · 58.3%

Graduate or professional degree

21.2% · 78.8%

Educational Attainment Overview

Distribution and key education attainment rates for adults (25+)

Highest credential completed · adults 25+

	Appleton	Swift County	Minnesota
Population (25+)	984	6,674	3,923,744
Less than 9th grade	3%	1.6%	2.7%
9th–12th, no diploma	8.6%	4.6%	3.4%
High school diploma or GED	44.8%	33.1%	23.3%
Some college, no degree	17%	22.7%	19.5%
Associate's degree	11.5%	13.8%	11.8%
Bachelor's degree or higher	15%	24.2%	39.4%
Bachelor's degree	11.7%	19.1%	25.6%
Graduate or professional	3.4%	5.1%	13.8%
High School or higher	88.3%	93.9%	93.9%

Earnings by education level

percentage as applicable

Median Earnings

$36,042

Median earnings for adults 25+, by level

Less than HS graduate

$33,750

HS graduate

$41,188

Some college or associates

$29,583

Bachelors degree

$32,917

Graduate or professional degree

$71,477

Poverty Rate

12.8%

for ages 25+, with bachelors degree or higher

Less than HS graduate

53.9%

HS graduate

26%

Some college or associates

9.6%

Bachelors degree or higher

12.8%

Outcomes by Education Level

Earnings and poverty rates across education levels (25+)

Adults 25+

	Appleton	Swift County	Minnesota
Median earnings
Population 25+, with earnings	$36,042	$51,534	$58,615
Less than high school graduate	$33,750	$61,458	$36,257
High school graduate (includes equivalency)	$41,188	$41,633	$42,951
Some college or associate's degree	$29,583	$47,524	$51,845
Bachelor's degree	$32,917	$55,732	$73,301
Graduate or professional degree	$71,477	$84,063	$89,644
Poverty rates
Less than high school graduate	53.9%	21.8%	23.7%
High school graduate (includes equivalency)	26%	13.9%	12.3%
Some college or associate's degree	9.6%	7%	7.8%
Bachelor's degree or higher	12.8%	5.3%	3.2%

Insights for Appleton, by topic

Income By year By race By age By gender

Population By year By race By age By gender

About Neilsberg Research

Neilsberg Research team are data scientists with expertise in processing, analysis and visualization of big data helping small businesses make right decisions.

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