City · St. Clair County, Missouri

Appleton City, Missouri

Appleton City is a city in St. Clair County, Missouri. It has 1,221 residents. Appleton City, Missouri has a quality-of-life score of 40 out of 100 (low), ranking #9,463 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Missouri it ranks #198 of 375 cities and towns. It ranks best on grocery stores (high), students per teacher (low) and job growth (high). It ranks worst on arts, entertainment and recreation (low), average weekly wage (low) and flu vaccinations (low).

40Low

Quality-of-life score: #9,463 of 15,651 cities and towns
Missouri: #198 of 375 in MO
Population: 1,221 (2020-2024)
Land area: 1 mi²
Density: 1,063.9 /mi²
FIPS code: 2901522

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 72 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map

Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety69#4,906/15,637
Economy38#9,752/15,631
Housing96#543/14,977
Health11#13,963/15,609
Healthcare15#13,368/15,650
Environment72#4,367/15,453
Education33#10,459/15,649
Infrastructure34#10,273/15,650
Community53#7,286/15,651
Leisure & amenities15#13,303/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Appleton City, Missouri ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “St. Clair County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Grocery stores · high5.0 /10k
99/100Missouri 1.5 /10kUnited States 1.7 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsSt. Clair County value
Students per teacher · low10.1×
98/100Missouri 12.7×United States 15.2×2024National Center for Education StatisticsSt. Clair County value
Job growth · high3.7%
96/100Missouri 0.1%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional dataSt. Clair County value
Public libraries · high3.0 /10k
96/100Missouri 0.6 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesSt. Clair County value
Time spent in the emergency room · low107 min
94/100Missouri 161 minUnited States 170 minOct 2024–Sep 2025Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesSt. Clair County value
Violent crime rate · low69 /100k
94/100Missouri 418 /100kUnited States 328 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationCovers part of the area: some reporting agencies or member counties have no figureSt. Clair County value

Weaknesses

Arts, entertainment and recreation · low0.0 /10k
1/100Missouri 4.6 /10kUnited States 5.5 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsSt. Clair County value
Average weekly wage · low$793
1/100Missouri $1,278United States $1,5142025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsSt. Clair County value
Flu vaccinations · low19.0%
1/100Missouri 44.0%United States 44.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteSt. Clair County value
Mental health providers · low31 /100k
2/100Missouri 278 /100kUnited States 348 /100k2025University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteSt. Clair County value
Access to exercise opportunities · low34.5%
3/100Missouri 76.6%United States 84.5%2022 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteSt. Clair County value
Gyms and fitness centers · low0.0 /10k
4/100Missouri 1.2 /10kUnited States 1.3 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsSt. Clair County value

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

Child poverty rateImproving
25.9% (2015-2019) → 8.2% (2020-2024)
−18 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Poverty rateImproving
22.0% (2015-2019) → 10.9% (2020-2024)
−11 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 12.3% → 12.1%
Median household incomeImproving
$33,092 (2015-2019) → $49,036 (2020-2024)
+48%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
75.9% (2015-2019) → 84.8% (2020-2024)
+9 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Uninsured residents (under 65)Improving
14.8% (2015-2019) → 7.5% (2020-2024)
−7.3 pts5 yearsCensus table B27010US 10.8% → 9.8%
Unemployment rateImproving
8.1% (2015-2019) → 2.4% (2020-2024)
−5.8 pts5 yearsCensus table B23025US 3.7% → 4.0%

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Appleton City, Missouri improved on 3 of 13 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 10 moved within the margin of error and 0 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved3

Poverty−11 points22.0% → 10.9%
Uninsured−7.3 points14.8% → 7.5%
Household income+48%$33,092 → $49,036

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 13 measures

Change of every measure of Appleton City, Missouri between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	21.7 min2015-2019	22.8 min2020-2024	+1.1 min	Within the margin of error	35%
Bachelor's degree or higher	13.5%2015-2019	18.2%2020-2024	+4.7 points	Within the margin of error	65%
Broadband subscriptions	75.9%2015-2019	84.8%2020-2024	+9 points	Within the margin of error	54%
Effective property tax rate	1.14%2015-2019	0.95%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Within the margin of error	54%
High school diploma or higher	85.5%2015-2019	87.5%2020-2024	+2 points	Within the margin of error	59%
Home price to income ratio	1.9×2015-2019	2.0×2020-2024	+0.1×	Within the margin of error	72%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.5082015-2019	0.4082020-2024	−0.100	Within the margin of error	96%
Median household income	$33,0922015-2019	$49,0362020-2024	+48%	Improved	83%
Poverty rate	22.0%2015-2019	10.9%2020-2024	−11 points	Improved	94%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent as share of income	24.2%2015-2019	25.1%2020-2024	+0.9 points	Within the margin of error	47%
Rent-burdened households	38.2%2015-2019	33.8%2020-2024	−4.4 points	Within the margin of error	70%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	14.8%2015-2019	7.5%2020-2024	−7.3 points	Improved	93%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Appleton City, Missouri five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Appleton City, Missouri in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Appleton City, Missouri itself moved +5.5 points in standing on average over the same 10 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

1,221 residents (±222)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

547 households (±96)

Appleton City, Missouri
Missouri share

Under $25k28%†152
$25k–50k26%†140
$50k–75k

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

547 households (±96)

Appleton City, Missouri
Missouri share

Own58%317
Rent42%230

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

Table view

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

523 workers (±132)

Appleton City, Missouri
Missouri share

Drive alone75%391
Carpool14%†74
Public transit0.0%0

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of St. Clair County, the county holding most of Appleton City's residents.

St. Clair County has 161 employer establishments, 165 for every 10,000 residents (0.67× the US rate of 248; 0.68× Missouri's), with 1,222 paid employees at an average annual pay of $43,302. The Census Bureau also counts 855 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 161; 855 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 165; US 248 · Missouri 244
Paid employees: 1,222
Average annual pay: $43,302; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of St. Clair County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Religious organizations	14	14.4	2.59×More than typical	27	$16,148	—
Specialty trade contractors	13	13.3	0.86×About typical	73	$44,219	138
Gasoline stations	8	8.2	2.53×Too few to compare	107	$27,953	—
Restaurants and other eating places	7	7.2	0.39×Too few to compare	62	$25,597	4
Building equipment contractors	6	6.2	1.02×Too few to compare	25	$32,920	23
Insurance agencies and brokerages	6	6.2	1.40×Too few to compare	13	$33,462	16
Banks and credit unions	5	5.1	1.59×Too few to compare	39	$51,949	—
Foundation, structure and building exterior contractors	5	5.1	1.63×Too few to compare	24	$58,708	29
Full-service restaurants	5	5.1	0.67×Too few to compare	42	$24,762	3
Plumbing, heating and air-conditioning contractors	5	5.1	1.55×Too few to compare	16	$43,500	12
Truck transportation	5	5.1	1.01×Too few to compare	8	$23,625	22
Ambulatory health care services	4	4.1	0.20×Too few to compare	49	$48,265	13

Rank places for an industry Open St. Clair County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 9,750 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

No federal contract obligations recorded here in FY2026.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Appleton City is mostly in St. Clair County.

See federal money in St. Clair County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Appleton City, Missouri is represented in the 119th Congress by these members.

House

Mark AlfordR-MO-4 · 100% of residentsWith party 97%Missed 1.6%

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

St. Clair County24100% of residents

Other cities and towns in St. Clair County

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/2901522

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends