CITY
Madison
Wisconsin · 286,233 residents (2025 est.) · 83.1 sq mi
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Part of the Madison metro area
Notable rankings
#77Largest by populationof 4,896286,233The short version
With 278,001 people, Madison is a city in Wisconsin. This is an unusually credentialed place: 60% of adults have a four-year degree. This skews young, with a median age of 31.8. 46% of homes are owner-occupied. People stay put here: 74% were in the same home a year ago. 69,947 more people live here than in 2000.
At a glance
Lower income
below the US median
US median: $82,259
Younger
median age 31.8
US median: 38.9
More educated
60% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 49%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Section 01
Population & growth
278,001
+34%since 2000
from 208,054 in 2000
286,233 in 2025 (Census Bureau estimate)
1990 – 2025
Land area
83.1 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
2024278K
Age distribution, 2024
Under 54.7%(13,161)
5 to 94.4%(12,201)
10 to 144.5%(12,545)
15 to 197.9%(21,910)
20 to 2415.3%(42,496)
25 to 3418.5%(51,309)
35 to 4413%(36,193)
45 to 549.6%(26,799)
55 to 649%(25,147)
65 to 747.8%(21,820)
75 to 843.7%(10,381)
85 and over1.5%(4,039)
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02
Income & economy
$78,050
+2%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $41,941 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Households earning $100K+
51.4%
+19.8 ptssince 2009
from 31.6% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Workforce by industry, 2024
Information9.1%
Retail trade7.9%
Other services6.7%
Public administration5.4%
Wholesale trade3%
Arts, entertainment, food2.7%
Finance & insurance2.4%
Professional, scientific, technical2.1%
Transportation & warehousing1.4%
Education & health services0.3%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing0.3%
Construction0.3%
Manufacturing0%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03
Housing
$372,900
+49%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $137,700 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
4.8
+13%since 2009
from 4.2 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Years of local income it takes to buy a local home, on a scale of about 0 to 15. Lower is more affordable.
56
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
Section 04
Race & ethnicity
2000
White, non-Hispanic82%(170,509)
Black5.8%(11,987)
Hispanic / Latino4.1%(8,512)
Asian5.8%(12,000)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic69.6%(193,375)
Black7.2%(19,962)
Hispanic / Latino9.4%(26,165)
Asian8%(22,178)
Other5.9%(16,321)
62
+35%since 2009
from 46 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
Section 04 · Origins
Detailed origins & ancestry
Hispanic origin
Mexican5.6%(15,604)
South American1.3%(3,643)
Puerto Rican0.7%(1,951)
Central American0.6%(1,595)
Colombian0.5%(1,394)
Spaniard0.4%(1,073)
Venezuelan0.2%(666)
Cuban0.2%(619)
Ecuadorian0.2%(546)
Honduran0.2%(474)
Nicaraguan0.2%(430)
Argentine0.1%(329)
+ 9 more hispanic origin groups with data
Dominican0.1%(255)
Uruguayan0.1%(237)
Costa Rican0.1%(232)
Chilean0.1%(228)
Peruvian0.1%(204)
Panamanian0.1%(185)
Guatemalan0.1%(164)
Salvadoran0%(110)
Bolivian0%(30)
Asian origin
Chinese2.6%(7,259)
Asian Indian2.2%(6,084)
Hmong0.7%(1,880)
Korean0.5%(1,457)
Filipino0.4%(981)
Laotian0.3%(786)
Vietnamese0.2%(596)
Japanese0.2%(479)
Pakistani0.2%(437)
Taiwanese0.1%(380)
Cambodian0.1%(300)
Indonesian0.1%(159)
+ 10 more asian origin groups with data
Thai0.1%(158)
Bangladeshi0%(132)
Malaysian0%(112)
Nepalese0%(98)
Sri Lankan0%(73)
Bhutanese0%(42)
Kazakh0%(34)
Burmese0%(29)
Singaporean0%(15)
Mongolian0%(4)
Pacific Islander origin
Native Hawaiian0.1%(230)
Chamorro0%(34)
Samoan0%(24)
Marshallese0%(8)
Guamanian0%(7)
Ancestry
German27.5%(76,382)
Irish12.4%(34,409)
English9.5%(26,529)
Norwegian5.8%(16,038)
Polish5.4%(15,036)
Italian4.2%(11,669)
Subsaharan African2.3%(6,357)
Swedish2%(5,567)
American1.9%(5,236)
French1.9%(5,209)
Dutch1.9%(5,157)
Scottish1.8%(5,127)
+ 49 more ancestry groups with data
Swiss1.1%(2,933)
Czech1%(2,675)
Russian0.9%(2,572)
Welsh0.7%(1,973)
British0.7%(1,939)
Danish0.6%(1,696)
Arab0.6%(1,672)
Scotch-Irish0.5%(1,335)
French Canadian0.4%(1,200)
Hungarian0.4%(1,113)
Finnish0.4%(1,021)
Lithuanian0.4%(984)
Ukrainian0.4%(976)
Somali0.3%(952)
Greek0.3%(921)
Croatian0.3%(838)
Austrian0.3%(817)
Belgian0.3%(790)
West Indian0.3%(768)
Portuguese0.2%(556)
Iranian0.2%(531)
Slovak0.2%(522)
Canadian0.2%(476)
Romanian0.2%(462)
Lebanese0.2%(432)
Brazilian0.1%(387)
Jamaican0.1%(386)
Egyptian0.1%(373)
Turkish0.1%(366)
Slovene0.1%(250)
Haitian0.1%(210)
Nigerian0.1%(207)
Serbian0.1%(191)
Latvian0.1%(185)
Palestinian0.1%(177)
Israeli0.1%(158)
Bulgarian0%(129)
Armenian0%(92)
Macedonian0%(85)
Ghanaian0%(78)
Australian0%(76)
Guyanese0%(73)
Ethiopian0%(62)
Syrian0%(42)
Jordanian0%(41)
Barbadian0%(26)
Moroccan0%(22)
Kenyan0%(15)
Trinidadian & Tobagonian0%(14)
Section 05
Education
High school or higher
95.8%
+3.4 ptssince 2000
from 92.4% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Section 06
Commute & transportation
Section 07
Work & employment
Women 20-64 in the labor force
81.5%
−1.4 ptssince 2020
from 82.9% in 2020
US average: 74.6%
Section 08
People & community
Computer in household
97.5%
+1.9 ptssince 2020
from 95.6% in 2020
US average: 95.5%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married53.6%(64,161)
Married38.3%(45,879)
Widowed1.5%(1,830)
Divorced6.5%(7,788)
Women 15+
Never married48.7%(58,603)
Married37.4%(44,990)
Widowed4.5%(5,473)
Divorced9.4%(11,370)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09
Health coverage
Direct-purchase
13.7%
−0.6 ptssince 2020
from 14.3% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
VA health care
1.1%
−0.4 ptssince 2020
from 1.5% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
81.3%
−2.3 ptssince 2020
from 83.6% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
24.7%
+2.0 ptssince 2020
from 22.7% in 2020
US average: 36.7%
Shares are "alone or in combination": a person with both Medicare and Medicaid counts in each, so categories overlap and do not sum to 100%.
Section 09 · Service history
Veterans
Veterans by period of service, 2024
Gulf War (2001 or later)23.5%(1,878)
Gulf War (1990s)16.7%(1,333)
Vietnam era32.4%(2,594)
Korean War6.7%(533)
World War II2.9%(233)
Share of the 8,006 veterans here. A veteran who served across eras counts in each, so shares can total more than 100%. Peacetime-only service is included in the total but not shown as an era.
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
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Frequently asked
How many people live in Madison, Wisconsin?
Madison, Wisconsin has about 278,001 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.
What is the median household income in Madison, Wisconsin?
The typical household in Madison, Wisconsin earns about $78,050 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.
Is Madison, Wisconsin expensive?
In Madison, Wisconsin, the median home is worth about $372,900, and the typical rent is about $1,413 a month.
How educated are people in Madison, Wisconsin?
About 59.9% of adults age 25 and over in Madison, Wisconsin hold a bachelor's degree or higher.
What is the poverty rate in Madison, Wisconsin?
About 16.4% of people in Madison, Wisconsin live below the federal poverty line.
Has Madison, Wisconsin grown since 1990?
Yes, Madison, Wisconsin has grown since 1990. The population has added about 86,739 residents, a change of about 45 percent over that period.
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WisconsinDATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · UPDATED 2024