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
median household income $78,050, 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
Unique to this place
What stands out about Madison
What changed most since 1990
Median home value (2024 dollars)$179,285 → $372,900(+108%)US over the same years: +67%
Median age29.3 → 31.8(+2.5 years)US over the same years: +6.0 years
Madison's population equals 49% of Dane County's. Its number of residents living in poverty equals 75% of the county's. Its number of households without a car equals 76% of the county's.
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)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)16.7%(1,333)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era32.4%(2,594)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War6.7%(533)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II2.9%(233)
US avg: 1%
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
Over time
Madison, decade by decade
Madison population, inflation-adjusted income and home value, education, and diversity by year
Year
Population
Median household income
Median home value
Bachelor's degree+
Diversity score
1990
191,262
$70,610
$179,285
42.0%
24.1
2000
208,054
$76,402
$250,842
48.2%
39.9
2010
233,209
$75,597
$316,773
52.2%
51.5
2020
269,840
$81,891
$318,039
58.5%
62.2
2024
278,001
$78,050
$372,900
59.9%
61.5
Census years come from the decennial census and the latest year from the American Community Survey, so part of any change between those two rows can reflect the different surveys. Dollar figures are adjusted for inflation to 2024 dollars; a figure ending in "+" was at the Census Bureau's reporting cap that year. The diversity score runs from 0 to 100; see how it's calculated.
