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CITY · 2020 ACS

Madison

Wisconsin · 269,840 residents · 83.1 sq mi
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The short version

Madison is home to 269,840 people in Wisconsin. This is an unusually credentialed place: 59% of adults have a four-year degree. This skews young, with a median age of 32.0. 45% of homes are owner-occupied. People stay put here: 74% were in the same home a year ago. 61,786 more people live here than in 2000.

At a glance
Average income
near the US median
US median: $66,278
Younger
median age 32.0
US median: 38.8
More educated
59% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 33%
Less affordable
home values up 27%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $265,253
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
269,840
+30%since 2000
from 208,054 in 2000
1990 – 2025
Median age
32.0
+5%since 2000
from 30.6 in 2000
US average: 38.8
Land area
83.1 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
183K209K235K261K287K19902000201020202024Madison
2024278K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2020
Under 55%(13,566)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 94.6%(12,301)
US avg: 6.1%
10 to 144.3%(11,649)
US avg: 6.5%
15 to 197.5%(20,335)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 2413.8%(37,155)
US avg: 6.7%
25 to 3419.9%(53,793)
US avg: 13.5%
35 to 4412.7%(34,162)
US avg: 12.7%
45 to 549.3%(25,204)
US avg: 12.3%
55 to 649.6%(26,027)
US avg: 13.1%
65 to 748.1%(21,921)
US avg: 10%
75 to 843.5%(9,408)
US avg: 4.9%
85 and over1.6%(4,319)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$67,565
+7%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $41,941 in 2000
US average: $66,278
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$39,595
+69%since 2000
from $23,498 in 2000
US average: $35,364
Households earning $100K+
45.0%
+13.3 ptssince 2009
from 31.6% in 2009
US average: 43.9%
Poverty rate
16.4%
+1.4 ptssince 2000
from 15.0% in 2000
US average: 12.8%
Workforce by industry, 2020
Information8.9%
US avg: 11.1%
Retail trade7.9%
US avg: 10%
Other services7%
US avg: 6.6%
Public administration5.5%
US avg: 4.7%
Arts, entertainment, food3.3%
US avg: 2%
Wholesale trade2.9%
US avg: 6.7%
Finance & insurance2.5%
US avg: 5.5%
Professional, scientific, technical2%
US avg: 4.7%
Transportation & warehousing1.4%
US avg: 2.5%
Education & health services0.5%
US avg: 0.8%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing0.4%
US avg: 1.7%
Construction0.4%
US avg: 1.2%
Manufacturing0%
US avg: 0.5%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$262,400
+27%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $137,700 in 2000
US average: $265,253
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$1,147
+19%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $644 in 2000
US average: $1,124
Owner-occupied
44.7%
−3.1 ptssince 2000
from 47.7% in 2000
55.3% rent
Persons per household
2.20 people
−2%since 2009
from 2.24 people in 2009
US average: 2.61
Afford Score
3.9
−8%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.
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic82%(170,509)
Black5.8%(11,987)
Hispanic / Latino4.1%(8,512)
Asian5.8%(12,000)
Other0%
2020
White, non-Hispanic69.2%(186,764)
Black7.2%(19,557)
Hispanic / Latino8.7%(23,408)
Asian9.5%(25,547)
Other4.3%(11,729)

No data for the years selected.

Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Hispanic origin
Mexican4%(10,276)
South American1.3%(3,263)
Puerto Rican0.7%(1,741)
Colombian0.5%(1,375)
Central American0.5%(1,290)
Spaniard0.3%(647)
Venezuelan0.2%(456)
Costa Rican0.2%(419)
Argentine0.1%(350)
Guatemalan0.1%(330)
Dominican0.1%(306)
Chilean0.1%(299)
+ 9 more hispanic origin groups with data
Cuban0.1%(264)
Ecuadorian0.1%(255)
Uruguayan0.1%(246)
Nicaraguan0.1%(236)
Bolivian0.1%(161)
Honduran0.1%(147)
Peruvian0%(109)
Asian origin
Chinese3%(7,843)
Asian Indian2.3%(5,850)
Hmong1.3%(3,262)
Korean0.6%(1,558)
Vietnamese0.3%(892)
Japanese0.2%(562)
Filipino0.2%(500)
Taiwanese0.2%(429)
Cambodian0.1%(326)
Laotian0.1%(307)
Nepalese0.1%(280)
Thai0.1%(273)
+ 6 more asian origin groups with data
Bangladeshi0.1%(260)
Pakistani0.1%(226)
Malaysian0%(72)
Mongolian0%(65)
Pacific Islander origin
Samoan0%(57)
Fijian0%(43)
Chamorro0%(19)
Ancestry
German30.3%(78,238)
Irish11.8%(30,541)
English8.6%(22,197)
Norwegian7.2%(18,619)
Polish5.6%(14,406)
Italian3.9%(10,137)
French2.7%(6,978)
Swedish2.5%(6,387)
American2.1%(5,553)
Dutch1.9%(4,884)
Scottish1.6%(4,254)
+ 51 more ancestry groups with data
Czech1.4%(3,554)
Swiss1.3%(3,342)
Russian1.2%(3,077)
British1%(2,692)
Danish0.9%(2,366)
Welsh0.8%(2,146)
Scotch-Irish0.7%(1,865)
Finnish0.5%(1,304)
French Canadian0.5%(1,225)
Ukrainian0.5%(1,172)
Hungarian0.4%(1,083)
Lithuanian0.4%(1,060)
Austrian0.4%(947)
Belgian0.3%(853)
Greek0.3%(822)
Slovak0.2%(627)
Croatian0.2%(518)
Nigerian0.2%(501)
Romanian0.2%(484)
West Indian0.2%(441)
Lebanese0.2%(411)
Canadian0.2%(407)
Slovene0.1%(361)
Iranian0.1%(284)
Portuguese0.1%(282)
Turkish0.1%(266)
Egyptian0.1%(228)
Brazilian0.1%(221)
Ethiopian0.1%(218)
Moroccan0.1%(207)
Armenian0.1%(189)
Serbian0.1%(170)
Jamaican0.1%(151)
Iraqi0.1%(145)
Arab0.1%(130)
Australian0%(108)
Guyanese0%(95)
Bulgarian0%(91)
Haitian0%(76)
Latvian0%(73)
Jordanian0%(62)
Syrian0%(61)
Ghanaian0%(49)
Israeli0%(44)
Kenyan0%(35)
Somali0%(16)
Barbadian0%(11)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
58.5%
+10.4 ptssince 2000
from 48.2% in 2000
US average: 32.9%
High school or higher
95.9%
+3.5 ptssince 2000
from 92.4% in 2000
US average: 88.5%
Graduate degree
26.2%
+5.3 ptssince 2000
from 20.9% in 2000
US average: 12.7%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
19.8 min
+77%since 2000
from 11.1 min in 2000
US average: 26.9
Drive alone to work
62.5%
−1.5 ptssince 2009
from 64.0% in 2009
US average: 75.1%
No vehicle available
11.5%
−0.3 ptssince 2009
from 11.8% in 2009
US average: 8.4%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
2.8%
−3.1 ptssince 2011
from 5.9% in 2011
US average: 5.4%
Labor force participation
71.7%
−1.1 ptssince 2011
from 72.8% in 2011
US average: 63.4%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
82.9%
US average: 73.3%
Management & professional
55.7%
+7.2 ptssince 2009
from 48.5% in 2009
US average: 39.3%
Section 08

People & community

Male
49.5%
+0.4 ptssince 2009
from 49.0% in 2009
Female
50.5%
−0.4 ptssince 2009
from 51.0% in 2009
Foreign born
11.9%
+2.4 ptssince 2009
from 9.5% in 2009
US average: 13.5%
Uninsured
3.8%
−4.0 ptssince 2013
from 7.8% in 2013
US average: 8.8%
Computer in household
95.6%
US average: 91.9%
Same house as last year
74.4%
US average: 86.2%
Marital status (2024)
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

Uninsured
3.8%
−4.0 ptssince 2013
from 7.8% in 2013
US average: 8.8%
Employer-based
72.5%
US average: 55.4%
Direct-purchase
14.3%
US average: 13.7%
Medicare
12.7%
US average: 17.6%
Medicaid
11.3%
US average: 20.0%
VA health care
1.5%
US average: 2.3%
Any private
83.6%
US average: 68.1%
Any public
22.7%
US average: 35.2%

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, 2020
Gulf War (2001 or later)25.1%(2,341)
US avg: 20.6%
Gulf War (1990s)14.6%(1,365)
US avg: 21.4%
Vietnam era34.8%(3,256)
US avg: 35.2%
Korean War6.2%(576)
US avg: 7.6%
World War II5.3%(499)
US avg: 2.9%

Share of the 9,345 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 269,840 residents according to the 2020 American Community Survey.

What is the median household income in Madison, Wisconsin?

The typical household in Madison, Wisconsin earns about $67,565 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 $262,400, and the typical rent is about $1,147 a month.

How educated are people in Madison, Wisconsin?

About 58.5% 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 78,578 residents, a change of about 41 percent over that period.

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DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · UPDATED 2024

How we source and harmonize this data →