CensusEasy
COUNTY · 2020 ACS

Dane County

Wisconsin · 561,504 residents · 1,196 sq mi
Time machine
COMPARE TO
Part of the Madison metro area
Compare
The short version

With 561,504 people, Dane County is a county in Wisconsin. This is an unusually credentialed place: 52% of adults have a four-year degree. 134,978 more people live here than in 2000. This skews young, with a median age of 35.7. Households here earn about 19% more than in Wisconsin as a whole. Owners hold 56% of the housing stock.

At a glance
Wealthier
above the US median
US median: $66,278
Younger
median age 35.7
US median: 38.8
More educated
52% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 33%
Less affordable
home values up 26%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $265,253
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
561,504
+32%since 2000
from 426,526 in 2000
1990 – 2025
Median age
35.7
+8%since 2000
from 33.2 in 2000
US average: 38.8
Land area
1,196 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
347K408K470K532K593K19902000201020202024Dane County
2024573K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2020
Under 55.4%(30,073)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 95.7%(32,126)
US avg: 6.1%
10 to 145.7%(32,183)
US avg: 6.5%
15 to 196.8%(38,363)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 249.2%(51,395)
US avg: 6.7%
25 to 3416.2%(90,781)
US avg: 13.5%
35 to 4413.6%(76,086)
US avg: 12.7%
45 to 5411.2%(62,997)
US avg: 12.3%
55 to 6411.6%(65,047)
US avg: 13.1%
65 to 749.1%(50,922)
US avg: 10%
75 to 843.9%(22,106)
US avg: 4.9%
85 and over1.7%(9,425)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$75,179
+2%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $49,223 in 2000
US average: $66,278
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$41,755
+67%since 2000
from $24,985 in 2000
US average: $35,364
Households earning $100K+
50.1%
+11.5 ptssince 2009
from 38.6% in 2009
US average: 43.9%
Poverty rate
11.0%
+1.6 ptssince 2000
from 9.4% in 2000
US average: 12.8%
Workforce by industry, 2020
Information9.4%
US avg: 11.1%
Retail trade9%
US avg: 10%
Other services7.9%
US avg: 6.6%
Public administration6.3%
US avg: 4.7%
Wholesale trade4.6%
US avg: 6.7%
Finance & insurance3.1%
US avg: 5.5%
Arts, entertainment, food3.1%
US avg: 2%
Professional, scientific, technical2.4%
US avg: 4.7%
Transportation & warehousing2%
US avg: 2.5%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing1%
US avg: 1.7%
Construction1%
US avg: 1.2%
Education & health services0.8%
US avg: 0.8%
Manufacturing0%
US avg: 0.5%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$277,000
+26%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $146,600 in 2000
US average: $265,253
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$1,118
+16%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $641 in 2000
US average: $1,124
Owner-occupied
56.3%
−1.3 ptssince 2000
from 57.6% in 2000
43.7% rent
Persons per household
2.33 people
−3%since 2009
from 2.39 people in 2009
US average: 2.61
Afford Score
3.7
−3%since 2009
from 3.8 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-Hispanic87.4%(372,597)
Black3.9%(16,829)
Hispanic / Latino3.4%(14,387)
Asian3.4%(14,651)
Other0%
2020
White, non-Hispanic76%(426,721)
Black5.3%(29,742)
Hispanic / Latino7.5%(41,954)
Asian6.3%(35,592)
Other4.1%(23,198)
Segregation Score
32
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means White and non-White residents are more separated across neighborhoods.
Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Hispanic origin
Mexican3.8%(20,777)
Puerto Rican0.6%(3,157)
Central American0.5%(2,472)
Colombian0.3%(1,636)
Spaniard0.2%(1,045)
Argentine0.2%(852)
Cuban0.1%(695)
Ecuadorian0.1%(688)
Venezuelan0.1%(630)
Nicaraguan0.1%(626)
Guatemalan0.1%(584)
+ 10 more hispanic origin groups with data
Uruguayan0.1%(527)
Honduran0.1%(521)
Costa Rican0.1%(460)
Dominican0.1%(340)
Chilean0.1%(335)
Peruvian0.1%(315)
Bolivian0%(217)
Panamanian0%(160)
Salvadoran0%(121)
Asian origin
Chinese1.7%(9,459)
Asian Indian1.5%(8,145)
Hmong0.9%(4,901)
Korean0.4%(1,925)
Vietnamese0.3%(1,651)
Filipino0.2%(914)
Japanese0.2%(836)
Taiwanese0.1%(614)
Laotian0.1%(530)
Pakistani0.1%(432)
Cambodian0.1%(355)
Nepalese0.1%(344)
+ 7 more asian origin groups with data
Thai0.1%(336)
Mongolian0%(144)
Indonesian0%(110)
Malaysian0%(86)
Burmese0%(12)
Pacific Islander origin
Samoan0%(233)
Chamorro0%(64)
Fijian0%(43)
Ancestry
German35.2%(191,083)
Irish12.7%(68,833)
Norwegian9.9%(53,584)
English8.8%(47,741)
Polish5.5%(29,650)
Italian3.9%(21,253)
French2.6%(14,112)
American2.5%(13,471)
Swedish2.3%(12,339)
Swiss1.9%(10,572)
Dutch1.8%(9,697)
Scottish1.6%(8,946)
+ 51 more ancestry groups with data
Czech1.3%(7,184)
Danish1%(5,442)
Russian0.8%(4,502)
Welsh0.8%(4,385)
British0.8%(4,113)
Scotch-Irish0.7%(3,838)
French Canadian0.5%(2,736)
Finnish0.5%(2,587)
Austrian0.4%(2,107)
Belgian0.4%(1,953)
Hungarian0.3%(1,859)
Greek0.3%(1,763)
Ukrainian0.3%(1,699)
Lithuanian0.3%(1,683)
Slovak0.2%(1,250)
Croatian0.2%(1,016)
Lebanese0.1%(801)
Canadian0.1%(764)
Romanian0.1%(726)
Portuguese0.1%(661)
Slovene0.1%(611)
West Indian0.1%(592)
Turkish0.1%(570)
Nigerian0.1%(521)
Serbian0.1%(473)
Egyptian0.1%(431)
Iranian0.1%(392)
Brazilian0.1%(367)
Latvian0.1%(360)
Ethiopian0%(257)
Bulgarian0%(255)
Armenian0%(228)
Moroccan0%(221)
Jamaican0%(213)
Australian0%(193)
Ghanaian0%(186)
Arab0%(185)
Iraqi0%(152)
Haitian0%(142)
Kenyan0%(137)
Guyanese0%(131)
Syrian0%(127)
Jordanian0%(79)
Israeli0%(62)
Somali0%(16)
Barbadian0%(11)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
52.4%
+11.8 ptssince 2000
from 40.6% in 2000
US average: 32.9%
High school or higher
96.2%
+4.0 ptssince 2000
from 92.2% in 2000
US average: 88.5%
Graduate degree
21.1%
+5.3 ptssince 2000
from 15.8% in 2000
US average: 12.7%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
21.3 min
+76%since 2000
from 12.1 min in 2000
US average: 26.9
Drive alone to work
71.4%
−1.7 ptssince 2009
from 73.1% in 2009
US average: 75.1%
No vehicle available
8.1%
+0.5 ptssince 2009
from 7.5% in 2009
US average: 8.4%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
2.5%
−2.9 ptssince 2011
from 5.4% in 2011
US average: 5.4%
Labor force participation
71.6%
−2.4 ptssince 2011
from 74.1% in 2011
US average: 63.4%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
83.5%
US average: 73.3%
Management & professional
52.8%
+7.2 ptssince 2009
from 45.5% in 2009
US average: 39.3%
Section 08

People & community

Male
49.7%
+0.1 ptssince 2009
from 49.6% in 2009
Female
50.3%
−0.1 ptssince 2009
from 50.4% in 2009
Foreign born
8.5%
+1.7 ptssince 2009
from 6.9% in 2009
US average: 13.5%
Uninsured
3.6%
−3.4 ptssince 2013
from 7.0% in 2013
US average: 8.8%
Computer in household
95.4%
US average: 91.9%
Same house as last year
81.4%
US average: 86.2%
Marital status (2024)
Men 15+
Never married42.9%(102,408)
Married48.2%(114,941)
Widowed1.7%(4,070)
Divorced7.2%(17,183)
Women 15+
Never married37.5%(90,440)
Married46.6%(112,450)
Widowed5.5%(13,330)
Divorced10.3%(24,957)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09

Health coverage

Uninsured
3.6%
−3.4 ptssince 2013
from 7.0% in 2013
US average: 8.8%
Employer-based
72.6%
US average: 55.4%
Direct-purchase
14.2%
US average: 13.7%
Medicare
14.4%
US average: 17.6%
Medicaid
10.8%
US average: 20.0%
VA health care
1.7%
US average: 2.3%
Any private
84.0%
US average: 68.1%
Any public
23.9%
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)20.3%(4,569)
US avg: 20.6%
Gulf War (1990s)17.9%(4,033)
US avg: 21.4%
Vietnam era36.1%(8,143)
US avg: 35.2%
Korean War7.5%(1,695)
US avg: 7.6%
World War II4.4%(990)
US avg: 2.9%

Share of the 22,530 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
Drill deeper

Places similar to Dane County

Delaware County
Pop 580,937
New Castle County
Pop 588,026
South Central Connecticut Planning Region
Pop 578,741
Bristol County
Pop 593,640
Places similar to Dane County
Head to head

Compare Dane County to nearby counties

DANE COUNTY VS
Columbia County
Income$85,351+14%
Home value$283,200+2%
Population58,132−90%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
DANE COUNTY VS
Green County
Income$82,852+10%
Home value$250,200−10%
Population37,227−94%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
DANE COUNTY VS
Rock County
Income$75,673+1%
Home value$231,600−16%
Population166,472−72%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
DANE COUNTY VS
Jefferson County
Income$83,750+11%
Home value$274,100−1%
Population86,505−85%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Dane County, Wisconsin?

Dane County, Wisconsin has about 561,504 residents according to the 2020 American Community Survey.

What is the median household income in Dane County, Wisconsin?

The typical household in Dane County, Wisconsin earns about $75,179 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Dane County, Wisconsin expensive?

In Dane County, Wisconsin, the median home is worth about $277,000, and the typical rent is about $1,118 a month.

How educated are people in Dane County, Wisconsin?

About 52.4% of adults age 25 and over in Dane County, Wisconsin hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in Dane County, Wisconsin?

About 11.0% of people in Dane County, Wisconsin live below the federal poverty line.

Has Dane County, Wisconsin grown since 1990?

Yes, Dane County, Wisconsin has grown since 1990. The population has added about 194,419 residents, a change of about 53 percent over that period.

Keep going

Explore from here

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

How we source and harmonize this data →