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METRO AREA · 2010 ACS

Madison Metro

Madison, WI · 4 counties · 605,435 residents · 3,309 sq mi
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The short version

With 605,435 people, Madison is a metro area. This is an unusually credentialed place: 40% of adults have a four-year degree. The foreign-born share is 6%. The population is up 13% since 2000. The median household earns $59,408, about 13% above the national median. The typical home is worth $217,952, having risen by half since 2000.

At a glance
Wealthier
above the US median
US median: $52,703
Mid-age
median age 35.7
US median: 37.2
More educated
40% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 28%
Stable housing
home values roughly flat, inflation adjusted
US median home: $225,659
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
605,435
+13%since 2000
from 535,421 in 2000
1990 – 2025
Population density
183 / sq mi
+13%since 2000
from 162 / sq mi in 2000
Median age
35.7
+5%since 2000
from 34.1 in 2000
US average: 37.2
Land area
3,309 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
440K508K577K646K715K19902000201020202024Madison
2024692K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2010
Under 56.2%(37,616)
US avg: 6.5%
5 to 96.2%(37,694)
US avg: 6.6%
10 to 146.1%(36,853)
US avg: 6.7%
15 to 196.6%(40,255)
US avg: 7.1%
20 to 248.7%(52,539)
US avg: 7%
25 to 3415.3%(92,438)
US avg: 13.3%
35 to 4413.3%(80,536)
US avg: 13.3%
45 to 5414.6%(88,253)
US avg: 14.6%
55 to 6411.9%(72,047)
US avg: 11.8%
65 to 745.8%(35,416)
US avg: 7%
75 to 843.6%(21,519)
US avg: 4.2%
85 and over1.7%(10,269)
US avg: 1.8%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$59,408
−3%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $48,153 in 2000
US average: $52,703
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$31,257
+30%since 2000
from $24,099 in 2000
US average: $27,286
Households earning $100K+
38.0%
+0.8 ptssince 2009
from 37.2% in 2009
US average: 33.3%
Poverty rate
11.0%
+2.3 ptssince 2000
from 8.7% in 2000
US average: 13.8%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.430
US average: 0.461
Workforce by industry, 2010
Information11%
US avg: 11.5%
Retail trade10.7%
US avg: 10.9%
Other services8.3%
US avg: 7%
Public administration6.8%
US avg: 4.9%
Wholesale trade5.7%
US avg: 7.2%
Finance & insurance3.4%
US avg: 5.1%
Arts, entertainment, food2.9%
US avg: 2.4%
Transportation & warehousing2.7%
US avg: 3.1%
Professional, scientific, technical2.6%
US avg: 4.2%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing2%
US avg: 1.9%
Construction1.9%
US avg: 1.4%
Education & health services0.8%
US avg: 0.9%
Manufacturing0.1%
US avg: 0.5%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$217,952
+24%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $139,112 in 2000
US average: $225,659
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$801
+4%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $611 in 2000
US average: $853
Owner-occupied
62.6%
+1.6 ptssince 2000
from 61.1% in 2000
37.4% rent
Vacancy rate
8.2%
−0.2 ptssince 2009
from 8.4% in 2009
US average: 12.1%
Persons per household
2.37 people
−1%since 2009
from 2.39 people in 2009
US average: 2.60
Owner cost-burdened
29.8%
+0.1 ptssince 2009
from 29.8% in 2009
US average: 30.9%
Renter cost-burdened
45.0%
−0.2 ptssince 2009
from 45.2% in 2009
US average: 46.8%
Afford Score
3.7
Unchangedsince 2009
from 3.6 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-Hispanic89.3%(478,359)
Black3.2%(17,380)
Hispanic / Latino2.9%(15,616)
Asian2.8%(14,999)
Other0%
2010
White, non-Hispanic84.4%(511,133)
Black4.2%(25,637)
Hispanic / Latino5.2%(31,738)
Asian3.9%(23,522)
Other2.2%(13,253)

No data for the years selected.

Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Hispanic origin
Mexican3.3%(19,319)
South American0.6%(3,371)
Puerto Rican0.4%(2,574)
Central American0.3%(1,698)
Colombian0.1%(736)
Peruvian0.1%(685)
Nicaraguan0.1%(625)
Argentine0.1%(565)
Honduran0.1%(426)
Guatemalan0.1%(332)
Chilean0.1%(325)
Cuban0.1%(316)
+ 10 more hispanic origin groups with data
Venezuelan0.1%(277)
Ecuadorian0%(265)
Spaniard0%(257)
Uruguayan0%(247)
Bolivian0%(199)
Salvadoran0%(153)
Dominican0%(74)
Ancestry
German42.3%(251,626)
Irish14.7%(87,301)
Norwegian13.4%(79,481)
English9.5%(56,366)
Polish5.1%(30,360)
Italian3.4%(20,262)
Swiss3.4%(20,220)
French3.1%(18,700)
American2.9%(17,269)
Swedish2.5%(14,661)
Dutch2.2%(13,122)
Scottish1.8%(10,522)
+ 49 more ancestry groups with data
Czech1.5%(9,088)
Danish1.2%(7,205)
Scotch-Irish1.2%(7,096)
Welsh0.9%(5,451)
Russian0.9%(5,132)
French Canadian0.6%(3,348)
British0.4%(2,656)
Hungarian0.4%(2,520)
Austrian0.4%(2,329)
Finnish0.4%(2,263)
Belgian0.4%(2,167)
Greek0.3%(1,933)
Lithuanian0.2%(1,426)
Arab0.2%(1,369)
Canadian0.2%(1,032)
Ukrainian0.2%(1,022)
Croatian0.2%(936)
Slovak0.1%(742)
Romanian0.1%(677)
West Indian0.1%(584)
Nigerian0.1%(579)
Iranian0.1%(520)
Slovene0.1%(518)
Turkish0.1%(411)
Serbian0.1%(392)
Jamaican0.1%(380)
Portuguese0.1%(378)
Armenian0.1%(375)
Lebanese0.1%(350)
Latvian0%(222)
Brazilian0%(213)
Egyptian0%(198)
Australian0%(197)
Kenyan0%(196)
Israeli0%(176)
Ethiopian0%(175)
Macedonian0%(173)
Bulgarian0%(126)
Somali0%(111)
Moroccan0%(77)
Syrian0%(77)
Haitian0%(73)
Iraqi0%(32)
Jordanian0%(22)
Ghanaian0%(11)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
40.5%
+4.6 ptssince 2000
from 35.8% in 2000
US average: 27.9%
High school or higher
93.6%
+2.7 ptssince 2000
from 90.9% in 2000
US average: 84.9%
Graduate degree
15.7%
+2.0 ptssince 2000
from 13.7% in 2000
US average: 10.2%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
21.2 min
+61%since 2000
from 13.2 min in 2000
US average: 25.2
Drive alone to work
74.3%
Unchangedsince 2009
from 74.3% in 2009
US average: 76.2%
Carpooled to work
9.7%
Unchangedsince 2009
from 9.7% in 2009
US average: 10.4%
Public transit
3.8%
+0.1 ptssince 2009
from 3.7% in 2009
US average: 4.7%
Worked from home
4.2%
+0.1 ptssince 2009
from 4.0% in 2009
US average: 4.1%
Walked to work
4.9%
−0.4 ptssince 2009
from 5.4% in 2009
US average: 2.8%
Biked to work
2.1%
+0.1 ptssince 2009
from 2.0% in 2009
US average: 0.5%
No vehicle available
6.9%
+0.1 ptssince 2009
from 6.8% in 2009
US average: 8.7%
Section 07

Work & employment

Self-employed
16.0%
Unchangedsince 2009
from 15.9% in 2009
US average: 12.9%
Management & professional
43.5%
+0.9 ptssince 2009
from 42.6% in 2009
US average: 35.2%
Section 08

People & community

Male
49.6%
−0.1 ptssince 2009
from 49.7% in 2009
Female
50.4%
+0.1 ptssince 2009
from 50.3% in 2009
Foreign born
6.3%
+0.4 ptssince 2009
from 5.9% in 2009
US average: 12.8%
Veterans
8.4%
−0.1 ptssince 2009
from 8.4% in 2009
US average: 9.9%
Marital status (2024)
Men 15+
Never married40.8%(117,982)
Married49.4%(142,737)
Widowed2%(5,681)
Divorced7.8%(22,461)
Women 15+
Never married35.2%(102,190)
Married47.9%(138,877)
Widowed6.2%(17,852)
Divorced10.7%(31,003)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09

Health coverage

Showing 2024 (the nearest year with coverage data).

Uninsured
3.7%
−3.3 ptssince 2013
from 7.0% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Employer-based
70.1%
−0.9 ptssince 2020
from 71.0% in 2020
US average: 54.8%
Direct-purchase
14.8%
−0.1 ptssince 2020
from 14.8% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
Medicare
16.4%
+1.1 ptssince 2020
from 15.3% in 2020
US average: 18.4%
Medicaid
12.1%
+0.5 ptssince 2020
from 11.5% in 2020
US average: 20.9%
VA health care
1.7%
−0.2 ptssince 2020
from 1.9% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
82.2%
−1.0 ptssince 2020
from 83.2% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
27.0%
+1.7 ptssince 2020
from 25.3% 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)21.7%(5,731)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)18.4%(4,858)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era35.2%(9,303)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War5.6%(1,467)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II1.6%(417)
US avg: 1%

Share of the 26,413 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
In this metro

Largest cities

MadisonCENTRAL286,233Sun Prairie39,227Fitchburg34,615Middleton23,115Verona16,821Waunakee16,411Stoughton13,256DeForest13,094Oregon12,015Monroe10,581Windsor10,085Portage9,956McFarland9,145Cottage Grove8,930Monona8,664Mount Horeb7,725Edgerton6,121Columbus5,400Lake Wisconsin5,384Dodgeville5,076Cross Plains4,182Marshall3,696Brodhead3,214Lodi3,190Poynette2,924Belleville2,705Deerfield2,619Mineral Point2,555New Glarus2,266Pardeeville2,248

The 30 most populous of 63 cities and towns in this metro. CENTRAL marks the metro's principal cities.

What's inside

4 component counties

Dane CountyCENTRAL590,375Columbia County58,132Green County37,227Iowa County23,951
Drill deeper

Metros similar to Madison

Des Moines
Pop 758,539
Colorado Springs
Pop 781,796
Kiryas Joel
Pop 718,377
New Haven
Pop 578,741
Places similar to Madison
Head to head

Compare Madison side by side

MADISON VS
Des Moines
Income$86,618+46%
Home value$270,939+24%
Population758,539+7%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
MADISON VS
Colorado Springs
Income$90,201+52%
Home value$461,611+112%
Population781,796+10%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
MADISON VS
Kiryas Joel
Income$98,151+65%
Home value$393,273+80%
Population718,377+1%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
MADISON VS
New Haven
Income$88,197+48%
Home value$353,100+62%
Population578,741−18%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Madison, WI?

Madison, WI has about 605,435 residents according to the 2010 American Community Survey.

What is the median household income in Madison, WI?

The typical household in Madison, WI earns about $59,408 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Madison, WI expensive?

In Madison, WI, the median home is worth about $217,952, and the typical rent is about $801 a month.

How educated are people in Madison, WI?

About 40.5% of adults age 25 and over in Madison, WI hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in Madison, WI?

About 11.0% of people in Madison, WI live below the federal poverty line.

Has Madison, WI grown since 1990?

Yes, Madison, WI has grown since 1990. The population has added about 142,773 residents, a change of about 31 percent over that period.

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DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · METRO ROLLUP OF COMPONENT COUNTIES · UPDATED 2024

How we source and harmonize this data →