METRO AREA · 2020 ACS
Madison Metro
Madison, WI · 4 counties · 680,796 residents · 3,309 sq mi
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The short version
With 680,796 people, Madison is a metro area. This is an unusually credentialed place: 47% of adults have a four-year degree. The population is up 27% since 2000. The foreign-born share is 7%. The median household earns $73,957, about 12% above the national median. The typical home is worth $262,238, having more than doubled since 2000.
At a glance
Wealthier
above the US median
US median: $66,278
Younger
median age 37.1
US median: 38.8
More educated
47% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 33%
Less affordable
home values up 25%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $265,253
Section 01
Population & growth
Land area
3,309 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
2024692K
Age distribution, 2020
Under 55.3%(36,256)
5 to 95.7%(39,064)
10 to 145.9%(40,244)
15 to 196.7%(45,477)
20 to 248.3%(56,684)
25 to 3415.3%(104,198)
35 to 4413.3%(90,689)
45 to 5411.5%(78,389)
55 to 6412.3%(83,802)
65 to 749.6%(65,028)
75 to 844.2%(28,781)
85 and over1.8%(12,184)
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02
Income & economy
$73,957
+2%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $48,153 in 2000
US average: $66,278
1990 – 2024
Households earning $100K+
49.3%
+12.1 ptssince 2009
from 37.2% in 2009
US average: 43.9%
Workforce by industry, 2020
Retail trade10.3%
Information10%
Other services7.4%
Public administration6%
Wholesale trade5.3%
Finance & insurance3.5%
Arts, entertainment, food2.8%
Professional, scientific, technical2.7%
Transportation & warehousing2.1%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing1.7%
Construction1.6%
Education & health services0.8%
Manufacturing0%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03
Housing
$262,238
+25%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $139,112 in 2000
US average: $265,253
1990 – 2024
3.5
−3%since 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%
2020
White, non-Hispanic78.7%(535,921)
Black4.5%(30,923)
Hispanic / Latino6.8%(46,048)
Asian5.3%(36,316)
Other3.7%(25,491)
35
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
Mexican3.6%(23,519)
South American0.8%(5,376)
Puerto Rican0.5%(3,363)
Central American0.4%(2,678)
Colombian0.3%(1,665)
Spaniard0.2%(1,139)
Argentine0.1%(883)
Cuban0.1%(739)
Ecuadorian0.1%(721)
Guatemalan0.1%(653)
Nicaraguan0.1%(638)
Venezuelan0.1%(634)
+ 10 more hispanic origin groups with data
Honduran0.1%(600)
Uruguayan0.1%(536)
Costa Rican0.1%(499)
Dominican0.1%(387)
Chilean0.1%(348)
Peruvian0.1%(332)
Bolivian0%(217)
Panamanian0%(160)
Salvadoran0%(128)
Paraguayan0%(28)
Asian origin
Chinese1.5%(9,587)
Asian Indian1.3%(8,333)
Hmong0.8%(4,977)
Korean0.3%(1,966)
Vietnamese0.3%(1,688)
Filipino0.2%(1,077)
Japanese0.1%(858)
Taiwanese0.1%(614)
Laotian0.1%(538)
Pakistani0.1%(432)
Cambodian0.1%(355)
Thai0.1%(352)
+ 7 more asian origin groups with data
Nepalese0.1%(351)
Bangladeshi0%(260)
Mongolian0%(171)
Indonesian0%(110)
Sri Lankan0%(91)
Malaysian0%(86)
Burmese0%(12)
Ancestry
German36.3%(239,482)
Irish12.8%(84,755)
Norwegian10.4%(69,013)
English8.9%(58,691)
Polish5.3%(34,890)
Italian3.7%(24,078)
Swiss2.8%(18,914)
American2.7%(17,674)
French2.5%(16,820)
Swedish2.1%(14,141)
Dutch1.9%(12,362)
Scottish1.6%(10,437)
+ 51 more ancestry groups with data
Czech1.3%(8,697)
Subsaharan African1.3%(8,282)
Danish0.9%(6,221)
Welsh0.8%(5,327)
Russian0.8%(5,012)
British0.7%(4,526)
Scotch-Irish0.7%(4,338)
French Canadian0.5%(3,343)
Finnish0.4%(2,818)
Austrian0.4%(2,408)
Belgian0.4%(2,364)
Hungarian0.3%(2,143)
Greek0.3%(1,918)
Lithuanian0.3%(1,846)
Ukrainian0.3%(1,800)
Slovak0.2%(1,365)
Croatian0.2%(1,150)
Romanian0.1%(857)
Canadian0.1%(837)
Lebanese0.1%(803)
Portuguese0.1%(719)
West Indian0.1%(681)
Slovene0.1%(655)
Turkish0.1%(578)
Nigerian0.1%(527)
Serbian0.1%(519)
Egyptian0.1%(445)
Latvian0.1%(435)
Brazilian0.1%(407)
Iranian0.1%(400)
Bulgarian0%(279)
Armenian0%(265)
Ethiopian0%(265)
Jamaican0%(261)
Moroccan0%(223)
Australian0%(215)
Ghanaian0%(188)
Arab0%(185)
Haitian0%(168)
Syrian0%(167)
Iraqi0%(152)
Guyanese0%(140)
Kenyan0%(137)
Jordanian0%(79)
Israeli0%(62)
Macedonian0%(51)
Palestinian0%(31)
Trinidadian & Tobagonian0%(22)
Somali0%(16)
Barbadian0%(15)
Cape Verdean0%(7)
Section 05
Education
High school or higher
95.7%
+4.8 ptssince 2000
from 90.9% in 2000
US average: 88.5%
Section 06
Commute & transportation
Section 07
Work & employment
Women 20-64 in the labor force
83.3%
US average: 73.3%
Section 08
People & community
Computer in household
94.4%
US average: 91.9%
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
Direct-purchase
14.8%
US average: 13.7%
VA health care
1.9%
US average: 2.3%
Any private
83.2%
US average: 68.1%
Any public
25.3%
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)18.5%(5,500)
Gulf War (1990s)17.9%(5,317)
Vietnam era36.2%(10,759)
Korean War7.6%(2,266)
World War II3.9%(1,154)
Share of the 29,740 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
Drill deeper
Metros similar to Madison
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New Haven
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MADISON VS
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Home value$270,939+3%
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MADISON VS
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MADISON VS
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MADISON VS
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Home value$353,100+35%
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Frequently asked
How many people live in Madison, WI?
Madison, WI has about 680,796 residents according to the 2020 American Community Survey.
What is the median household income in Madison, WI?
The typical household in Madison, WI earns about $73,957 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 $262,238, and the typical rent is about $1,062 a month.
How educated are people in Madison, WI?
About 47.5% 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 10.4% 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 218,134 residents, a change of about 47 percent over that period.
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DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · METRO ROLLUP OF COMPONENT COUNTIES · UPDATED 2024