Madison, Wisconsin
Cost of living, housing, income, commute, climate, and safety — compiled for relocators researching Madison.
Key figures
Each metric shows how Madison compares with the U.S. baseline (ACS/BLS nationals where available; catalog-city averages for crime, climate, and commute). Income, housing, population, and crime are for the incorporated city (city limits), not the broader metro/MSA — unemployment is county-level (BLS LAUS).
- Population
- 275,568City limits · not metro/MSA
- Median household income
- $76,983Incorporated place (ACS)Near U.S. avg ($78,538)U.S. $78,538
- Housing cost index
- 108ACS home+rent vs U.S. (100 = avg)8% above U.S. avgU.S. 100
- Median home value
- $346,900City limits (ACS)14% above U.S. avgU.S. $303,400
- Median rent
- $1,364City limits (ACS)Near U.S. avg ($1,348)U.S. $1,348
- Unemployment
- 2.5%County LAUS · not city-only1.7 pts below U.S. avgU.S. 4.2 pts
- Avg commute
- 20 min20% below U.S. avgU.S. 25 min
- Walk Score
- 5011% above U.S. avgU.S. 45
- Violent crime rate
- 359.8annualized per 100k · citywide40% below U.S. avgU.S. 602.7
- Property crime rate
- 2474.1annualized per 100k · citywide20% below U.S. avgU.S. 3084.9
- Summer high
- 80°F7.0°F below U.S. avgU.S. 87°F
- Winter low
- 15°F19.0°F below U.S. avgU.S. 34°F
- Annual rainfall
- 37.1 in13% above U.S. avgU.S. 32.9 in
- Sunny days
- 23910% below U.S. avgU.S. 266
Compare Madison with another city
Relocators eyeing Madison, Wisconsin will find roughly 275,568 residents within city limits. Median household income is roughly $76,983, while the ACS housing-cost index sits near 108 — close to the national housing-cost baseline (100 ≈ U.S. average). Budget for median rents around $1,364 a month before you lock a neighborhood.
Madison is compact enough that a single wrong neighborhood choice is easy to feel day to day — visit at commute hour before signing. Figures on this page are merged from Census ACS, BLS LAUS, FBI Crime Data Explorer, and NOAA Climate Normals — use them to compare Madison with nearby alternatives before you relocate.
Lake-effect cold and dairy/manufacturing employment still shape daily life. Winter lows around 15°F mean heating costs and snow logistics belong on the checklist. Plan on roughly 20 minutes each way for a typical commute; Walk Score is about 50. A recent county unemployment reading near 2.5% suggests a relatively tight local labor market. Violent-offense rates around 359.8 per 100k are moderate for a large U.S. city, with meaningful variation by neighborhood.
Nearby & similar cities
Continue researching with these internal links — each page is a full data profile.
Sources
- Census / ACS: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 5-year (Madison city, 1600000US5548000)
- BLS: BLS LAUS LAUCN550250000000003 (Dane County, May 2026)
- Crime: FBI CIUS Table 8 (2019) city offenses known to law enforcement — rates per 100k; CDE API unavailable at enrich time
- Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 Monthly Normals (USW00014837 MADISON DANE RGNL AP)
Last updated 2026-07-28