Madison, WI

Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA)

2024 Population

691,830

US Senator

Ron Johnson

Republican Party

US Senator

Tammy Baldwin

Democratic Party

2024 Median Age

0.271% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

10.1%

1.46% 1-year increase

2024 Median Household Income

$88,804

2.28% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

Population & Diversity

Madison, WI is home to a population of 692k people, from which 95.5% are citizens.

As of 2024, 7.72% of Madison, WI residents were born outside of the country (53.4k people).

In 2024, there were 15.1 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (543k people) in Madison, WI than any other race or ethnicity. There were 35.9k Asian (Non-Hispanic) and 30.8k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

95.5%

2024 Citizenship

95.6%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 95.5% of Madison, WI residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Madison, WI was 95.6%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Madison, WI compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Madison, WI

White (Non-Hispanic)
543k ± 1.12k
Asian (Non-Hispanic)
35.9k ± 848
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
30.8k ± 1.11k

7.12%

Hispanic Population

49.2k people

7.12% of the people in Madison, WI are hispanic (49.2k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Madison, WI as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the MSA level, so we are showing data for Wisconsin.

Most Common Origin

Mexico
90,085 ± 7,313 people
India
22,216 ± 3,653 people
China
14,090 ± 2,911 people

In 2024, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Wisconsin was Mexico, the natal country of 90,085 Wisconsin residents, followed by India with 22,216 and China with 14,090.

Foreign-Born Population

7.72%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

53.4k people

7.56%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

51.7k people

As of 2024, 7.72% of Madison, WI residents (53.4k people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Madison, WI was 7.56%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Madison, WI compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
9,005 ± 638
Gulf War (2001-)
5,731 ± 539
Gulf War (1990s)
3,450 ± 395

Madison, WI has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.57 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Madison, WI.

Economy

The economy of Madison, WI employs 387k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Madison, WI were Health Care & Social Assistance (58,623 people), Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services (48,873 people), and Educational Services (48,108 people), and the highest paying industries were Utilities ($99,720), Mining, Quarrying, & Oil & Gas Extraction ($93,449), and Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($86,581).

Employment

Occupations

387k

2024 Value

± 4,971

1.31%

1 Year growth

± 1.77%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Madison, WI grew at a rate of 1.31%, from 382k employees to 387k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Madison, WI, are Management Occupations (46,381 people), Office & Administrative Support Occupations (37,539 people), and Education Instruction, & Library Occupations (29,890 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Madison, WI.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Wisconsin.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in Wisconsin (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

Industries

Employment by Industries

387k

2024 Value

± 4,971

1.31%

1 Year growth

± 1.77%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Madison, WI grew at a rate of 1.31%, from 382k employees to 387k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Madison, WI, are Health Care & Social Assistance (58,623 people), Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services (48,873 people), and Educational Services (48,108 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Madison, WI, though some of these residents may live in Madison, WI and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$62,550

Median earning men ± $874

$47,981

Median earning women ± $750

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($90,440), Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($88,183), and Information ($78,641).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($69,766), Public Administration ($64,329), and Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($63,990).

Employment by Industry Sector

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Wisconsin.

Y-Axis

1.6%

Year-over-year growth

Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 2.95M people employed in Wisconsin. This represents a 1.6% increase in employment when compared to February 2022.

Right after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, during April 2020, a general dip can be seen across industry sectors, resulting in an overall decline in employment by 13.3%.

The following chart shows monthly employment numbers for each industry sector in Wisconsin.

Establishments by Size

The industries with the most establishments

1,400
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
1,103
Other Services (except Public Administration)
1,040
Construction

The visualization shows the distribution of establishments by industry and by size according to the number of employees.

The visualization shows the number of establishments and its share across establishment sizes.

Payroll by Industry Sector

The industries with the highest total annual payroll

$4.44M
Health Care and Social Assistance
$3.6M
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
$2.7M
Manufacturing

The chart shows the total annual payroll and the average annual payroll by industry.

Education

The student population of Madison, WI in 2024 is skewed towards women, with 31,647 male students and 41,054 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Madison, WI are White (15,859 and 69.8%), Hispanic or Latino (2,047 and 9%), Asian (1,845 and 8.12%), and Black or African American (1,190 and 5.23%).

The largest universities in Madison, WI by number of degrees awarded are University of Wisconsin-Madison (19,400 and 76%), Madison Area Technical College (3,782 and 14.8%), and Herzing University-Madison (1,655 and 6.48%).

The most popular majors in Madison, WI are General Computer & Information Sciences (1,257 and 4.92%), Registered Nursing (737 and 2.89%), and Data Science, General (634 and 2.48%).

The median tuition costs are $24,110 for private four year colleges, and $7,246 and $23,578 respectively, for public four year colleges for in-state students and out-of-state students.

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

University

Measure

In 2024 in Madison, WI, the percentage of applicants admitted was 46.6%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 28.6%. The number of students enrolled in 2024 was 72,701 (43.5% men and 56.5% women).

The line chart shows the evolution of the percentage of applicants admitted, admitted who enrolled or the number of students enrolled according to the option selected in the upper button.

Enrollments by Gender and Races

Universities

In 2024 there were 72,701 students enrolled in Madison, WI, 43.5% men and 56.5% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 40,555 records, of which 58.4% were women and 41.6% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

General Computer & Information Sciences
880 degrees awarded
General Economics
590 degrees awarded
General Psychology
569 degrees awarded

In 2024, the most common concentation for Bachelors Degree recipients in Madison, WI was General Computer & Information Sciences with 880 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Bachelors Degree from schools in Madison, WI according to their major.

Universities

Gender

Race

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

University of Wisconsin-Madison
19,400 degrees awarded
Madison Area Technical College
3,782 degrees awarded
Herzing University-Madison
1,655 degrees awarded

In 2024, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was University of Wisconsin-Madison with 19,400 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

University

In 2024, 10,682 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Madison, WI, which is 0.719 times less than the 14,859 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2024, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 15,859 degrees mean that there were 7.75 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Hispanic or Latino, with 2,047 degrees awarded.

Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Universities

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($24,110) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2024.

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($1,090) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2024.

Public, 4-year or above ($1,582) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

The graph shows the average net price by sector and year.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Madison, WI was $372,400 in 2024, which is 1.12 times larger than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $344,600 to $372,400, a 8.07% increase. The homeownership rate in Madison, WI is 60.3%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Madison, WI have an average commute time of 21.5 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Madison, WI is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$372,400

Median Property Value 2024

±$3,222

$181,998

Median Property Taxes

±$2,820

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Madison, WI the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Madison, WI compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

60.3%

Homeownership

2024

62.6%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 60.3% of the housing units in Madison, WI were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 60.8%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Madison, WI compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$88,804

Median Household Income

± $1,156

302k

Number of Households

± 4,166

In 2024, the median household income of the 302k households in Madison, WI grew to $88,804 from the previous year's value of $86,827.

The following chart displays the households in Madison, WI distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $200k+ range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Madison, WI is from Wisconsin.

0.439

2024 Wage GINI in Wisconsin

0.441

2023 Wage GINI in Wisconsin

In 2024, the income inequality in Wisconsin was 0.439 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.364% decline from 2023 to 2024, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Wisconsin was lower than than the national average of 0.474. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in Wisconsin in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in Wisconsin across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (65.9%)
Worked At Home (18.8%)
Carpooled (5.78%)

In 2024, 65.9% of workers in Madison, WI drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (18.8%) and those who carpooled to work (5.78%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

21.5 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Madison, WI have a shorter commute time (21.5 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 1.04% of the workforce in Madison, WI have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Madison, WI compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Madison, WI distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Madison, WI have 2 cars.

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

10.1% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Madison, WI (68.3k out of 676k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is lower than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 18 - 24, followed by Males 18 - 24 and then Females 25 - 34.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Madison, WI is White, followed by Two Or More and Hispanic.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798, followed by New York (5,087).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

Keep Exploring