What is the population of Madison city?

Madison city has 275,568 residents on Census ACS 2019-2023 ACS 5-year estimates, ranking #2 of 807 in Wisconsin.

What is the median household income in Madison city?

Median household income in Madison city is $76,983 a year, 2% below the national figure of $78,538.

How much does it cost to rent or buy in Madison city?

Median gross rent is $1,364 a month and the median home value is $346,900, so rent absorbs about 21.3% of median household income.

Is Madison city affordable compared with the rest of the US?

Homes cost about 4.5× the local median income here versus roughly 3.9× nationally, so Madison city is less affordable to buy in than the typical US market, and rent takes 21.3% of median income against the 30% cost-burden line.

Aerial view of a dense city center, illustrating the US cities ZIP code directory

Wisconsin · Census place 48000

Madison, WI population, income and ZIP codes

Quick answer

The population of the city of Madison, Wisconsin (Madison, WI — Census place “Madison city”) is 275,568 residents, ranking #2 of 807 places in Wisconsin. Median household income is $76,983, the median home is worth $346,900 and median gross rent runs $1,364 a month. Looking for the Madison Wisconsin ZIP code list? 14 ZIP codes serve Madison, WI: 53703, 53704, 53705, 53706, 53711, 53713, 53714, 53715, 53716, 53717, 53718, 53719, 53726, 53792.

Population: 275,568Madison city residents
Median household income: $76,983Past 12 months, inflation adjusted
Median home value: $346,900Owner-occupied units
Median gross rent: $1,364Rent plus utilities, monthly
Median age: 31.8 yrsAll residents
Homeownership rate: 46.6%Owner-occupied households

Madison ZIP codes (Wisconsin)

Census ZCTAs whose delivery area overlaps Madison.

The Madison WI ZIP code list below covers 14 ZIP codes. Open any one for its population, income, housing and rent profile.

What the numbers mean in Madison city

Housing cost measured against local earnings.

A household earning the Madison city median would spend about 21.3% of gross income on the median rent. The 30% mark is the federal threshold for cost burden, so anything above it signals a stretched rental market. The median home costs 4.5× the median household income; nationally that ratio sits near 4.5×. Poverty affects 16.2% of residents and 46.6% of households own their home.

Source: US Census Bureau, ACS 2019-2023 5-year estimates · rates as published for 2019-2023 ACS 5-year

Madison city, WI in context

How this area compares with national benchmarks.

Madison city is a mid-size city in Wisconsin, with 275,568 residents counted in the Census American Community Survey 2019-2023 ACS 5-year estimates, which places it #2 of 807 ranked by population — larger than 99% of them. The median age here is 31.8 years against 39.1 nationally, a distinctly younger profile, typical of places with students, military posts or a fast-growing family population. At this size the Census also publishes one-year estimates; the five-year values used here are steadier and let you compare against smaller neighbours on the same basis.

Households in Madison city earn a median of $76,983 a year, 2% below the national figure of $78,538 and 4% above the $73,880 median for the 395 Wisconsin cities we cover. This figure covers the household, not the worker: two people on ordinary wages at one address outrank a single professional in the same table. Poverty reaches 16.2% of residents here, above the 12.4% national rate.

The typical owner-occupied home in Madison city is valued at $346,900, 14.3% above the national figure and 64% above the $211,900 peer median, while median gross rent runs $1,364 a month, 3% below the national figure, or roughly $16,368 across a full year. A household on the local median income would put about 21.3% of gross pay toward that rent against the federal 30% cost-burden threshold, so renting here is within the standard affordability guideline. The home-price-to-income ratio works out to 4.5×, against roughly 3.9× nationally, so buying is harder here than in the average US market. 46.6% of occupied homes are owner-occupied versus 65% nationally, so the market leans more heavily on renters. Gross rent folds in the utilities a tenant pays separately, so it is closer to the real monthly outlay than a headline rent figure.

No figure on this page is estimated by us; each one comes straight from the published ACS tables for this area. Small-area estimates still carry wider margins of error than state or national figures, so check the linked ACS tables before relying on them for lending, appraisal or legal work.

Compare with nearby places

Places of similar size in Wisconsin.

More Wisconsin coverage.

Frequently asked questions

Common questions about this area.

What is the population of Madison city?: Madison city has 275,568 residents on Census ACS 2019-2023 ACS 5-year estimates, ranking #2 of 807 in Wisconsin.
What is the median household income in Madison city?: Median household income in Madison city is $76,983 a year, 2% below the national figure of $78,538.
How much does it cost to rent or buy in Madison city?: Median gross rent is $1,364 a month and the median home value is $346,900, so rent absorbs about 21.3% of median household income.
Is Madison city affordable compared with the rest of the US?: Homes cost about 4.5× the local median income here versus roughly 3.9× nationally, so Madison city is less affordable to buy in than the typical US market, and rent takes 21.3% of median income against the 30% cost-burden line.
How current is this Madison city data?: All figures come from the US Census Bureau American Community Survey 2019-2023 ACS 5-year five-year estimates. At this size the Census also publishes one-year estimates; the five-year values used here are steadier and let you compare against smaller neighbours on the same basis.