Madison, Wisconsin

Population

Growing. Up 4.1% since 2020.

286,233

people, the 2nd-largest of Wisconsin's cities and towns.

Census Population Estimates, 2025. Rank among Wisconsin's cities and towns computed by the Almanac. Sources: Census Population Estimates

The workday

6 in 10 jobs here go to people who live somewhere else.

64.9%

of 230,545 jobs located in Madison are filled by in-commuters.

Census LEHD LODES, 2023. Sources: Census LEHD LODES

Unemployment, 2026

The low came in May: 2.5%.

2.9%

in August 2026, the latest month released. A year earlier it was 2.6%.

BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, monthly, through August 2026. Not seasonally adjusted, so compare with the same month a year earlier. Sources: BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics

Rent

Median rent is up 70% since the 2005–2009 survey, before inflation.

$1,413

a month. Wisconsin's median is $1,087.

Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024 (latest), with earlier 5-year windows. Sources: Census ACS 5-year

The seam

Cross one tract line and median rent doubles.

A $916 gap between neighbors, the sharpest rent edge between adjacent tracts in Dane County.

• $900 Tract 120.02
• $1,816 Tract 117

Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024, adjacent tracts compared by the Almanac. Tract estimates carry wide margins of error. Sources: Census ACS 5-year

Room to build

The median rent sits inside what local wages can carry.

$1,247–$1,870

is the monthly rent range local workforce wages support.

• $1,413 median

Supportable rent computed by the Almanac from 2023 source wage data. Median rent: Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Sources: Computed by the Almanac, Census ACS 5-year

Building

71% of the housing here was built before 2000.

• 24,710 homes permitted in ten years, 2016–2025
• 86% of those were in multifamily buildings
• 71% of all homes were built before 2000

Census Building Permits Survey, 2016–2025; Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Sources: Census Building Permits Survey, Census ACS 5-year

Units needed

Closing the gap would add 0.5–1.7% to the 133,530 homes here.

641–2,305

is the estimated number of missing housing units, from the lowest to the highest of three estimates.

Range computed by the Almanac from 2023 jobs and household data, using three demand models: 1% of jobs located here, 1% of renter households, and a rate by town size applied to renters. The low end is the lowest of the three and the high end the highest. It is an estimate, not a count. Sources: Computed by the Almanac

Home value

A median home costs 40% more than Wisconsin's.

$372,900

median home value in Madison.

• $372,900 Madison
• $266,500 Wisconsin
• $332,700 U.S.

Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Sources: Census ACS 5-year