Side-by-side relocation research with housing, income, commute, career, lifestyle, and friction signals. Green marks the strongest metric in each row; red marks the weakest.
Madison, WI
Home
$429,253
Rent
$1,697/mo
Income
$78,050
Pop.
285,300
Career
97
Remote
51
Milwaukee, WI
Home
$226,456
Rent
$1,461/mo
Income
$54,234
Pop.
563,531
Career
75
Remote
40
Shawano, WI
Home
$251,187
Rent
–
Income
$57,490
Pop.
9,635
Career
60
Remote
24
| Metric | Madison, WI | Milwaukee, WI | Shawano, WI |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 285,300 | 563,531 | 9,635 |
| Population growth / yr | +1.4% | -0.6% | +1.0% |
| Median home value | $429,253 | $226,456 | $251,187 |
| Median rent | $1,697/mo | $1,461/mo | – |
| Median household income | $78,050 | $54,234 | $57,490 |
| Home value YoY | +2.2% | +3.6% | +8.3% |
| 5-year home CAGR | +5.8% | +7.1% | +9.2% |
| Off 5-year peak | -0.0% | +0.0% | +0.0% |
| Momentum score | 71 | 70 | 82 |
| Career fit | 97 | 75 | 60 |
| Remote-work fit | 51 | 40 | 24 |
| Average commute | 21 min | 24 min | 17 min |
| Traffic friction | 33 | 42 | 20 |
| Public transit gap | 63 | 65 | 100 |
| Outdoors fit | 33 | 33 | 33 |
| Dating scene proxy | 66 | 54 | 24 |
Best-fit read
- Milwaukee, WI tends to score better for lower purchase budget.
- Milwaukee, WI tends to score better for lower rent.
- Madison, WI tends to score better for higher local income.
- Madison, WI tends to score better for career momentum.
- Madison, WI tends to score better for remote-work fit.
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