Why look at Madison?
- Mid-tier housing market. Median home is $429k.
- Stable market. Home values +2.2% year-over-year — neither overheated nor falling.
- Higher tax state. Top marginal income tax rate around 7.7% — factor into salary comparisons.
Where Madison stands
At or near all-time high.
Home value trajectory · last 10 years
Zillow ZHVI · monthlyLifestyle scores
Scores are heuristic estimates from population density, state, and known transit/walkable cities. Not based on a paid Walk Score / Transit Score API — see methodology for the formula.
Rent trajectory · last 5 years
Zillow ZORI · monthlyHome value vs rent · indexed to 100
Both rebased at first month of ZORI data (~2015)Rent vs buy
At a 21.1 price-to-rent ratio, the math is starting to lean toward renting in Madison. Buying makes more sense the longer you plan to stay and the more confident you are that prices will keep appreciating roughly in line with rent.
How the momentum score breaks down
methodology →About Madison (Wikipedia)
Madison is the capital of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is the second-most populous city in the state, with a population of 269,840 at the 2020 census. The Madison metropolitan area has an estimated 708,000 residents. With a downtown centrally located on an isthmus between Lakes Mendota and Monona, the city also encompasses Lake Wingra. Madison was founded in 1836, and is named after American Founding Father and President James Madison. Madison is the county seat of Dane County.
Source: Wikipedia · this summary is contributed and licensed under CC-BY-SA.
City facts
Extracted from the Wikipedia infobox. Values may be slightly out of date relative to the latest sources.
Things to see in Madison(Attractions and museums)
- Thai sala
- Olbrich Botanical Gardens
- Memorial Union
- Lake Mendota
- Henry Vilas Zoo
- Wisconsin State Journal
- The Badger Herald
- Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
- Michael Olbrich
- Thailand
- Bhumibol Adulyadej
- Chazen Museum of Art
+6 more on Wikipedia.
Extracted from the Wikipedia article. Names linked in the source — open the city’s Wikipedia page for details.
Local safety & alerts
No active National Weather Service alerts for Dane County right now.
Public-safety links are official .gov sources, not curated by us. Dane County routes NWS alerts; check the state EM portal for non-weather emergencies.
Neighborhoods of Madison
93 tracked · ranked by median home valueSee the full neighborhood ranking →
Run the numbers for Madison
Wisconsin context
Sources: Zillow ZHVI (home values), Zillow ZORI (rents), US Census ACS + place population. Updated when source agencies publish revisions.
Climate & natural-disaster risk
State-level averages from NOAA Climate Normals (1991-2020) and FEMA National Risk Index. City-level conditions can vary significantly within a state.
Current weather
Find rentals & listings
Open current Madison listings on the major real-estate sites.
Links open the live search on the destination site — results are always current.
Local news & community
Latest news in Madison
6 from local press- Smashing Pumpkins coming to the Kohl CenterLOCALWisconsin Badgers1w ago
- Lane Closures for Run MadtownLOCALCity of Madison, WI6d ago
- World's Largest Brat FestLOCALIsthmus | Madison, Wisconsin6d ago
- CHECK OUT THE 13 WISCONSIN STATE PARKS WITHIN AN HOUR OF MADISON, WILOCALMadison Family1w ago
- Season of outdoor movies, music, art-making, recreation kicks off at Memorial Union TerraceLOCALWisconsin Union1w ago
- Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce building to become affordable housingLOCALIsthmus | Madison, Wisconsin1w ago
What locals are saying
- This subreddit is non-existent. Go to /r/MadisonWI instead! Here's a handy link. r/madison
- What's going on this week? What's for sale? Jobs, Housing, Personals, and more! May 24, 2026 – May 30, 2026 r/madisonwi
- Dane County eyes 18-month moratorium on data centers r/madisonwi
- Mammatus Clouds r/madisonwi
- How do the MMSD schools not make AC a priority?! r/madisonwi
Updated 2026-05-28 from Google News + Reddit RSS. Filtered for Madison-specific coverage. Headlines link to original sources.
Local sports teams
Major professional teams the Madison area cheers for. Detailed stats, schedules, and player pages on intherafters.com.
Local economy & environment
Humidity is annual average relative humidity (NOAA). Income is Census ACS 5-year estimate. Industries are largest employment sectors statewide (BLS); the local mix in a given city may vary.
Find more cities like Madison
Open the matchmaker pre-filled to match Madison’s price band, region, and size — refine to taste.
Find more like Madison →Cities similar to Madison
Explore other places with comparable momentum or affordability.
Cost-of-ownership at the median
Snapshot assumes a $150k single earner buying at the median home. Your real numbers depend on bracket, deductions, school district, and HOA. Use the affordability calculator and net-pay calculator for your specific case.
Schools & crime context
School quality is district-by-district and varies dramatically within a city. Check GreatSchools or your state DOE rankings for specific schools before deciding. City-level school data coming soon.
Wisconsin: 300 violent crimes per 100K residents (state avg, FBI UCR). Neighborhood-level rates can vary 10× within one city — research specific areas via CrimeGrade or local police data.
Compare to where you live now
Set your current city once and we’ll show the cost delta on every city profile.