Dane County, Wisconsin
Population 572,674 · Madison, Sun Prairie, Fitchburg
- Overall cost of living: −2.7% vs the US average, higher than 83% of US counties.
- % Adults with a bachelor's degree: 55.3%, higher than 98% of US counties.
- Life expectancy: 81.1 yrs, higher than 95% of US counties.
Cost & Housing
| Overall cost of living (vs US avg) | ≈−2.7% | higher than 83% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Shared figure for the whole Madison, WI metro area. Prices are published for areas, not single counties. | ||
| Median home price | $394,800 | higher than 91% of US counties |
| Median rent | $1,398 | higher than 90% of US counties |
| Electric bill | $127/mo | lower than 92% of US counties |
| Child care (preschool) | $13,455/yr | higher than 95% of US counties |
| Property tax rate | 1.63% | higher than 92% of US counties |
| Sales tax | 5% | lower than 66% of US counties |
| State income tax | 5.3% | higher than 65% of US counties |
| Property tax paid / yr | $6,420 | higher than 98% of US counties |
Jobs & Career
| Median household income | $89,975 | higher than 91% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate | 2.6% | lower than 94% of US counties |
| Job growth (5 yr) | +5.4% | higher than 75% of US counties |
| Jobs per 1k residents | 561.6 | higher than 97% of US counties |
| Profession jobs per 1k residents | N/A |
Climate & Environment
| Sunny days / yr | ≈188 days | lower than 80% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Regional estimate: satellite grid cell about 100 km across. Nearby counties can share it. | ||
| July high | 82°F | lower than 81% of US counties |
| January low | 10°F | lower than 87% of US counties |
| Annual snowfall | 52 in | higher than 89% of US counties |
| Hot days (90°F+) | 9 days | lower than 83% of US counties |
| Freezing days (32°F or colder) | 147 days | higher than 74% of US counties |
| Severe drought | 2.9% of weeks | lower than 83% of US counties |
| Summer dew point | ≈61.3°F | lower than 61% of US counties |
| ≈ Regional estimate: NASA grid cell about 50 km across, read at where the county’s people live. Nearby counties can share it. | ||
| Annual precipitation | 38.1 in | lower than 59% of US counties |
| Disaster damage per $100k | $73/yr | lower than 95% of US counties |
| Flood damage per $100k | $54/yr | lower than 87% of US counties |
| Hurricane damage per $100k | $0.01/yr | lower than 67% of US counties |
| Earthquake damage per $100k | $0.51/yr | lower than 81% of US counties |
| Tornado damage per $100k | $9.6/yr | higher than 52% of US counties |
| Wildfire damage per $100k | $0.06/yr | lower than 77% of US counties |
| PM2.5 air pollution | 9 µg/m³ | higher than 79% of US counties |
| Distance to coast | 75.6 mi | lower than 76% of US counties |
| Terrain relief | ≈475.6 ft | higher than 54% of US counties |
| ≈ Estimated from about 75 elevation points sampled across the county, so the true range is usually somewhat larger. | ||
Education & Health
| % Adults with a high school diploma | 96.4% | higher than 97% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| % Adults with a bachelor's degree | 55.3% | higher than 98% of US counties |
| % Adults with a graduate degree | 22.2% | higher than 97% of US counties |
| Colleges within 30 mi | 5 | higher than 67% of US counties |
| Student-teacher ratio | 13:1 | lower than 62% of US counties |
| On-time high school graduation | 90.8% | higher than 59% of US counties |
| 8th-grade math (grade level) | gr 9.12 | higher than 90% of US counties |
| 8th-grade reading (grade level) | gr 8.66 | higher than 87% of US counties |
| 3rd-grade math (grade level) | gr 3.19 | higher than 73% of US counties |
| Library visits per resident | 4.3 | higher than 84% of US counties |
| Primary care docs / 100k | 128/100k | higher than 97% of US counties |
| Hospitals within 25 mi | 8 | higher than 86% of US counties |
| Hospital quality (avg stars) | 4.4★ | higher than 96% of US counties |
| Life expectancy | 81.1 yrs | higher than 95% of US counties |
| % Uninsured (under 65) | 4.3% | lower than 98% of US counties |
| Mental health providers / 100k | 529/100k | higher than 93% of US counties |
| Dentists / 100k | 77/100k | higher than 85% of US counties |
| Lyme disease cases | 49.2/100k | higher than 88% of US counties |
| % Near parks or rec facilities | 94.1% | higher than 94% of US counties |
Transit & Connectivity
| Airport drive time | 25 min | lower than 93% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Int'l airport drive time | 86 min | lower than 63% of US counties |
| Avg commute | 21 min | lower than 69% of US counties |
| Broadband coverage | 92.9% | higher than 91% of US counties |
| Transit commute share | 2.9% | higher than 96% of US counties |
| Work-from-home share | 20% | higher than 96% of US counties |
| Drive to a big city | 17 min | lower than 99% of US counties |
| Street intersections | 77 per sq mi | higher than 92% of US counties |
Community & Safety
| Violent crime | 2.3 per 1k | higher than 56% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Property crime | 13.2 per 1k | higher than 77% of US counties |
| Population | 572,674 | higher than 96% of US counties |
| Median age | 35.7 | lower than 90% of US counties |
| Net domestic migration | +0.9 per 1k/yr | lower than 57% of US counties |
| % Democratic vote | 75.1% Dem | higher than 99% of US counties |
| % Republican vote | 23.4% Rep | lower than 99% of US counties |
| % Third-party vote | 1.5% | higher than 60% of US counties |
| % White | 75.8% | lower than 57% of US counties |
| % Hispanic or Latino | 7.8% | higher than 65% of US counties |
| % Black | 5.1% | higher than 65% of US counties |
| % Asian | 6.1% | higher than 96% of US counties |
| % American Indian & Alaska Native | 0.1% | lower than 50% of US counties |
| % Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander | 0% | the lowest in the US |
| % Two or more races | 4.6% | higher than 74% of US counties |
| % Some other race | 0.4% | higher than 58% of US counties |
Recreation & Lifestyle
| Parks & protected areas | 1213 parks | higher than 96% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurants / 10k | 17.9 | higher than 74% of US counties |
| Arts & rec venues / 10k | 5.8 | higher than 83% of US counties |
| Drive to dark skies | 40 min | higher than 65% of US counties |
| Lakes & rivers | 3.3% | higher than 78% of US counties |
| Ski areas within 90 mi | 3 | higher than 89% of US counties |
| Golf courses within 30 mi | 41 | higher than 83% of US counties |
| Marinas & boat tours within 90 mi | 61 | higher than 84% of US counties |
| Trails (km) within 30 mi | 588 km | higher than 76% of US counties |
| Named paved greenways (km) within 15 mi | 216 km | higher than 98% of US counties |
| Gyms & fitness centers within 30 mi | 158 | higher than 90% of US counties |
| Bars within 30 mi | 211 | higher than 93% of US counties |
| Music & theater companies within 30 mi | 19 | higher than 88% of US counties |
| Museums within 30 mi | 10 | higher than 84% of US counties |
| Breweries within 30 mi | 18 | higher than 88% of US counties |
| Wineries within 30 mi | 6 | higher than 86% of US counties |
| Theme parks & arcades within 90 mi | 50 | higher than 79% of US counties |
| Casinos & casino hotels within 90 mi | 4 | higher than 79% of US counties |
| Campgrounds & RV parks within 30 mi | 18 | higher than 95% of US counties |
| Sports teams & arenas within 90 mi | 57 | higher than 77% of US counties |
| Bike paths (km) within 15 mi | 663 km | higher than 98% of US counties |
Most similar counties
Closest across all well-covered metrics.
Every number is from a public dataset; N/A means the source doesn't cover this county. Percentages compare against all US counties. ≈ marks a value not measured in the county itself; the line under it says where it comes from. Report bad data