Demographics · WI
Madison, WI demographics: 278,001 residents, with a median age of 31.8 years, from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey 2020–2024 (5-year estimates).
278,001 people live in Madison, at a median age of 31.8 years (American Community Survey 2020–2024, a 5-year average)
Median age 31.8 years — younger than the U.S. median of 38.9.
ACS 2020–2024 5-year · ACS 5-Year Estimates 2020-2024 (released 2026-01-29)
In Madison, the largest race group is White (71.4%); 9.4% of residents are Hispanic or Latino (of any race); 11.6% were born outside the United States.
ACS 2020–2024 · B01001 / B01002
The median age in Madison is 31.8 years (±0.4), younger than the U.S. median of 38.9 years. The population is 50.0% male and 50.0% female. The largest age band is 18 to 24 at 20.7%.
| Age band | People | Share | ± margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 5 | 13,161 | 4.7% | ±706 |
| 5 to 17 | 31,554 | 11.4% | ±1,315 |
| 18 to 24 | 57,598 | 20.7% | ±2,172 |
| 25 to 34 | 51,309 | 18.5% | ±1,317 |
| 35 to 44 | 36,193 | 13.0% | ±1,340 |
| 45 to 54 | 26,799 | 9.6% | ±981 |
| 55 to 64 | 25,147 | 9.0% | ±1,156 |
| 65 to 74 | 21,820 | 7.8% | ±1,066 |
| 75 and over | 14,420 | 5.2% | ±835 |
Median age by sex: 31.5 (male) · 32.2 (female).
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year 2020–2024 (B01001 sex by age, B01002 median age) · place-grain · margins of error at the 90% confidence level · methodology →
ACS 2020–2024 · B02001 / B03003
The largest race group in Madison is White at 71.4% of the population. Separately, 9.4% of residents are Hispanic or Latino of any race. Race and Hispanic origin are two different questions on the census form, so their shares are reported separately and are not additive.
| Race (alone, or two or more) | People | Share | ± margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| White alone | 198,360 | 71.4% | ±1,764 |
| Black or African American alone | 20,112 | 7.2% | ±1,427 |
| American Indian & Alaska Native alone | 967 | 0.3% | ±339 |
| Asian alone | 22,292 | 8.0% | ±1,003 |
| Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander alone | 42 | 0.0% | ±38 · low precision |
| Some other race alone | 6,929 | 2.5% | ±1,174 |
| Two or more races | 29,299 | 10.5% | ±1,791 |
| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) | 26,165 | 9.4% | ±1,133 |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year 2020–2024 (B02001 race, B03003 Hispanic or Latino origin) · place-grain · margins of error at the 90% confidence level · methodology →
ACS 2020–2024 · B11001 / B25010
Madison has 128,261 households. 42.9% are family households and 39.8% are people living alone. The average household holds 2.06 people.
Total households
128,261
ACS 2020–2024 5-yr · B11001
Avg household size
2.06
ACS 2020–2024 5-yr · B25010 · ±0.02
Family households
42.9%
Share of all households · B11001
Living alone
39.8%
Share of all households · B11001
| Household type | Households | ± margin |
|---|---|---|
| Total households | 128,261 | ±1,261 |
| Family households | 55,082 | ±1,252 |
| Nonfamily households | 73,179 | ±1,898 |
| Householder living alone | 51,110 | ±1,855 |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year 2020–2024 (B11001 household type, B25010 average household size) · place-grain · methodology →
ACS 2020–2024 · B05002 / C16001
11.6% of Madison residents were born outside the United States. 85.3% of residents age 5 and over speak only English at home. The most-spoken non-English language at home is Spanish (6.1%).
| Measure | Value | Source / grain |
|---|---|---|
| Foreign-born share | 11.6% | 32,151 people · B05002 |
| Speak only English at home (age 5+) | 85.3% | C16001 |
| Top non-English language at home | 6.1% | Spanish · 16,068 speakers · C16001 |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year 2020–2024 (B05002 place of birth, C16001 language spoken at home) · place-grain · methodology →
ACS 2020–2024 · B15003
59.9% of adults age 25 and over in Madison hold a bachelor's degree or higher (the U.S. share is about 35%).
| Measure | Value | Source / grain |
|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher (age 25+) | 59.9% | B15003 lines 22–25 over line 1 · place-grain |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year 2020–2024 (B15003 educational attainment, population 25+) · place-grain · methodology →
Sources · provenance
The GEOID for Madison is 5548000. Every figure on this page is a place-grain American Community Survey 5-Year 2020–2024 estimate (ACS 5-Year Estimates 2020-2024 (released 2026-01-29)) shown with its margin of error. Full per-dataset detail: /sources/.