Should I Move To
Madison, Wisconsin comes in at about 268,516 residents. Cost of living comes out moderate — essentially matching the national average. Rent typically lands near $1,291/mo, and the median household income is about $74,895. Overall, 47/100 on our composite score, which works out to a D, putting it at #593 nationally.
UrbRank Score · General
Each dimension scored 0-100 against every other US city.
Based on overall cost of living vs. other US cities.
Inverse of violent + property crime rate per 100,000 residents.
Temperate summers & winters, moderate precipitation.
Walk Score — how feasible daily errands are on foot.
Unemployment rate plus household income vs. national median.
Air quality index (EPA AQS data).
Share of residents 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher.
Cost-of-living index of 98 (with 100 as the US baseline) — that's moderate territory. With median rent at $1,291/mo and median household income at $74,895, housing takes about 21% of gross income — right inside the standard 30%-of-income guideline. Homes typically value around $326,600.
Full cost-of-living breakdown →Expect cold-winter weather — summers near 80°F, winters around 15°F. Rain (and snow, in some seasons) totals about 37 inches annually. Built around the car — walking isn't really an option for daily life. Crime rates land roughly average for a US city of this size. Air quality reads good (AQI 41).
Verdict by lifestyle profile — same data, different priorities.
Madison is a tougher sell for families. It earns 54/100 (grade C-) on the families profile. Strongest on education (89/100); weakest on climate (14/100).
Madison is a tougher sell for retirees. It earns 41/100 (grade D) on the retirees profile. Strongest on education (89/100); weakest on climate (14/100).
Madison is a tougher sell for remote workers. It earns 46/100 (grade D) on the remote workers profile. Strongest on education (89/100); weakest on climate (14/100).
Madison is a tougher sell for young professionals. It earns 47/100 (grade D) on the young professionals profile. Strongest on education (89/100); weakest on climate (14/100).
Madison, Wisconsin pulls a 47/100 overall on the UrbRank Score (grade D), currently ranked #593 nationally. The composite weights seven lifestyle dimensions: affordability, safety, climate, walkability, jobs, environment, and education.
Madison's cost-of-living index is 98 (with 100 as the US average), which lands in the moderate band — essentially matching the national average. Median rent runs about $1,291/mo.
Cold-winter — summer averages around 80°F, winter averages around 15°F, with about 37 inches of precipitation a year.
Walk Score: 20/100. Built around the car — walking isn't really an option for daily life.
Madison has about 268,516 residents, 59% of adults 25+ holding a bachelor's degree or higher with a median age of 32.
Use UrbRank's comparison tool to put Madison head-to-head against any other US city — housing, salaries, demographics, and quality-of-life metrics side by side. The leaderboard pages also show how Madison stacks up for families, retirees, remote workers, and young professionals specifically.
Every US city is scored 0-100 on seven dimensions using public data from the US Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, FBI Crime Data Explorer, EPA Air Quality System, NOAA NCEI, and Walk Score. Each dimension is a percentile rank against every other city — so a score of 80 means the city is in the top 20% nationally on that dimension.
The overall score is a weighted average. Five lifestyle profiles — general, families, retirees, remote workers, young professionals — weight the dimensions differently to reflect what each cares about. Families get more weight on safety and schools; young professionals get more weight on jobs and walkability; retirees get more weight on climate.
Compare Madison with other Wisconsin cities scored on UrbRank.
Take the 2-minute UrbRank quiz to get a personalized ranking of US cities based on your priorities — cost, climate, commute, jobs, and more.