† Citizen voting-age population estimated for prior cycles; 2004 predates the ACS and is extrapolated. Source: ACS 5-year, table B05003.
——
D+60R+60
20042024
Boundary by 2024 margin · Precinct returns · VEST · MIT Election Lab
People and households
Who lives here
Exact values for this place, its state, and the United States.
Race · ethnicity · ancestry
Communities and origins
GroupMadisonWisconsinUnited States
German30.4%35.8%12.5%
Irish12.2%10.4%9.4%
English9.4%6.7%9.5%
Norwegian7.7%6.1%—
Polish4.8%7.6%2.2%
Italian3.7%2.7%4.8%
American2.3%3.4%5.3%
French2.1%2.2%1.6%
Mexican5.5%5.4%11.3%
Puerto Rican0.8%1.1%1.8%
Colombian0.5%—0.4%
Spaniard0.4%——
Cuban0.2%—0.7%
Nicaraguan0.2%——
Venezuelan0.2%——
Spanish0.2%——
Asian Indian2.2%0.6%1.4%
Chinese2.2%0.4%1.3%
Hmong1.0%1.0%—
Filipino0.4%0.2%0.9%
Korean0.4%—0.4%
Vietnamese0.3%—0.6%
Laotian0.3%——
African American†5.1%5.3%9.9%
African1.3%0.2%0.5%
Somali0.3%——
Hispanic or Latino counts residents of any race; the race groups count only their non-Hispanic residents, so the groups are mutually exclusive and sum to 100%. Expand a row to see ancestries reported within that group.
Age and life stage
Measure
Madison
Wisconsin
United States
Median age
31.8
40.5
39.1
Age 18–24
20.8%
9.3%
9.2%
Age 65 and older
12.9%
18.5%
17.2%
Household economy
Measure
Madison
Wisconsin
United States
Median household income
$78,050
$77,485
$84,427
Poverty rate
16.4%
10.6%
12.5%
Bachelor's degree or higher (25+)
59.9%
33.5%
35.6%
Languages at home
Measure
Madison
Wisconsin
United States
Speaks a non-English language at home
14.7%
9.1%
22.3%
Spanish
6.1%
5.0%
13.6%
Other Indo-European
1.9%
0.7%
2.0%
Chinese (incl. Mandarin & Cantonese)
2.2%
0.3%
1.1%
Other Asian & Pacific Island
1.6%
1.2%
1.1%
Religious landscape
Measure
Madison
Wisconsin
United States
Catholic
—
21.0%
18.6%
Evangelical Protestant
—
14.5%
16.5%
Unclaimed / not counted
—
52.0%
51.5%
American Community Survey 2024 5-year (CVAP, income, age, poverty, education, language, race, ancestry) · presidential returns from MIT Election Lab through 2024 · 2020 U.S. Religion Census (ASARB) — congregational adherents; unclaimed is the residual not counted by congregations.
Madison, Wisconsin
presidential history
Presidential margin, 2004–2024
Democratic minus Republican, by election
Presidential margin over time
Year
Margin (D minus R)
2004
+48.4%
2008
+60.1%
2012
+58.4%
2016
+63.2%
2020
+69.7%
2024
+67.9%
DemocraticRepublican
6 presidential elections
Third column names the leading third-party or independent finisher. Source · MIT Election Lab · ICPSR · VEST (precinct-level 2024). Swing · margin change from the prior cycle. vs U.S. · margin relative to the national result that year. Third-party votes in 2012 are allocated from certified county totals by this place's share of each county's two-party vote — that cycle's precinct source records two-party splits. † 2004 sub-county results are estimated: the source's block-level detail for this cycle was unreliable — either county/municipality-level consolidated reporting (COVID-era) or a precinct-to-block allocation that misplaced votes — so the figures are allocated from the constituent county totals in proportion to the place and scaled to certified totals.
Year
Won
Democratic
Republican
Other
Margin
Swing
vs U.S.
Total
D
83.1%Harris142,482
15.3%Trump26,159
1.6%
D+67.9
R+1.8
D+69.3
171,438
D
84.0%Biden136,200
14.4%Trump23,284
1.6%
D+69.7
D+6.5
D+65.2
162,070
D
78.3%Clinton120,393
15.1%Trump23,237
6.6%
D+63.2
D+4.8
D+61.1
153,713
D
78.5%Obama117,758
20.1%Romney30,100
1.5%
D+58.4
R+1.7
D+54.6
150,061
D
79.3%Obama113,895
19.2%McCain27,632
1.4%
D+60.1
D+11.7
D+52.8
143,562
D
73.6%Kerry100,121
25.2%Bush34,309
1.2%
D+48.4
—
D+50.8
136,102
Home to the University of Wisconsin's flagship campus, Madison routinely posts some of the state's highest Democratic vote shares and turnout rates, making its mobilization numbers a reliable early signal on election nights.
Across the recorded series it reached a Democratic high of 69.7 points in 2020. Between 2020 and 2024 the city moved 1.8 points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was 67.9 points.
A population of 278,001, a 70% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $78,050 describe the city. The city's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Minneapolis and St. Paul.
Akashic
Political twins — cities
The cities whose fingerprint — 2000–2024 trajectory, demographics, ancestry, religion — sits closest to this one, and why.
Twin score (0–100) = weighted cosine between tier-standardized fingerprints: presidential margins 2000–2024 with 12-yr trend and elasticity, ACS income, age, education, population and race, top reported ancestries, and religious adherence — chips name the closest-shared dimensions and the widest gap. Re-weight the groups in the twins explorer.
In 2024, Madison, Wisconsin voted Democratic by 67.9 points (D+67.9), carried by the Democratic candidate. Out of 171,438 votes cast, 142,482 went Democratic and 26,159 went Republican.
How many people live in Madison, Wisconsin?
Madison, Wisconsin has a population of 278,001 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Madison, Wisconsin?
Median household income in Madison, Wisconsin is $78,050 — below the national median of $80,734. The Wisconsin state median is $77,485.
What is the political history of Madison, Wisconsin?
Akashic tracks 6 presidential elections in Madison, Wisconsin from 2004 to 2024. Of those, 6 went Democratic and 0 went Republican.
