How serious are America’s mayors? · Incorporated city
Madison, WI
285,300 people, 2024 · Census GEOID 5548000 · Census profile · mayors: being verified
Overall in 2023, Madison ranked #61 of 340 cities and 5th of 14 in its peer group, on 9 of 9 measures. Weigh the measures yourself · how ranks are made
Its peer group is Madison and the 13 cities most like it in 2005 (size, income, poverty, industry, growth, density, place), fixed since: Lexington KY, Fort Wayne IN, Lincoln NE, Little Rock AR, Boise ID, Winston-Salem NC, Raleigh NC, Greensboro NC, Cedar Rapids IA, Des Moines IA, Fort Collins CO, Reno NV, Wichita KS · on the map, and why
| Topline | 2005–2024 | Latest rank | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall rankamong all cities with a score that year | #61 of 340 cities · 5th of 14 in its peer group · 2023 | #47 | #48 | #150 | #90 | #30 | #31 | #50 | #72 | #69 | #51 | #50 | #52 | #77 | #71 | #65 | #80 | #72 | #42 | #61 | #15 | |
| people · size, not ranked | 221,693 | 224,038 | 226,824 | 229,232 | 232,137 | 233,730 | 236,908 | 239,880 | 243,233 | 245,848 | 248,788 | 252,677 | 255,786 | 257,854 | 259,680 | 274,884 | 271,139 | 277,416 | 281,162 | 285,300 | ||
| net movers per 100 residents · estimate · higher is better | #84 of 340 cities · 7th of 14 in its peer group | +0.3 | +0.4 | +0.6 | +0.4 | +0.6 | — | +0.5 | +0.5 | +0.4 | +0.3 | +0.3 | +0.6 | +0.3 | +0.2 | +0.3 | +0.1 | -0.7 | +0.4 | +0.4 | +0.2 | |
| new homes per 1,000 residents · higher is better | #34 of 271 cities with data · 2nd of 11 in its peer group with data | 9.1 | 6.2 | 4.9 | 3.5 | 3.0 | — | — | — | — | — | 6.7 | — | — | 5.6 | 6.4 | 7.9 | 13.4 | 8.5 | 9.3 | 9.9 | |
| rent as % of income · lower is better | #103 of 340 cities · 8th of 14 in its peer group | 19.6% | 18.6% | 19.2% | 18.1% | 20.5% | 20.2% | 20.0% | 20.3% | 21.6% | 20.1% | 20.4% | 19.7% | 20.2% | 21.1% | 20.7% | — | 21.9% | 20.5% | 23.6% | 22.5% | |
| per 100,000 residents · lower is better | #76 of 304 cities with data · 4th of 14 in its peer group | 0.9 | 1.8 | 3.5 | 4.4 | 1.7 | 0.9 | 3.0 | 1.3 | 2.1 | 2.0 | 2.4 | 3.2 | 3.9 | 1.9 | 1.5 | 3.6 | 3.7 | 2.5 | 3.6 | 2.5 | |
| per 100,000 residents · lower is better | #45 of 295 cities with data · 1st of 13 in its peer group with data | — | — | — | — | — | 12.0 | 8.9 | 13.8 | 9.9 | 13.0 | 15.3 | 14.2 | 30.5 | 26.8 | 24.6 | 29.8 | 31.0 | 24.9 | 19.2 | 18.2 | |
| jobs · size, not ranked | 204,381 | 206,002 | 197,744 | 198,121 | 202,009 | 204,255 | 212,679 | 202,994 | 203,730 | 203,606 | 217,940 | 220,615 | 219,630 | 220,150 | 223,932 | 215,661 | 216,224 | 223,659 | 230,545 | — | ||
| points ahead of the metro · higher is better | #189 of 329 cities with data · 8th of 13 in its peer group with data · 2023 | -0.6 | +0.3 | -5.3 | -0.7 | +3.6 | +1.9 | -0.1 | -5.0 | -0.5 | -1.1 | +3.1 | -1.3 | -0.8 | -0.8 | -0.1 | +0.1 | -0.5 | +0.2 | -0.3 | — | |
| people · size, not ranked | — | — | — | — | — | — | 134,039 | 136,991 | 142,165 | 141,479 | 146,223 | 150,292 | 149,264 | 153,217 | 159,209 | — | 153,175 | 157,324 | 170,020 | 175,779 | ||
| % of workforce · lower is better | #8 of 340 cities · 1st of 14 in its peer group | — | — | — | — | — | — | 6.2% | 5.9% | 5.3% | 4.5% | 4.8% | 3.8% | 2.8% | 1.9% | 2.2% | — | 3.2% | 2.2% | 2.6% | 2.3% | |
| % of promises funded · not ranked: 38 cities report | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| surplus as % of revenue · higher is better | #79 of 314 cities with data · 3rd of 14 in its peer group | 26% | 23% | 14% | 25% | 10% | 5% | 11% | 17% | 19% | 29% | 22% | 22% | 21% | 18% | 17% | 19% | 19% | 15% | 14% | 33% | |
| dollars per resident · lower is better | #225 of 314 cities with data · 13th of 14 in its peer group | $1,690 | $1,695 | $2,074 | $2,152 | $2,297 | $2,874 | $3,107 | $4,142 | $4,436 | $4,429 | $4,246 | $3,303 | $4,535 | $4,499 | $4,683 | $4,425 | $3,951 | $4,436 | $4,123 | $3,905 |
Click a row for its source and its rank in every year. 1st is best whichever way the measure points. A rank is out of all 340 cities, or out of its peer group of 14; where some had no value that year it says “with data” and counts only those. An em dash is a year the source does not hold for Madison. A greyed homicide figure is a year the FBI holds as a transition year for this department. What each row is, and is not, is on the main page, with a link to every source in Sources.