Public-data relocation dossier
Madison, Wisconsin
Madison is an above-average housing-cost screen with cold winters and distinct seasons. Public benchmarks show ACS median gross rent at $1,228/mo and HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent at $1,372/mo; summer/winter markers are 83F/8F. The strongest screening signals are everyday practical access. Verify current listings, commute routes, neighborhood safety, and school boundaries before treating it as a fit.
Strongest category: Work (76/100). Category scores: cost and climate 57, work 76, daily life 45, community 64.
Public-data relocation screen for Madison
Walkability is a commute-derived estimate blended with public density data where available, not a third-party rating. ACS rent reflects existing renter stock; HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent is a separate public gross-rent benchmark. Food/nightlife use CBP establishment density, and the school signal blends ACS attainment with NCES public-school access. Coast, mountain, park, trail, ski, and beach distances are city-level GIS screening bands, not parcel-level access or travel-time measurements.
Cost, taxes, and climate
| ACS median gross rent | $1,228/mo | Census ACS existing-renter median gross rent |
|---|---|---|
| HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent | $1,372/mo | FY2026 benchmark for Madison, WI HUD Metro FMR Area |
| Median home value | $321,000 | ACS owner-occupied home value, rounded |
| Top state income tax | 7.7% | State top marginal wage/salary tax; local taxes excluded |
| Cost index | 7/10 | WhereToThrive relative cost score from public housing inputs |
Climate profile
| Summer high | 83°F | NOAA-derived summer temperature screen |
|---|---|---|
| Winter low | 8°F | NOAA-derived winter temperature screen |
| Sunshine | Moderate sun | Curated climate-normals sun level |
| Humidity | Moderate | Summer humidity, curated climate normals |
| Natural disaster risk | Moderate | Tertile band from the FEMA NRI composite — see Climate risk below |
Climate risk profile
Long-term natural-hazard screen from the FEMA National Risk Index (NRI December 2025 release (v1.20), collected 2026-07-13), aggregated from county records across 4 metro counties. Hazard levels are expected annual loss per resident, ranked across the 250 screened metros. This is a relative screen for research, not a forecast for any address.
| Climate-risk composite | 49/100 | Higher composite = lower expected annual loss per resident (inverted percentile across 250 screened metros) |
|---|---|---|
| Expected annual loss | $385/resident/yr | All 18 FEMA NRI hazards; county loss dollars aggregated to the metro |
| Social vulnerability | 17/100 | FEMA SOVI, population-weighted; higher means recovery tends to be harder |
| Community resilience | 96/100 | FEMA baseline resilience score, population-weighted; higher is more resilient |
Hazard breakdown
| Hurricane | 29th percentile | Negligible expected annual loss per resident |
|---|---|---|
| Coastal flooding | 0th percentile | Negligible expected annual loss per resident |
| Inland flooding | 49th percentile | $168/resident/yr expected annual loss; moderate relative to screened metros |
| Tornado | 71th percentile | $50/resident/yr expected annual loss; moderately high relative to screened metros |
| Wildfire | 34th percentile | Negligible expected annual loss per resident |
| Heat wave | 68th percentile | $16/resident/yr expected annual loss; moderately high relative to screened metros |
| Earthquake | 16th percentile | $2/resident/yr expected annual loss; low relative to screened metros |
| Winter weather | 58th percentile | $1/resident/yr expected annual loss; moderate relative to screened metros |
| Drought | 32th percentile | Negligible expected annual loss per resident |
| Ice storm | 49th percentile | $1/resident/yr expected annual loss; moderate relative to screened metros |
FEMA's published NRI scores rank absolute expected-loss dollars, which can read as high risk for any large, high-value metro; this profile uses per-resident loss rates instead and keeps FEMA's county scores for the worst-pocket callout. Insurance availability and pricing vary faster than public data — verify current coverage quotes locally. How this aggregate is built.
Work: jobs, commute, and access
| Industry strengths | Manufacturing, Healthcare, Agriculture | Project-maintained metro industry tags |
|---|---|---|
| Average commute | 23.5 min | ACS commute-time estimate |
| Airport access | Regional/no hub flag | Practical travel signal |
| Work pillar score | 76/100 | WhereToThrive work-market screen |
Daily life: outdoors, food, and walkability
| Outdoor score | 5/10 | Formula/curated score with GIS recreation inputs |
|---|---|---|
| Food score | 7/10 | Blends CBP restaurant density and curated context |
| Nightlife score | 8/10 | Blends CBP drinking-place density and context |
| Walkability estimate | 21/100 | Commute-and-density proxy, not third-party Walk Score |
| Restaurants (CBP) | 1,302 | 191.8 per 100k residents |
| Park / trail access | 1 mi / N/A | Public GIS screening distances |
| Coast / beach access | 705 mi / N/A | Screening distance bands |
| Mountain / ski access | 296 mi / 9 mi | Screening distance bands |
Community: safety, schools, and culture
| Safety score | 63/100 | Violent crime 372.4 and property crime 1,851.8 per 100k where available |
|---|---|---|
| Public schools (NCES) | 9/10 | 235 public schools; 34.6 per 100k |
| Diversity score | 3/10 | ACS-derived metro diversity signal |
| Political lean | -0.1 | State/metro political context; negative is more Democratic-leaning |
| Community pillar score | 64/100 | Safety, school, and diversity blend |
Madison FAQ
Is Madison, WI affordable?
Madison, WI has ACS median gross rent of $1,228/mo and HUD 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent of $1,372/mo. Those are public benchmarks, not apartment-listing quotes.
What is the climate like in Madison?
The climate screen shows a summer high around 83°F, winter low around 8°F, moderate sun conditions, and disaster-risk band 2/3.
Is Madison good for families?
The family screen combines school score 9/10, safety score 63/100, and 235 NCES public schools. It is a metro-level screen, not a school-district rating.
How should I use this Madison data?
Use it as a first-pass relocation shortlist. WhereToThrive labels sources, dates, and proxy fields so you can compare cities quickly, then verify neighborhoods, employers, schools, and housing options locally.
Explore around Madison
Nearest cities
- Rockford, IL 58 mi away
- Milwaukee, WI 75 mi away
- Racine, WI 85 mi away
- Appleton, WI 96 mi away
- Green Bay, WI 121 mi away
Provenance — Data coverage 11 of 11 core sources · 14 direct/curated | 10 formula/proxy · updated 2026-07-13 (view details)
Data quality
These labels explain whether each field is direct, curated, formula-derived, a proxy or fallback estimate, or unavailable.
- Population: Direct public metric
- ACS median gross rent: Direct public metric
- HUD Fair Market Rent: Direct public metric
- Median home value: Direct public metric
- Climate: Curated public-data blend
- Climate risk (FEMA NRI): Formula-derived score
- Employment: Curated public-data blend
- Average commute: Direct public metric
- Walkability: Formula-derived score
- Safety: Curated public-data blend
- Political lean: Curated public-data blend
- Coordinates: Curated public-data blend
- Geographic proximity: Formula-derived score
- Outdoor recreation: Formula-derived score
- State tax: Curated public-data blend
- Cost index: Formula-derived score
- Restaurant density: Direct public metric
- Food score: Formula-derived score
- Nightlife score: Formula-derived score
- Outdoor score: Formula-derived score
- Diversity score: Direct public metric
- Public school access: Direct public metric
- School score: Formula-derived score
- CMS hospital ratings: Formula-derived score
Data Sources
- Demographics and housing: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year estimates City label: US Census ACS 2022 5-year
- HUD Fair Market Rents: HUD Fair Market Rents geospatial feature service City label: HUD FY2026 Fair Market Rents
- CMS Care Compare hospital quality: CMS Care Compare Hospital General Information City label: CMS Care Compare hospital star ratings (metro-proximity formula)
- Climate: NOAA climate normals local pipeline City label: NOAA climate normals local pipeline
- Climate risk (FEMA NRI): FEMA National Risk Index county aggregate City label: FEMA National Risk Index county aggregate
- Employment: BLS local employment pipeline City label: BLS local employment pipeline
- Commute and walkability: U.S. Census Bureau ACS commute tables City label: US Census ACS commute tables
- Safety: FBI Crime Data / UCR local aggregate City label: FBI Crime Data API local aggregate
- Political lean: County election aggregate City label: county election aggregate
- Location: Metro concordance and coordinate overrides City label: GeoNames city centroid
- Geographic proximity: WhereToThrive GIS-derived geography reference City label: Natural Earth GIS-derived geography reference
- Outdoor recreation geography: WhereToThrive public outdoor recreation GIS metrics City label: USGS/USFS/NOAA public outdoor recreation GIS metrics
- Restaurant and nightlife access: U.S. Census Bureau County Business Patterns metro file City label: Census County Business Patterns 2023 restaurant density
- Public school access: NCES EDGE public school locations City label: NCES EDGE 2024-25 public school locations
- State tax: Tax Foundation State Individual Income Tax Rates and Brackets City label: Tax Foundation 2026 state individual income tax table
- Editorial scoring: WhereToThrive editorial formulas and curated overrides City label: WhereToThrive editorial formulas and curated overrides
- Methodology: How scores and source labels are calculated
Compare Madison against your own constraints
Take the questionnaire to compare Madison against your housing budget, climate preferences, work needs, family needs, and daily-life priorities.
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