Madison vs Racine
The short version
- Overall prices are about the same in both metro areas (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $166,500 in Racine and $372,900 in Madison.
- Households earn more in Madison ($78,050 vs $57,740 median).
- Madison gets far more snow: 52 inches a year vs 41.
- Madison is growing faster: +4.2% since 2020 vs -0.5%.
- Commutes are shorter in Madison (19 vs 23 minutes each way).
Side by side
| Madison, WI | Racine, WI | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 286,233 | 77,908 |
| Growth since 2020 | +4.2% | -0.5% |
| People per square mile | 3,423 | 5,035 |
| Median age | 31.8 | 34.7 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 60% | 21% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $78,050 | $57,740 |
| Median home value | $372,900 | $166,500 |
| Home value to income | 4.8× | 2.9× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,413 | $1,033 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 97.3 | 96.0 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 99.7 | 92.0 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $73,000 | $72,000 |
| Homeowners | 46% | 60% |
| Top state income tax | 7.65% | 7.65% |
| Combined sales tax | 5.72% | 5.72% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 19.4 | 22.5 |
| Work from home | 21% | 7% |
| Take public transit | 5% | 2% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 2.7% | 6.1% |
| Poverty rate | 16.4% | 18.2% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 27° / 12° | 31° / 16° |
| July high / low | 82° / 62° | 81° / 63° |
| Precipitation per year | 37 in | 32 in |
| Snowfall per year | 52 in | 41 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 9 | 7 |
| Nights below freezing | 147 | 126 |
| Comfortable months | 3 | 5 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively Moderate | Relatively Moderate |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 93.9 | 85.4 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 66% | n/a |
| Home prices, past year | +4.9% | +7.2% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +49% | +56.5% |
Highlighted cells are the better value where "better" is clear (lower prices, higher income, shorter commutes). Sources: Census Bureau 2025 estimates and ACS 2020-2024, BEA 2024, NOAA 1991-2020, Tax Foundation 2026.
Weather, month by month
Most comfortable months: Madison: May and August to September. Racine: May to September.
Full monthly tables: Madison weather by month and Racine weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $73,000 in Madison and $72,000 in Racine. Moving from Madison to Racine, you would need about $74,000 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Madison and Racine
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Madison and Racine.
Which would you pick?
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