Madison vs St. Paul
The short version
- Madison is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 7% lower than in the St. Paul area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $294,500 in St. Paul and $372,900 in Madison.
- Households earn more in Madison ($78,050 vs $73,394 median).
- Madison is growing faster: +4.2% since 2020 vs -1.5%.
Side by side
| Madison, WI | St. Paul, MN | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 286,233 | 306,684 |
| Growth since 2020 | +4.2% | -1.5% |
| People per square mile | 3,423 | 5,900 |
| Median age | 31.8 | 33.7 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 60% | 44% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $78,050 | $73,394 |
| Median home value | $372,900 | $294,500 |
| Home value to income | 4.8× | 4.0× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,413 | $1,281 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 97.3 | 104.8 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 99.7 | 111.8 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $73,000 | $78,600 |
| Homeowners | 46% | 53% |
| Top state income tax | 7.65% | 9.85% |
| Combined sales tax | 5.72% | 8.14% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 19.4 | 21.1 |
| Work from home | 21% | 20% |
| Take public transit | 5% | 5% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 2.7% | 5.4% |
| Poverty rate | 16.4% | 15.6% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 27° / 12° | 24° / 9° |
| July high / low | 82° / 62° | 83° / 65° |
| Precipitation per year | 37 in | 32 in |
| Snowfall per year | 52 in | 51 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 9 | 13 |
| Nights below freezing | 147 | 147 |
| Comfortable months | 3 | 4 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively Moderate | Relatively High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 93.9 | 94.6 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 66% | 55% |
| Home prices, past year | +4.9% | +2.6% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +49% | +27.3% |
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. St. Paul: May and July to September.
Full monthly tables: Madison weather by month and St. Paul 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 $78,600 in St. Paul. Moving from Madison to St. Paul, you would need about $80,800 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Madison and St. Paul
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 St. Paul.
Which would you pick?
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