Madison, WI
Latest: 2024
Safe Democratic — 692K residents — 4 counties
Race & ancestry
| Group | % |
|---|---|
▶White (Non-Hispanic)(13) | 78.4% |
▶Hispanic / Latino(19) | 7.1% |
▶Black / African American(13) | 4.5% |
▶Asian(6) | 5.2% |
▶Middle Eastern / North African(11) | 0.5% |
▶Native American / Alaska Native(3) | 0.2% |
▶Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander(3) | 0.1% |
Multiracial / Other | 4.4% |
Religious adherence
| Tradition | % Pop | % Adherents |
|---|---|---|
| Catholic | 14.1% | 38.5% |
| Mainline Protestant | 10.4% | 28.4% |
| Evangelical Protestant | 7.8% | 21.3% |
| Other | 4.0% | 10.9% |
| LDS (Mormon) | 0.6% | 1.8% |
| Black Protestant | 0.2% | 0.5% |
| Orthodox Christian | 0.1% | 0.4% |
| Non-religious | 63.3% | — |
Presidential results
| Year | Result |
|---|---|
| 2024 | Harris+43.0 |
| 2020 | Biden+44.3 |
| 2016 | Clinton+40.0 |
| 2012 | Obama+39.2 |
| 2008 | Obama+42.7 |
| 2004 | Kerry+27.8 |
| 2000 | Gore+24.6 |
| 1996 | Clinton+23.4 |
| 1992 | Clinton+21.2 |
Madison, WI is a metro area that has a population of 691,830. In the 2024 presidential election, it voted Democratic with a margin of D+43.0. Akashic Edge tracks 40 presidential elections here, dating back to 1868.
| Year | Dem % | Rep % | Margin | Swing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 70.6% | 27.6% | D+43.0 | R+1.3 |
| 2020 | 71.3% | 27.0% | D+44.3 | D+4.3 |
| 2016 | 66.7% | 26.7% | D+40.0 | D+0.8 |
| 2012 | 68.9% | 29.7% | D+39.2 | R+3.5 |
| 2008 | 70.7% | 28.0% | D+42.7 | D+14.9 |
| 2004 | 63.4% | 35.6% | D+27.8 | D+3.2 |
| 2000 | 59.4% | 34.8% | D+24.6 | D+1.2 |
| 1996 | 55.5% | 32.0% | D+23.4 | D+2.2 |
| 1992 | 51.9% | 30.7% | D+21.2 | D+5.7 |
| 1988 | 57.4% | 41.9% | D+15.5 | D+10.0 |
| 1984 | 52.4% | 46.9% | D+5.5 | R+5.8 |
| 1980 | 48.8% | 37.5% | D+11.3 | D+2.6 |
| 1976 | 52.4% | 43.7% | D+8.7 | R+0.2 |
| 1972 | 53.9% | 45.0% | D+8.9 | R+1.1 |
| 1968 | 52.4% | 42.4% | D+10.0 | R+25.5 |
| 1964 | 67.7% | 32.2% | D+35.5 | D+39.9 |
| 1960 | 47.7% | 52.1% | R+4.4 | D+6.9 |
| 1956 | 44.1% | 55.4% | R+11.3 | D+1.6 |
| 1952 | 43.4% | 56.4% | R+13.0 | R+25.8 |
| 1948 | 54.9% | 42.1% | D+12.8 | — |
What defines Madison, WI?
It has a predominantly white, college-educated electorate that has shifted sharply toward Democrats in the Trump era.
Constituent Counties
Similar metro areas
Nearest neighbors matched on the same place-page feature set used across the dossier system.
Lansing-East Lansing, MI
Educated rural competitive 2
Charlottesville, VA
Educated rural democratic
Burlington-South Burlington, VT
Educated rural democratic
Durham-Chapel Hill, NC
Educated rural democratic
Boulder, CO
Educated rural democratic
Ann Arbor, MI
Educated rural democratic
Iowa City, IA
Educated rural competitive
Bellingham, WA
Educated rural democratic
Counties in Madison, WI
2024 presidential results across the counties that make up this geography.
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Ask the Historian
Explore Madison, WI's political evolution with the Historian
Key Insights
High-confidence patterns distilled from this geography's election history.
- Has voted Democratic in the last 5 presidential elections
- Latest election (2024) was a Democratic landslide with a 43.0% margin
- College attainment is 50% — 17pp above the national average. Similar education levels correlate with Democratic lean nationally
Who Lives Here
A race-first Census view with ancestry expansion where source coverage is strong enough to support detail.
Census race profile
Major Census race and ethnicity groups shown as a share of total population.
| Group | Madison, WI | National |
|---|---|---|
▶White (Non-Hispanic)(13) | 78.4% | 57.4% |
▶Hispanic / Latino(19) | 7.1% | 19.3% |
▶Asian(6) | 5.2% | 6.0% |
▶Black / African American(13) | 4.5% | 12.2% |
Multiracial / Other | 4.4% | 4.0% |
▶Middle Eastern / North African(11) | 0.5% | 0.9% |
▶Native American / Alaska Native(3) | 0.2% | 0.9% |
▶Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander(3) | 0.1% | 0.2% |
Method notes
Religious Adherents
Population that are religious adherents:
36.7%
Catholic-Evangelical edge: +12.7pp (vs national 4.5pp). A strongly Catholic-leaning religious profile, which nationally correlates with Democratic-leaning urban and suburban communities.
| Tradition | % Pop | % Adherents | US Pop | US Adherents |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14.1% | 38.5% | — | — | |
| 10.4% | 28.4% | — | — | |
| 7.8% | 21.3% | — | — | |
| 4.0% | 10.9% | — | — | |
LDS (Mormon) | 0.6% | 1.8% | — | — |
| 0.2% | 0.5% | — | — | |
| 0.1% | 0.4% | — | — | |
Non-religiousPopulation | 63.3% | — | — | — |
Who lives in the Madison, WI metro area? 691,830 residents across 4 counties.
Demographics
Read this geography's profile in three layers: local, state (where available), and national baseline.
50% of adults hold a bachelor's degree — 17pp above the national average. Places with similar education levels vote D+25 on average nationally.
Population & electorate
Scale, voting-age share, and this geography's footprint inside the national electorate.
Total population
692K
Share of U.S. population
0.21%
Voting-age population
77.4%
Economic profile
Income, attainment, and ownership indicators that often shape coalition structure and turnout behavior.
Median household income
$88,971
Poverty rate
10.1%
College degree
50.4%
Homeownership
60.4%
Community profile
Age structure, language use, and nativity signals that explain how this geography differs from state and nation.
Median age
37.1 yrs
Age 18–29
20.1%
Age 65+
15.9%
Foreign born
7.8%
Non-English at home
10.2%
English only
89.8%
Turnout in Madison, WI
Estimated using 2020 Census voting-age population.
81.7%
+4.4pp
535,761
1988–2024
How competitive is Madison, WI?
Safe DAvg margin: D+42.4 (last 3 elections)
2008
D+42.7
2012
D+39.2
2016
D+40.0
2020
D+44.3
2024
D+43.0
5.1pp
0
D+41.8
Do voters in Madison, WI split their tickets?
Divergence between offices in the same election reveals persuadable voters.
Moderate splitting (62/100)
| Offices | Margin A | Margin B | Split |
|---|---|---|---|
| President vs Senate | D+43.0 | D+44.0 | 1.0pp |
Average divergence across office pairs: 8.1pp
Located In
Madison, WI sits inside these higher-level geographies.
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