Madison has plenty to offer, but the price of admission usually comes with traffic, sky-high rent, and a calendar that fills itself.
If you want the upside of Madison without the daily grind, the answer is almost always a good suburb. The catch: not every suburb is worth the move.
So we ranked them. Using Saturday Night Science, we pulled the numbers on every place within commuting distance of Madison: incomes, home prices, unemployment, schools, the works. The result is a no-nonsense ranking of where you actually want to live.
$125,220 median income · $584,110 median home price
Located in
Dane County, Wisconsin
Waunakee is always mentioned as one of the best suburbs in the Madison area. We’ll tell you the good about “Awesome Waunakee.”
Everyone here is rich; families average $125,220 a year, which is the 3rd highest in the Madison region. And only 1.4% are out of work. Homes average more than $584,110 each.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$105,145 median income · $504,941 median home price
Cross Plains is the second best ‘burb we looked at near Madison for 2026.
It ranks 8th for incomes in the area and only 0.5% of residents lack insurance, good for 2nd best.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$139,313 median income · $474,956 median home price
Located in
Dane County, Wisconsin
Here in Cottage Grove, it’s really safe, and residents are just about as rich as you’ll see in the Madison metro area.
The bad side? Schools are more crowded, and the cost of living puts a large part of the city out of reach for most families.
But price is based on demand and a lot of people want to live in Cottage Grove.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$153,542 median income · $1,166,799 median home price
Shorewood Hills ranks as the 4th best suburb of Madison for 2026.
You won’t find many better places to raise your kids in the region than in Shorewood Hills and the schools are some of the best around.
$119,606 median income · $590,564 median home price
Located in
Dane County, Wisconsin
Coming in as the fifth best is Verona.
Verona gets kudos for having the 3rd most expensive homes in the Madison area, where houses sell for an average of $590,564. However, the cost of living here is among the highest in the area.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$107,856 median income · $481,815 median home price
Located in
Dane County, Wisconsin
Mount Horeb is proud of its 6th place finish on this list. And here’s why.
Most residents have great jobs and the unemployment rate sits at 3.6%.
According to online reports, Mount Horeb is quickly becoming one of the more affluent suburbs in the Madison area, meaning you need to get in soon.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$117,584 median income · $459,917 median home price
The 7th best suburb on our list goes to Lodi.
Lodi schools are some of the best in the region, and crime is really low. The cost of living makes it a lot more desirable for many families, especially first-time home buyers.
And, it’s only 16.7 miles to downtown, which is a good thing.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$102,978 median income · $489,920 median home price
Located in
Dane County, Wisconsin
Oregon is growing quickly, and for a good reason. Crime is far below average, and most residents are gainfully employed. Even the cost of living is reasonable.
A solid 2.6% of people lack insurance, good for 14th in the area.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$97,500 median income · $485,872 median home price
Located in
Dane County, Wisconsin
Is ‘Everything Better In McFarland?’
Almost.
It placed 9th on our list thanks to the fact that it’s really expensive to live here, but the schools are great, so you get what you pay for in that regard.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$101,049 median income · $416,060 median home price
And rounding out the top ten for 2026 is Prairie du Sac.
This city is far above average in every category, and the best part? It’s far more affordable than the other cities listed above. So, you get a big bang for your buck here.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Wisconsin’s statewide median.
Wisconsin statewide median: $77,485
Wisconsin statewide median: $330,171
Wisconsin statewide median: 3.2%
Wisconsin statewide median: 10.6%
On the map
Where the best Madison suburbs are
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How we determined the best suburbs around Madison for 2026
Figuring out the best suburbs around Madison was simple. We used Saturday Night Science to find things people like about living in the suburbs and then locate the suburbs with those things.
We analyzed the newest American Community Survey data for 2020-2024 to research each suburb. We decided upon the following criteria:
- Low unemployment rate
- High median household incomes
- Population density (lots of things to do)
- High home values
- A lot of college-educated people
- Low poverty
- High rate of insured families
We defined a suburb as being within 30 miles of Madison.
Additionally, we limited the analysis to places that have over 2,000 people. This left us with a grand total of 26 suburbs to evaluate around Madison.
We ranked each place with scores from 1 to 26 in each category, where 1 was the best.
Next, we averaged the rankings for each place to create a quality-of-life index.
Finally, we crowned the city with the best quality of life index, the “Best Suburb near Madison.” We’re lookin’ at you, Waunakee.
This result may differ from our state-wide data as we did not include commute times and crime for this analysis to allow for a more extensive selection of suburbs.
We updated the data for 2026. This report is our eleventh time ranking the best Madison suburbs. Skip to the end to see the list of all the suburbs ranked from best to worst.
The full plate
Table: Best Madison Suburbs
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Suburb Score | Population | Median Income | Median Home Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Waunakee | 4.93 | 15,687 | $125,220 | $584,110 |
| 2 | Cross Plains | 5.00 | 4,107 | $105,145 | $504,941 |
| 3 | Cottage Grove | 6.57 | 8,513 | $139,313 | $474,956 |
| 4 | Shorewood Hills | 6.57 | 2,149 | $153,542 | $1,166,799 |
| 5 | Verona | 6.86 | 15,232 | $119,606 | $590,564 |
| 6 | Mount Horeb | 9.79 | 7,736 | $107,856 | $481,815 |
| 7 | Lodi | 9.79 | 3,204 | $117,584 | $459,917 |
| 8 | Oregon | 10.64 | 11,547 | $102,978 | $489,920 |
| 9 | McFarland | 11.00 | 9,160 | $97,500 | $485,872 |
| 10 | Prairie du Sac | 11.93 | 4,382 | $101,049 | $416,060 |
| 11 | Sun Prairie | 12.36 | 37,570 | $90,942 | $436,614 |
| 12 | Belleville | 13.50 | 2,579 | $88,304 | $362,644 |
| 13 | Deerfield | 13.79 | 2,541 | $91,029 | $417,784 |
| 14 | Poynette | 13.93 | 2,678 | $93,500 | $400,486 |
| 15 | DeForest | 14.64 | 11,501 | $106,419 | $445,514 |
| 16 | Stoughton | 14.93 | 13,033 | $79,551 | $428,271 |
| 17 | Lake Mills | 15.36 | 6,470 | $91,027 | $420,977 |
| 18 | Middleton | 15.93 | 22,301 | $89,524 | $613,360 |
| 19 | Monona | 16.86 | 8,527 | $87,773 | $468,106 |
| 20 | Evansville | 17.07 | 5,782 | $81,149 | $358,801 |
| 21 | New Glarus | 17.71 | 2,172 | $101,098 | $351,112 |
| 22 | Marshall | 17.93 | 3,778 | $85,942 | $360,314 |
| 23 | Fitchburg | 19.43 | 32,619 | $86,516 | $501,314 |
| 24 | Waterloo | 21.07 | 3,600 | $87,776 | $316,134 |
| 25 | Edgerton | 21.21 | 6,014 | $72,489 | $294,921 |
| 26 | Columbus | 22.21 | 5,488 | $75,427 | $311,071 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024. 26 suburbs within 30 miles of Madison.
Summary
Summary: Welcome to the Best Madison ‘Burbs of 2026
We said it once, and we’ll say it again–life in the big city isn’t for everyone. At least not all the time.
The best suburbs of Madison are Waunakee, Cross Plains, Cottage Grove, Shorewood Hills, Verona, Mount Horeb, Lodi, Oregon, McFarland, and Prairie du Sac.
So if you’re craving the amenities of a larger city like Madison but don’t want to deal with the drawbacks, one of these suburbs might be for you. Not sold on Wisconsin? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
Questions and answers
Best Suburbs Of Madison FAQs
What is the best suburb of Madison?
Waunakee is the best suburb of Madison for 2026, according to Saturday Night Science. Cross Plains and Cottage Grove are next.
What are the best suburbs of Madison?
The best suburbs of Madison are Waunakee, Cross Plains, Cottage Grove, Shorewood Hills, Verona, Mount Horeb, Lodi, Oregon, McFarland, and Prairie du Sac. We ranked all 26 places within commuting range.
How expensive is Waunakee?
The median household income in Waunakee is $125,220 and the median home costs $584,110. Top suburbs rarely come cheap; that is part of how they got there.
What counts as a suburb of Madison?
Any place within 30 miles of Madison qualifies. 26 towns fit that circle, and every one of them got scored.
How do you rank Madison suburbs?
Each suburb is scored on income, home values, density, unemployment, education, insurance coverage, and poverty, using Census American Community Survey data. The best combined score, Waunakee, takes the crown.
