Population
Boston
663,972
Madison
275,568
Median Income
Boston
$94,755
Madison
$76,983
Home Value
Boston
$710,400
Madison
$346,900
Rent
Boston
$2,093
Madison
$1,364
Crime Rate
Boston
6.28
Madison
2.56
Cost of Living
Boston
180.6
Madison
132.4
Avg Temp
Boston
50°F
Madison
N/A
Unemployment
Boston
6.0%
Madison
2.7%
How Similar Are Boston & Madison?
Madison is Boston's #25 most similar city
3 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Boston
663,972
Madison
275,568
Boston (663,972) is about 2.4x larger than Madison (275,568).
Violent Crime
Boston
6.28
Madison
2.56
Boston's violent crime is significantly higher than Madison's — 59% difference.
Property Crime
Boston
20.22
Madison
18.65
Both cities have similar property crime — just a 8% difference.
Political Leaning
Boston
22.4%
Madison
23.4%
Both cities lean Democratic with similar vote shares — 4% difference.
Unemployment
Boston
6.0%
Madison
2.7%
Boston's unemployment is significantly higher than Madison's — 55% difference.
Median Income
Boston
$94,755
Madison
$76,983
Boston has a 19% higher median income than Madison.
Home Values
Boston
$710,400
Madison
$346,900
Boston's home values is significantly higher than Madison's — 51% difference.
Education
Boston
38.0%
Madison
37.5%
Both cities have similar education — just a 1% difference.
Demographics
Boston
47.8%
Madison
73.0%
Madison has a 35% higher demographics than Boston.
Cost of Living
Boston
180.6
Madison
132.4
Boston has a 27% higher cost of living than Madison.
3 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Boston and Madison differ in most key areas.
At a Glance
0
Boston
0
Madison
Madison leads in 5 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Madison leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDMadison has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,694 vs $2,941 in Boston (74% lower). Madison has a fair market rent (1br) of $1,482 vs $2,476 in Boston (67% lower). Madison scores 177.4 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 272.1 in Boston.
Overall Cost Index
Housing Index
Food Index
Transportation Index
Healthcare Index
Utilities Index
Living Wage (1 Adult)
Living Wage (Family of 4)
Fair Market Rent (1BR)
Fair Market Rent (2BR)
Housing Market — Madison leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSMadison has a vacancy rate of 3.9% compared to 9.3% in Boston. Boston has a median home value of $710,400 vs $346,900 in Madison (105% higher). Madison has a single-family homes of 45.4% compared to 18.2% in Boston.
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Boston leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSBoston: 403,888 vs Madison: 165,552 for labor force. Madison has a unemployment rate of 2.7% compared to 6.0% in Boston. Madison: 16 min vs Boston: 25 min for mean commute.
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety — Madison leads
Source: FBI UCRMadison has a robbery rate (per 1k) of 0.34 compared to 1.26 in Boston. Madison has a violent crime rate (per 1k) of 2.56 compared to 6.28 in Boston. Madison has a assault rate (per 1k) of 1.93 compared to 4.72 in Boston.
Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)
Property Crime Rate (per 1K)
Murder Rate (per 1K)
Robbery Rate (per 1K)
Assault Rate (per 1K)
Burglary Rate (per 1K)
Larceny Rate (per 1K)
Violent Crime Clearance
Property Crime Clearance
Weather & Climate
Source: NOAA / Open-MeteoAvg Annual Temperature
Avg Annual High
Avg Annual Low
Sunny Days per Year
Annual Rainfall
Annual Snowfall
Avg Humidity
Schools & Education — Boston leads
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauBoston has a high school diploma or higher of 50.8% compared to 46.7% in Madison. Boston has a bachelor's degree or higher of 38.0% compared to 37.5% in Madison.
Public Schools
Avg Student-Teacher Ratio
Colleges & Universities
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
High School Diploma or Higher
Demographics & Community
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSBoston has a population of 663,972, about 2.4x the size of Madison (275,568). Madison skews younger with a median age of 31.8 vs 33.2.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Boston
Madison
Healthcare — Madison leads
Source: CMS Hospital CompareMadison: 4.3 vs Boston: 3.7 for avg cms rating (out of 5).
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute — Madison leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSBoston has a public transit of 24.0% compared to 5.8% in Madison. Madison: 16 min vs Boston: 25 min for mean commute time. Madison has a drive alone of 57.6% compared to 34.1% in Boston.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
Cities Similar to Boston, MA
Compare Boston against its closest statistical matches across demographics, income, crime, health, and more.
City Comparison
8-axis fingerprint: population, income, housing, crime, education, age, climate, and cost of living. Click legend items to toggle.