Illinois to Wisconsin

Distance from Elgin to Madison

Straight-line distance

91.7mi

Elgin, IL and Madison, WI are 91.7 miles (147.6 km) apart in a straight line. From Elgin, the shortest path starts out heading NW (323°).

kilometers
147.6
nautical miles
79.7
heading from Elgin
323° NW
heading from Madison
142° SE
ElginMadison

Orange line: great-circle path · ring: midpoint · thin lines: county borders

How far Elgin is from Madison

The great-circle distance between the Census internal points of Elgin and Madison is 91.7 miles, 147.6 km or 79.7 nautical miles. That is the shortest path over the Earth's surface, computed with the haversine formula on a sphere with the mean Earth radius, 6,371.0 km. A course held on one compass bearing (a rhumb line) would be 91.7 miles, practically the same at this range.

Measurements

Miles
91.7
Kilometers
147.6
Nautical miles
79.7
Bearing from Elgin
322.6° NW
Bearing arriving at Madison
321.8°
Bearing from Madison
141.8° SE

Halfway between Elgin and Madison

The great-circle midpoint is at 42.564725, -88.873159 (42°33'53.01"N 88°52'23.37"W). The nearest incorporated place of 1,000 or more people is Clinton, WI, with 2,302 residents, 0.6 miles from the midpoint. To find towns near the midpoint of any two places, use the halfway tool.

Time zones and daylight

Both use America/Chicago, so there is no time difference. On June 21, Elgin gets 15 h 15 min of daylight and Madison 15 h 22 min; on December 21, 9 h 07 min and 9 h 00 min. Madison is 1.05° farther north, so it has the longer summer days and the shorter winter ones.

Population compared

Madison has 2.5 times the population of Elgin. From July 2020 to July 2024, Elgin changed by +0.0% and Madison by +3.8%. The trip crosses from Illinois into Wisconsin.

  1. 01Elgin, IL114,701 (+0.0%)
  2. 02Madison, WI285,300 (+3.8%)
July 1, 2024 population and change since July 2020, Census Vintage 2024.

Questions people ask

How far is Elgin from Madison?

91.7 miles, 147.6 km or 79.7 nautical miles along the great circle between the two Census internal points. Road distance is longer.

Which direction is Madison from Elgin?

NW. The great-circle path leaves Elgin on a bearing of 322.6° and arrives at Madison on 321.8°. The return trip starts on 141.8°.

What is halfway between Elgin and Madison?

The midpoint is at 42.564725, -88.873159. The nearest incorporated place of 1,000+ is Clinton, WI, 0.6 miles from it.

Is there a time difference between Elgin and Madison?

Both use America/Chicago, so there is no time difference.

Which is bigger, Elgin or Madison?

Madison, with 285,300 residents in July 2024 against 114,701 for Elgin, 2.5 times as many.

Sources and data as of

Data as of: Census 2024 Gazetteer internal points and Vintage 2024 estimates; time zones from Open-Meteo.

  1. 01Census 2024 Gazetteer, places
  2. 02Census Vintage 2024 subcounty population estimates
  3. 03SunCalc library (Vladimir Agafonkin), algorithms after Jean Meeus
  4. 04IANA time zone database (clock times and daylight saving rules)

How every number is computed: methodology. Spotted a wrong figure? Report an error.