• county
  • FIPS 55025
  • Largest town: Madison

Dane County, Wisconsin

Dane County had 588,347 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 1,196.5 square miles of land. It ranks 2nd of 72 in Wisconsin by population and 8th by land area.

Population
588,347
#2 of 72 in Wisconsin · #120 in US
Area
1,196.5 sq mi
#8 of 72 in Wisconsin · #512 in US
Density
492 / sq mi
#6 of 72 in Wisconsin · #284 in US
Median household income
$84,190
#8 of 72 in Wisconsin · #346 in US

Census Vintage 2024 estimates · SAIPE 2023 income · 2024 Gazetteer land area

Dane County within Wisconsin. Pin: Madison.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Dane County

Dane County population, land area and income

Dane County had 588,347 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 1,196.5 square miles of land. It ranks 2nd of 72 in Wisconsin by population and 8th by land area. That works out to 491.7 people per square mile, 5.1 times the US average of 96.3, and in the top tenth nationally.

The median county-equivalent in Wisconsin has 41,821 residents, so Dane County is 14.1 times that size.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $84,190 is in the top quarter among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

588,347

3144th1st

120th of 3,144 (US)

Land area

1,197 sq mi

3144th1st

512th of 3,144 (US)

Density

491.7 / sq mi

3144th1st

284th of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$84,190

3143rd1st

346th of 3,143 (US)

Rank within Wisconsin (72)

Population

588,347

72nd1st

2nd of 72 (WI)

Land area

1,197 sq mi

72nd1st

8th of 72 (WI)

Density

491.7 / sq mi

72nd1st

6th of 72 (WI)

Median household income

$84,190

72nd1st

8th of 72 (WI)

How Dane County's population changed since 2020

Dane County gained 25,727 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a rise of 4.6%. That ranks 1st of 72 in Wisconsin for growth. The median Wisconsin county changed by +1.0%, and the state as a whole by +1.1%.

Since the April 2020 estimates base, Dane County recorded 23,796 births and 16,570 deaths, a natural change of +7,226. Net international migration added +16,725 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to +2,530. The largest single component was international migration, which added 16,725 people.

562.6k2020561.8k2021570.9k2022579.7k2023588.3k2024
Census Vintage 2024 county estimates for July 1 of each year. The axis starts above zero so year-to-year changes are visible.

Components of change, April 2020 to July 2024

Births
23,796
Deaths
16,570
Net international migration
+16,725
Net domestic migration
+2,530
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
+8,608

Where Dane County is

The Census internal point of Dane County is at 43.067500, -89.417900. It sits in UTM zone 16N. The map shades Wisconsin's 72 county-equivalents by population change from 2020 to 2024, darker for faster growth, with Dane County outlined. Dots are towns of 1,000+ people with residents in it.

Barron County: +0.2%Green County: +0.4%Dunn County: +1.5%Jefferson County: +0.0%Lincoln County: +0.1%Rusk County: -0.1%Fond du Lac County: +0.1%Marquette County: +1.0%Outagamie County: +2.3%Waupaca County: -1.2%Oneida County: +0.8%Eau Claire County: +2.8%Washington County: +1.4%Portage County: +2.3%Menominee County: +0.7%Clark County: +0.5%Monroe County: +0.2%Milwaukee County: -1.5%Buffalo County: +1.1%Lafayette County: +4.2%Ozaukee County: +2.5%Rock County: +1.0%Sheboygan County: +0.2%Green Lake County: +1.8%Waukesha County: +2.3%Calumet County: +2.1%Dodge County: -0.8%Wood County: -0.3%Winnebago County: +0.9%Sawyer County: +4.0%Dane County: +4.6%Sauk County: +1.1%Pepin County: +2.9%Adams County: +3.2%Price County: +0.4%Taylor County: +1.1%Grant County: +0.7%Trempealeau County: -0.0%Vernon County: +2.1%Waushara County: +2.2%Iowa County: +1.0%Crawford County: -0.5%Kenosha County: -0.3%Shawano County: +1.1%Juneau County: -0.7%Jackson County: -0.3%Vilas County: +3.7%Bayfield County: +3.7%Chippewa County: +1.5%Iron County: +1.5%Racine County: +0.3%Door County: +1.3%Ashland County: +1.1%Kewaunee County: +0.9%Polk County: +1.8%Florence County: +2.4%Douglas County: -0.2%Forest County: +3.7%Columbia County: -0.7%Walworth County: +0.7%La Crosse County: +0.1%Manitowoc County: +0.1%Oconto County: +2.5%Langlade County: +0.4%Marathon County: +0.7%Washburn County: +2.2%Brown County: +1.8%Richland County: -0.9%Marinette County: +1.1%St. Croix County: +4.3%Pierce County: +2.7%Burnett County: +3.7%
Change 2020 to 2024
  1. < +0.1%
  2. < +0.7%
  3. < +1.3%
  4. < +2.3%
  5. ≥ +2.3%
no data

Orange pin: Dane County internal point. Dark pin: Madison.

Internal point

Decimal
43.067500, -89.417900
DMS
43°04'3.00"N 89°25'4.44"W
UTM
16N 303132.8E 4771148.0N
Geohash
dp8mj0py7
Plus code
86MG3H9J+2R

Towns in Dane County

26 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Dane County, 519,898 people together, or 88% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Dane County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Madison with 285,300.

  1. 01Madison285,300
  2. 02Sun Prairie39,253
  3. 03Fitchburg34,357
  4. 04Middleton22,566
  5. 05Verona16,825
  6. 06Waunakee16,363
  7. 07Stoughton13,134
  8. 08DeForest12,260
  9. 09Oregon11,895
  10. 10Windsor10,005
  11. 11McFarland9,224
  12. 12Cottage Grove8,974
  13. 13Monona8,616
  14. 14Mount Horeb7,803
  15. 15Cross Plains4,180
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Dane County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 7 neighbors for Dane County. The most populous is Rock County, WI, with 165,461 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Madison and the nearest big city

Madison is 1.8 miles ENE of Dane County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Madison, WI (population 285,300), 1.6 miles away.

Dane County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Dane County is 55025: state code 55 for Wisconsin plus county code 025. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $84,190.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Dane County, Wisconsin?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 588,347. That is up 25,727 people (4.6%) from the July 2020 estimate of 562,620.

What is the FIPS code of Dane County?

55025. The first two digits (55) are Wisconsin; the last three (025) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Dane County?

Madison, with 285,300 residents inside Dane County in 2024.

Which counties border Dane County?

7 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Rock County, WI; Dodge County, WI; Jefferson County, WI; Sauk County, WI; Columbia County, WI; Green County, WI; Iowa County, WI.

Sources and data as of

Data as of: Census Vintage 2024 population estimates, 2024 Gazetteer land area and internal points, SAIPE 2023 median household income.

  1. 01Census Vintage 2024 county population estimates
  2. 02Census 2024 Gazetteer, counties
  3. 03Census SAIPE 2023 state and county estimates
  4. 04Census Vintage 2024 subcounty population estimates
  5. 05Census 2024 county adjacency file
  6. 06Census 2024 cartographic boundary file, counties (1:5,000,000)

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