How many people live in Dane County, WI?
Updated Apr. 6, 2026Refreshed annually
In 2024, there were about 588,300 people living in Dane County, WI. That makes Dane County the second-most populous county in Wisconsin. It is home to 9.9% of people living in the state.
588K
population of Dane County, WI (2024)
9.9%
County share of the Wisconsin population (2024)
About 588,300 people lived in Dane County, WI in 2024.
Population estimates, 2000–2024
What are Dane County, WI’s age demographics?
About 92,800 Dane County, WI residents are aged 65 and older in 2024. That represents 15.8% of its population. For comparison, the age group represents 19.6% of Wisconsin’s population and 18% in the US overall.
Another 112,000 Dane County residents, or 19% of the population, were children under 18. For comparison, the age group represents 20.8% of Wisconsin’s population and 21.6% in the US overall.
A higher share of Dane County, WI's population is aged 18–24 than the US as a whole.
Population estimates by age group, (2024)
What are Dane County, WI’s racial and ethnic demographics?
Non-Hispanic white residents make up 75.7% of the Dane County, WI population, higher than the national share of 57.5%. Dane County, WI also has a larger share of people identifying as non-Hispanic Asian (7.3%) than the US overall (6.5%).
In contrast, Dane County’s Hispanic population accounts for 8.2%, below the 20% nationwide, and the non-Hispanic Black or African American population makes up 5.8% of the county, compared with 12.6% nationally.
Racial and ethnic make up differ based on location. These figures reflect how people identified their race alone (not in combination with other races), and separate out Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, following Census reporting standards.
Dane County, WI has a higher share of a non-Hispanic Asian population than Wisconsin as a whole.
Population estimates by race and ethnicity, (2024)
The largest city or town in Dane County, WI is Madison with about 285,300 residents in 2024.
Cities and towns in Dane County, WI ranked by population
Population (2024), includes only portions within county
| City or town | Population | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Madison | 285,300 |
| 2. | Sun Prairie | 39,253 |
| 3. | Fitchburg | 34,357 |
| 4. | Middleton | 22,566 |
| 5. | Verona | 16,825 |
| 6. | Waunakee | 16,363 |
| 7. | Stoughton | 13,134 |
| 8. | DeForest | 12,260 |
| 9. | Oregon | 11,895 |
| 10. | Windsor | 10,005 |
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Methodology
USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.
The analysis was generated with the help of AI and reviewed by USAFacts for accuracy.
Page sources
USAFacts endeavors to share the most up-to-date information available. We sourced the data on this page directly from government agencies; however, the intervals at which agencies publish updated data vary.
