Madison’s neighborhoods conjure up too many stereotypes to count. You’ve got hipster areas, preppy places, neighborhoods where college kids thrive, and of course, ghettos.
It seems as if there’s a neighborhood for everyone in Madison.
And while the city consistently ranks as one of the best places to live in Wisconsin thanks in part to tons of entertainment and jobs, it’s not all rainbows and sunshine in Madison. Some neighborhoods aren’t as safe as others.
So the question arises, which Madison neighborhoods are the most dangerous and which are the safest?
Today, we’ll use Saturday Night Science to determine which Madison hoods need a little tender loving care – the sore thumbs of the Madison area if you will. Realistically, you can’t expect all the neighborhoods to be amazing, although Regent ranks way above the rest.
We examined 84 of Madison’s neighborhoods to find out the most dangerous places to live. These places don’t quite measure up to Madison’s reputation.
Table Of Contents: Top 10 | Methodology | Summary | Table
So what’s the worst neighborhood to live in Madison for 2024? According to the most recent census data, Vera Court looks to be the worst neighborhood in Madison.
Read on to see how we determined the places around Madison that need a pick-me-up. And remember, don’t blame the messenger.
For more Wisconsin reading, check out:
- Best Places To Live In Wisconsin
- Cheapest Places To Live In Wisconsin
- Most Dangerous Cities In Wisconsin
The 10 Most Dangerous Neighborhoods In Madison For 2024
/10
Population: 145
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 456
Property Crime Per 100k: 3,957
Median Home Value: $174,200 (14th worst)
Median Income: $40,985 (12th worst)
More on Vera Court: Data
/10
Population: 177
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 433
Property Crime Per 100k: 3,751
Median Home Value: $167,600 (9th worst)
Median Income: $37,176 (7th worst)
More on Clarendon Hills: Data
/10
Population: 118
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 391
Property Crime Per 100k: 3,394
Median Home Value: $209,300 (34th worst)
Median Income: $26,429 (2nd worst)
More on Bayview: Data
/10
Population: 230
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 484
Property Crime Per 100k: 2,719
Median Home Value: $96,300 (worst)
Median Income: $33,200 (4th worst)
More on Sherman Terrace: Data
/10
Population: 842
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 954
Property Crime Per 100k: 7,780
Median Home Value: $199,750 (26th worst)
Median Income: $44,282 (16th worst)
More on Mayfair Park: Data
/10
Population: 653
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 719
Property Crime Per 100k: 4,370
Median Home Value: $174,200 (14th worst)
Median Income: $40,985 (12th worst)
More on Nobel Park: Data
/10
Population: 270
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 433
Property Crime Per 100k: 3,751
Median Home Value: $164,800 (6th worst)
Median Income: $40,732 (11th worst)
More on Norman Acres: Data
/10
Population: 2,111
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 1,072
Property Crime Per 100k: 11,390
Median Home Value: $174,950 (16th worst)
Median Income: $42,750 (15th worst)
More on Eken Park: Data
/10
Population: 1,260
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 428
Property Crime Per 100k: 3,712
Median Home Value: $166,300 (8th worst)
Median Income: $30,342 (3rd worst)
More on Dunn’s Marsh: Data
/10
Population: 651
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 859
Property Crime Per 100k: 7,120
Median Home Value: $167,700 (10th worst)
Median Income: $44,375 (17th worst)
More on Worthington Park: Data
Methodology: How we determined the most dangerous Madison neighborhoods in 2024
To figure out how bad a place is to live in, we only needed to know what kinds of things people like and then decide what places have the least amount of those things. We plugged the following criteria into Saturday Night Science to get the worst neighborhoods in Madison:
- High crime (Estimated)
- High unemployment (Less jobs)
- Low median income (Less pay)
- Low population density (No things to do)
- Low home values (No one’s willing to pay to live here)
Then, we ranked each neighborhood in Madison, Wisconsin for each of these criteria from worst to best.
Next, we averaged the individual rankings for each criterion into a “Worst Score.”
The neighborhood with the lowest “Worst Score” ranks as the most dangerous neighborhood of Madison.
The article is an opinion based on facts and is meant as infotainment. We updated this article for 2024. This report is our time ranking the worst neighborhoods to live in Madison.
Skip to the end to see the list of all 84 neighborhoods ranked from worst to best.
Summary: The Worst Neighborhoods Around Madison
Well, there you have it — the worst of the neighborhoods in Madison with Vera Court landing at the bottom of the pack.
The worst neighborhoods in Madison are Vera Court, Clarendon Hills, Bayview, Sherman Terrace, Mayfair Park, Nobel Park, Norman Acres, Eken Park, Dunn’s Marsh, and Worthington Park.
As mentioned earlier, the neighborhoods in Madison aren’t all bad. Regent takes the cake as the best place to live in Madison.
The best neighborhoods in Madison are Regent, Dudgeon-Monroe, Wexford, Maple-Prairie, and Midvale Heights Community.
We ranked the neighborhoods from worst to best in the chart below.
For more Wisconsin reading, check out:
Most Dangerous Neighborhoods To Live In Madison For 2024?
| Rank | Neighborhood | Population | Home Value | Median Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vera Court | 145 | $174,200 | $40,985 |
| 2 | Clarendon Hills | 177 | $167,600 | $37,176 |
| 3 | Bayview | 118 | $209,300 | $26,429 |
| 4 | Sherman Terrace | 230 | $96,300 | $33,200 |
| 5 | Mayfair Park | 842 | $199,750 | $44,282 |
| 6 | Nobel Park | 653 | $174,200 | $40,985 |
| 7 | Norman Acres | 270 | $164,800 | $40,732 |
| 8 | Eken Park | 2,111 | $174,950 | $42,750 |
| 9 | Dunn’s Marsh | 1,260 | $166,300 | $30,342 |
| 10 | Worthington Park | 651 | $167,700 | $44,375 |
| 11 | Hawthorne | 1,244 | $171,700 | $52,579 |
| 12 | Leopold | 1,472 | $109,400 | $33,371 |
| 13 | Park Ridge | 364 | $201,500 | $50,500 |
| 14 | Berkley Oaks | 1,063 | $110,500 | $41,699 |
| 15 | Eastmorland | 2,469 | $158,800 | $62,229 |
| 16 | Bram’s Addition | 1,539 | $180,100 | $33,788 |
| 17 | Broadway-Lakepoint | 797 | $186,900 | $56,681 |
| 18 | Marbella | 145 | $208,100 | $64,310 |
| 19 | Brentwood Village | 1,034 | $190,600 | $46,466 |
| 20 | East Bluff | 121 | $207,500 | $69,516 |
| 21 | Brittingham Apartments | 45 | $292,100 | $23,235 |
| 22 | High Point Estates | 1,056 | $268,233 | $80,900 |
| 23 | Sherman | 2,875 | $175,967 | $54,565 |
| 24 | Rolling Meadows | 2,046 | $197,850 | $74,734 |
| 25 | Allied Community | 4,480 | $167,900 | $37,268 |
| 26 | Indian Springs | 381 | $171,500 | $55,556 |
| 27 | Burr Oaks | 3,696 | $165,500 | $45,865 |
| 28 | Junction Ridge | 1,793 | $241,850 | $90,054 |
| 29 | Lake Edge | 2,196 | $209,933 | $74,321 |
| 30 | Bluff Acres | 3,043 | $164,800 | $52,563 |
| 31 | Sheridan Triangle | 377 | $190,600 | $46,466 |
| 32 | Whitetail Ridge | 480 | $210,300 | $52,750 |
| 33 | East Buckeye | 506 | $254,600 | $97,778 |
| 34 | Emerson East | 1,537 | $183,700 | $68,885 |
| 35 | Lake View Hill | 2,091 | $190,850 | $55,250 |
| 36 | Glendale | 2,287 | $209,067 | $67,380 |
| 37 | Greentree | 1,765 | $235,850 | $72,622 |
| 38 | Waunona | 1,596 | $208,150 | $55,919 |
| 39 | Ridgewood | 2,651 | $233,200 | $53,236 |
| 40 | Tamarack Trails Community | 361 | $308,500 | $94,248 |
| 41 | Skyview Meadows | 725 | $230,500 | $81,042 |
| 42 | Prairie Hills | 3,081 | $226,050 | $62,680 |
| 43 | Westhaven Trails | 1,524 | $236,650 | $87,812 |
| 44 | Heritage Heights | 2,180 | $198,267 | $76,411 |
| 45 | Meadowood | 2,734 | $238,200 | $68,768 |
| 46 | Schenk-Atwood-Starkweather-Yahar | 2,206 | $202,750 | $67,254 |
| 47 | Elvehjem | 3,357 | $224,850 | $78,383 |
| 48 | Orchard Ridge Community | 3,327 | $255,225 | $56,321 |
| 49 | Capitol | 31,387 | $428,850 | $39,062 |
| 50 | Heistand | 3,209 | $235,100 | $58,059 |
| 51 | Bay Creek | 2,490 | $300,250 | $66,551 |
| 52 | Oakbridge Community | 1,326 | $234,500 | $75,496 |
| 53 | University Apartments | 840 | $412,500 | $40,139 |
| 54 | Greenbush | 2,818 | $334,900 | $59,184 |
| 55 | Marquette | 5,461 | $298,833 | $71,139 |
| 56 | Sunset Hills | 203 | $298,900 | $106,806 |
| 57 | Sauk Creek | 1,497 | $271,500 | $89,212 |
| 58 | Faircrest | 1,245 | $268,250 | $80,758 |
| 59 | Sherman Village | 2,390 | $207,500 | $72,214 |
| 60 | Schenk-Atwood | 4,789 | $272,680 | $81,000 |
| 61 | Stone Meadows | 2,838 | $262,900 | $104,056 |
| 62 | Reston Heights | 1,452 | $252,950 | $105,851 |
| 63 | Hill Farms-University Neighborh | 3,267 | $274,000 | $73,024 |
| 64 | Old Middleton Greenway | 665 | $350,350 | $83,362 |
| 65 | Spring Harbor | 1,797 | $282,100 | $81,466 |
| 66 | Woodland Hills | 432 | $358,200 | $101,008 |
| 67 | Walnut Grove | 937 | $308,500 | $94,248 |
| 68 | Parkwood Hills | 1,647 | $209,700 | $110,640 |
| 69 | Summit Woods | 537 | $288,000 | $105,845 |
| 70 | Mcclellan Park | 3,778 | $297,850 | $89,852 |
| 71 | Nakoma League | 1,572 | $288,000 | $143,179 |
| 72 | Sunset Village | 1,770 | $317,767 | $84,373 |
| 73 | Tenney-Lapham | 4,879 | $371,140 | $67,453 |
| 74 | Glacier Ridge | 1,014 | $278,900 | $143,886 |
| 75 | Vilas | 2,690 | $393,950 | $66,756 |
| 76 | Stonefield Woods-Ridge | 232 | $358,200 | $146,254 |
| 77 | Hawk’s Landing | 1,738 | $421,750 | $128,683 |
| 78 | Highlands Community | 674 | $358,200 | $101,008 |
| 79 | Blackhawk | 1,265 | $573,400 | $124,493 |
| 80 | Midvale Heights Community | 3,223 | $306,200 | $106,276 |
| 81 | Maple-Prairie | 1,778 | $273,700 | $77,938 |
| 82 | Wexford | 2,590 | $247,950 | $81,566 |
| 83 | Dudgeon-Monroe | 2,898 | $423,567 | $110,367 |
| 84 | Regent | 6,221 | $474,740 | $81,822 |
