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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 the country thanks in part to a strong economy and tons of entertainment, it's not all rainbows and sunshine in Madison. Some neighborhoods aren't as great as others.
So the question arises, which Madison neighborhoods are the worst, and which are the best?
Today, we'll use science and data 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 Dudgeon-Monroe ranks way above the rest.
We examined 99 of Madison's neighborhoods to find out the worst places to live. These places don't quite measure up to Madison's reputation.
The Worst Neighborhoods In Madison For 2022
So what's the worst neighborhood to live in Madison for 2022? 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.
Once you're done, you can look at the bottom of the story for a complete chart of every neighborhood we looked at from worst to best. Looking for places to avoid outside of the city? You can also check out the worst suburbs of Madison.
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 Worst Neighborhoods In Madison For 2022
/10
Population: 129
Rank Last Year: 1 (No Change)
Median Home Value: $149,000 (8th worst)
Median Income: $30,769 (8th worst)
More on Vera Court: Data
/10
Population: 98
Rank Last Year: 2 (No Change)
Median Home Value: $164,200 (17th worst)
Median Income: $48,688 (33rd worst)
More on East Bluff: Data
/10
Population: 1,079
Rank Last Year: 3 (No Change)
Median Home Value: $169,950 (24th worst)
Median Income: $37,174 (14th worst)
More on Mayfair Park: Data
/10
Population: 712
Rank Last Year: 5 (Up 1)
Median Home Value: $145,700 (6th worst)
Median Income: $29,219 (6th worst)
More on Worthington Park: Data
/10
Population: 1,120
Rank Last Year: 6 (Up 1)
Median Home Value: $152,250 (9th worst)
Median Income: $34,401 (12th worst)
More on Hawthorne: Data
/10
Population: 580
Rank Last Year: 7 (Up 1)
Median Home Value: $149,000 (8th worst)
Median Income: $30,769 (8th worst)
More on Nobel Park: Data
/10
Population: 1,286
Rank Last Year: 8 (Up 1)
Median Home Value: $159,250 (14th worst)
Median Income: $38,199 (19th worst)
More on Carpenter-Ridgeway: Data
/10
Population: 1,081
Rank Last Year: 9 (Up 1)
Median Home Value: $59,600 (worst)
Median Income: $28,102 (5th worst)
More on Bram's Addition: Data
/10
Population: 66
Rank Last Year: 10 (Up 1)
Median Home Value: $209,300 (52nd worst)
Median Income: $26,429 (2nd worst)
More on Brittingham Apartments: Data
/10
Population: 327
Rank Last Year: 4 (Down 6)
Median Home Value: $105,100 (4th worst)
Median Income: $40,880 (24th worst)
More on Park Ridge: Data
Methodology: How we determined the worst Madison neighborhoods in 2022
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 threw the following criteria into this analysis in order to get the best, most complete results possible. We used this set of criteria for each neighborhood in Madison:
- 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)
- High crime (Estimated)
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 criteria into a "Worst Score".
The neighborhood with the lowest "Worst Score" ranks as the worst neighborhood of Madison.
Read on below to learn more about these terrible places around Madison to live. Or skip to the end to see the list of all 99 neighborhoods ranked from worst to best.
This list is a scientific analysis based on real data and is completely unbiased. Hold on to your pants.
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.
As we mentioned earlier, the neighborhoods in Madison aren't all bad. Dudgeon-Monroe takes the cake as the best place to live in Madison.
We ranked the neighborhoods from worst to best in the chart below.
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