Best PlacesMeadowood, Madison, WI Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Meadowood, Madison, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Costs and crime both read low, and the nearest big city is a drive away. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
Meadowood, Madison ranks 1,397th of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on cheap car insurance by a wide margin, and property taxes are the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in Meadowood, Madison
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
Meadowood, Madison's strengths and weaknesses
Where Meadowood, Madison ranks high
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than 97% of neighborhoods
- Short commute16.1 minutes each way, better than 96% of neighborhoods
- Voter turnoutBetter than 95% of neighborhoods
- Heat safetyBetter than 92% of neighborhoods
- Healthcare accessBetter than 88% of neighborhoods
Where Meadowood, Madison ranks low
- Low property taxBetter than only 8% of neighborhoods
- WalkabilityBetter than only 12% of neighborhoods
- Cell coverageBetter than only 14% of neighborhoods
- Big-city accessBetter than only 30% of neighborhoods
- BikingBetter than only 32% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in Meadowood, Madison
A household needs to earn about $100,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Meadowood, Madison home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is only a little above the area's median income of $90,974; the gap is small, which keeps homes within reach of local pay.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses Meadowood, Madison's effective rate of 1.76%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices and rents, renting stays cheaper than buying across the first 10 years here, so the case for buying rests on staying much longer or on prices rising faster than assumed. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in Meadowood, Madison
Meadowood, Madison's age mix sits close to the national median.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for Meadowood, Madison.
Who works in Meadowood, Madison, and how
Work in Meadowood, Madison centers on retail trade and education. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 70%
- Work from home 22%
- Transit, walk, or bike 8%
Life in Meadowood, Madison
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across Meadowood, Madison.
What the weather is like in Meadowood, Madison, month by month
Meadowood, Madison sees roughly 81 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 85 degrees. January highs sit near 30, with lows near 14. The comfortable stretch runs May through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 30° | 22° | 14° |
| April | 60° | 46° | 34° |
| July | 85° | 73° | 62° |
| October | 64° | 51° | 41° |
Flying in and out of Meadowood, Madison
The nearest airport, Dane County Regional/Truax Field, is about 10 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is General Mitchell International, about 80 miles away.
The best schools in and around Meadowood, Madison
Schools across Meadowood, Madison average a B−, better than 64% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- West Middleton ElementaryB · 48% proficient
- Stoner Prairie ElementaryB · 48% proficient
- Orchard Ridge ElementaryB · 45% proficient
Top middle schools
- Glacier Creek MiddleA · 59% proficient
- Savanna Oaks MiddleB− · 42% proficient
- Toki MiddleC · 35% proficient
Top high schools
- Middleton HighB+ · 52% proficient
- Vel Phillips Memorial HighB · 48% proficient
- Verona Area HighC · 33% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Meadowood, Madison school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Meadowood, Madison measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare Meadowood, Madison against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in Meadowood, Madison
Is Meadowood, Madison a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Meadowood, Madison ranks 1,397th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on cheap car insurance, short commutes, and civic engagement, and lowest on property taxes and walkability. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Meadowood, Madison expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $339,002. The overall cost of living runs about 4% below the national average. Set against a $90,974 median income, cost of living beats 68% of neighborhoods.
Is Meadowood, Madison safe?
Yes, Meadowood, Madison is safer than 75% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $327 per resident a year.
Compare Meadowood, Madison with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Meadowood, Madison. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Meadowood, Madison represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
Meadowood, Madison detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Meadowood, Madison: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Meadowood, Madison: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Meadowood, Madison: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Meadowood, Madison: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Meadowood, Madison detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.