Best PlacesSouth Campus, Madison, WI Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around South Campus, Madison, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Several measures below read low, and the ranked lists name which ones. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
South Campus, Madison ranks 3,521st of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on short commutes by a wide margin, and internet speeds rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in South Campus, 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.
South Campus, Madison's strengths and weaknesses
Where South Campus, Madison ranks high
- Short commute13.5 minutes each way, better than 99% of neighborhoods
- BikingBetter than 99% of neighborhoods
- Heat safetyBetter than 98% of neighborhoods
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than 97% of neighborhoods
- TransitBetter than 96% of neighborhoods
Where South Campus, Madison ranks low
- Internet speedBetter than only 2% of neighborhoods
- Healthcare accessBetter than only 2% of neighborhoods
- Household income$16,909 median, better than only 5% of neighborhoods
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than only 6% of neighborhoods
- Tree shadeBetter than only 8% of neighborhoods
Who lives in South Campus, Madison
South Campus, Madison runs younger than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for South Campus, Madison.
Who works in South Campus, Madison, and how
Work in South Campus, Madison centers on education and hospitality & food. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 25%
- Work from home 20%
- Transit, walk, or bike 55%
Life in South Campus, Madison
South Campus, Madison has more restaurants and bars per resident than 76% of neighborhoods. That concentrates in some parts of South Campus, Madison and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in South Campus, Madison, month by month
South Campus, 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 South Campus, Madison
The nearest airport, Dane County Regional/Truax Field, is about 6 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is General Mitchell International, about 77 miles away.
The best schools in and around South Campus, Madison
Schools across South Campus, Madison average an A, better than 95% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Randall Elementary SchoolA+ · 74% proficient
Top middle schools
- Hamilton MiddleA+ · 68% proficient
Top high schools
- West HighB+ · 56% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every South Campus, Madison school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
South Campus, 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 South Campus, Madison against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in South Campus, Madison
Is South Campus, Madison a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, South Campus, Madison ranks 3,521st of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on short commutes, biking, and heat safety, and lowest on internet speeds and thin health care access. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is South Campus, Madison safe?
South Campus, Madison is safer than 21% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $692 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in South Campus, Madison?
July highs average about 85 degrees, and January highs near 30 with lows near 14. That works out to about 81 pleasant days a year, more than 42% of neighborhoods.
Compare South Campus, Madison with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to South Campus, Madison. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in South Campus, 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.
South Campus, Madison detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for South Campus, Madison: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in South Campus, Madison: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of South Campus, Madison: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in South Campus, Madison: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
South Campus, 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.
- 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.