Population 3,498 · Census ACS 2020–24
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Population and households in Prairie Hills
Household size in Prairie Hills
| Period | Prairie Hills | Madison area | Wisconsin | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 2.42 | 2.43 | 2.45 | 2.68 |
| 2010–14 | 2.49 | 2.41 | 2.47 | 2.73 |
| 2015–19 | 2.51 | 2.39 | 2.43 | 2.71 |
| 2020–24 | 2.44 | 2.30 | 2.40 | 2.65 |
| Change | +0.02 | −0.13 | −0.06 | −0.03 |
The average household in Prairie Hills has 2.44 people, under the U.S. average of 2.65. Even so, the typical household here is bigger than in the Madison area as a whole, where it has 2.30 people. Prairie Hills has larger households than at least four in five Madison neighborhoods.
Household size: the average number of people living in each occupied home. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25010).
Median age in Prairie Hills
| Period | Prairie Hills | Madison area | Wisconsin | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 38.3 | 37.0 | 38.8 | 37.7 |
| 2010–14 | 36.0 | 37.9 | 39.9 | 38.6 |
| 2015–19 | 31.2 | 38.3 | 40.9 | 39.6 |
| 2020–24 | 35.2 | 38.9 | 41.4 | 40.1 |
| Change | −3.1 | +1.9 | +2.6 | +2.3 |
With a median age of just 35.2, Prairie Hills is far younger than the country as a whole (40.1), a population that tilts toward young adults, many of them living alone or as couples. Since 2006–10, the median age has dropped from 38.3, but in a place this small, survey estimates can swing a lot from one release to the next.
Median age: the age that splits residents into two equal halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B01002).
Single-parent households in Prairie Hills
| Period | Prairie Hills | Madison area | Wisconsin | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 9.9% | 8.7% | 10.4% | 12.3% |
| 2010–14 | 16.4% | 8.8% | 10.5% | 12.3% |
| 2015–19 | 10.3% | 8.0% | 10.0% | 11.6% |
| 2020–24 | 15.9% | 8.2% | 9.8% | 11.6% |
| Change | +6.0 pts | −0.5 pts | −0.6 pts | −0.6 pts |
Single-parent households are common in Prairie Hills: 15.9% of all households, against 11.6% nationally. Prairie Hills has a higher share of single-parent households than the great majority of Madison neighborhoods.
Single-parent households: households where one adult with no spouse present lives with children under 18. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B11003).
Housing in Prairie Hills
Renters in Prairie Hills
| Period | Prairie Hills | Madison area | Wisconsin | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 43.1% | 35.1% | 30.5% | 33.3% |
| 2010–14 | 41.1% | 38.3% | 32.3% | 35.6% |
| 2015–19 | 40.8% | 38.9% | 33.0% | 36.0% |
| 2020–24 | 31.8% | 39.7% | 32.2% | 34.8% |
| Change | −11.3 pts | +4.5 pts | +1.6 pts | +1.5 pts |
Most households in Prairie Hills own their homes; 31.8% rent, a little below the national share of 34.8%. Among owners, 35.4% have paid off their mortgages, below the national share of 39.8%. Prairie Hills has a lower share of renters than the great majority of Madison neighborhoods.
Renters: occupied homes that are rented rather than owned. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25003).
Vacant homes in Prairie Hills
| Period | Prairie Hills | Madison area | Wisconsin | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 8.9% | 8.9% | 10.5% | 11.4% |
| 2010–14 | 8.1% | 6.3% | 10.6% | 11.4% |
| 2015–19 | 2.3% | 5.7% | 10.1% | 11.1% |
| 2020–24 | 6.6% | 5.5% | 9.2% | 9.6% |
| Change | −2.3 pts | −3.4 pts | −1.3 pts | −1.8 pts |
Vacancy is on the low side in Prairie Hills: 6.6% of homes sit empty, against 9.6% nationally, which points to steady demand for housing. The picture is much the same across the Madison area. Compared with other Madison neighborhoods, though, Prairie Hills has a higher vacancy rate than most.
Vacant homes: homes with no one living in them, including vacation homes and homes for sale or rent. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25002).
Age of homes in Prairie Hills
| Period | Prairie Hills | Madison area | Wisconsin | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 1975 | 1976 | 1970 | 1974 |
| 2010–14 | 1977 | 1978 | 1971 | 1975 |
| 2015–19 | 1979 | 1979 | 1972 | 1977 |
| 2020–24 | 1975 | 1983 | 1974 | 1980 |
| Change | −0 | +7 | +5 | +6 |
Housing in Prairie Hills leans a little older: the median home dates to 1975, against 1980 nationally.
Age of homes: the year that splits the housing stock into older and newer halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25035).
Rent in Prairie Hills
| Period | Prairie Hills | Madison area | Wisconsin | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | $948 | $868 | $758 | $965 |
| 2010–14 | $1,011 | $950 | $821 | $1,040 |
| 2015–19 | $1,112 | $1,072 | $904 | $1,213 |
| 2020–24 | $1,309 | $1,366 | $1,139 | $1,571 |
| Change | +$361 | +$498 | +$380 | +$606 |
The median renter in Prairie Hills pays $1,309 a month for rent and utilities, below the national median of $1,571. The picture is much the same across the Madison area. The typical renter here spends 20.5% of household income on rent, comfortably under the 30% mark often used to define affordable rent, and a smaller share than renters pay nationally.
Rent: monthly rent plus the utilities renters pay themselves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25064).
Education in Prairie Hills
Bachelor's degrees in Prairie Hills
| Period | Prairie Hills | Madison area | Wisconsin | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 46.0% | 41.3% | 26.5% | 28.4% |
| 2010–14 | 40.9% | 43.6% | 28.0% | 29.6% |
| 2015–19 | 56.8% | 46.9% | 30.4% | 32.1% |
| 2020–24 | 42.6% | 50.6% | 33.6% | 35.6% |
| Change | −3.3 pts | +9.3 pts | +7.0 pts | +7.2 pts |
Just over four in ten adults 25 and older in Prairie Hills (42.6%) have a bachelor's degree or higher, above the national share of 35.6%. Locally, though, the share is lower than in the wider Madison area (50.6%).
Bachelor's degrees: adults 25 and older with a bachelor's degree or higher. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
High school graduates in Prairie Hills
| Period | Prairie Hills | Madison area | Wisconsin | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 88.9% | 93.8% | 89.5% | 84.9% |
| 2010–14 | 94.7% | 94.4% | 90.7% | 86.1% |
| 2015–19 | 90.7% | 95.2% | 92.1% | 87.7% |
| 2020–24 | 97.2% | 95.1% | 93.3% | 89.3% |
| Change | +8.4 pts | +1.3 pts | +3.8 pts | +4.3 pts |
Finishing high school is nearly universal in Prairie Hills: 97.2% of adults 25 and older have a diploma or equivalent, well above the national rate of 89.3%.
High school graduates: adults 25 and older with a high school diploma, GED or more. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
Jobs in Prairie Hills
| Period | Prairie Hills | Madison area | Wisconsin | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 4.8% | 5.0% | 6.7% | 8.1% |
| 2010–14 | 6.8% | 5.5% | 7.3% | 9.4% |
| 2015–19 | 3.2% | 2.6% | 3.7% | 5.6% |
| 2020–24 | 3.3% | 2.6% | 3.3% | 5.4% |
| Change | −1.5 pts | −2.4 pts | −3.4 pts | −2.7 pts |
Unemployment in Prairie Hills has been low: just 3.3% of the labor force was out of work and looking, well below the national rate of 5.4%. Even so, the rate is higher than in the Madison area overall (2.6%). Each figure pools five years of surveys (2020–24), so it describes that whole stretch rather than today's job market.
Unemployment: people looking for work as a share of everyone working or looking. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B23025).
Prairie Hills compared with nearby neighborhoods
| Neighborhood | Household size | Median age | Single parents | Renters | Vacant homes | Median year built | Median rent | Bachelor's degree | High school diploma | Unemployment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prairie Hills | 2.44 | 35.2 | 15.9% | 31.8% | 6.6% | 1975 | $1,309 | 42.6% | 97.2% | 3.3% |
| Meadowood | 2.53 | 38.3 | 18.8% | 32.1% | 7.6% | 1974 | $1,331 | 52.6% | 94.0% | 1.5% |
| Westhaven Trails | 2.50 | 33.5 | 6.1% | 39.2% | 1.8% | 1992 | $1,534 | 55.6% | 94.0% | 1.0% |
| Stone Meadows | 2.71 | 34.3 | 10.0% | 19.9% | 1.0% | 2002 | $1,696 | 66.0% | 99.1% | 0.3% |
| Dunn's Marsh | 2.02 | 38.0 | 16.4% | 63.8% | 6.4% | 1976 | $1,138 | 41.7% | 83.1% | 2.0% |
| Midvale Heights | 2.39 | 45.9 | 4.3% | 15.2% | 2.3% | 1960 | $1,656 | 80.1% | 99.4% | 2.1% |
| Hawk's Landing | 2.10 | 35.6 | 5.6% | 42.4% | 6.0% | 2009 | $1,527 | 72.9% | 98.7% | 0.5% |
| Hill Farms-University Neighborh | 2.18 | 39.8 | 5.8% | 42.8% | 2.5% | 1965 | $1,481 | 71.0% | 98.8% | 2.0% |
| Sunset Village | 2.14 | 35.2 | 8.4% | 38.8% | 6.9% | 1954 | $1,759 | 73.5% | 98.7% | 3.2% |
| Wexford | 2.37 | 44.3 | 5.3% | 38.0% | 1.9% | 1988 | $1,446 | 69.5% | 95.4% | 2.1% |
| Dudgeon-Monroe | 2.16 | 34.7 | 4.5% | 33.3% | 3.5% | 1939 | $1,615 | 85.3% | 99.9% | 3.1% |
All figures 2020–24.
Neighborhoods with similar populations: Jungle Terrace, St. Petersburg, FL · Greenwood, Warwick, RI · Haines Corner, Lewiston, ME · Harbor, Ashtabula, OH · Hazelwood, Pittsburgh, PA · Heather Ridge, Aurora, CO · Hillendale, Parkville, MD · Hudson, San Bernardino, CA · Jonestown, Baltimore, MD · Junction West, Roseville, CA
About these numbers
Every figure on this page is a BestNeighborhood calculation from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS), built up from the Census block groups that make up Prairie Hills. Each ACS 5-year release pools five years of responses; this page shows the last 15 releases, 2006–10 through 2020–24. Neighboring releases share four of their five years, so they move gradually and small changes between them are within the survey's margin of error; in small places the lines can jump from one release to the next for the same reason. The maps show the same measures for each neighborhood, ranked against the whole country.
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