A 2016 analysis by the personal finance website WalletHub ranked Madison as the fourth best capital in the nation.
WalletHub’s analysts conducted an in-depth study of the best and worst state capitals by comparing the 50 state capitals across 35 key metrics. The key metrics ranged from health conditions to the number of attractions a city held, and helped create a scale to identify the best and worst capitals.
Madison ranked first in holding a low unemployment rate, having high health conditions and percent of residents with at least a bachelor’s degree. The city ranked fifth in mean hours worked per week and seventh in the percent of millennial newcomers.
Adversely, Madison ranked just below average in housing affordability, as well as percent of residents living below poverty level.