Most of Madison is in Dane County, where a full-time job needs to pay at least $36.47 an hour before taxes to take home four times the typical studio rent.
Across the 19 ZIP codes in Madison with HUD rent figures, studio rents run from $1,150 to $1,450 a month. At the middle rent, $1,200, a full-time job would need to pay $38.22 an hour before taxes.
What the standard would be at each ZIP code's own studio rent. The calculator and the official standard use the county figure.
| ZIP | County | Studio rent | Pay needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 53701 | Dane County | $1,200/mo | $38.22/hr |
| 53703 | Dane County | $1,430/mo | $47.15/hr |
| 53704 | Dane County | $1,150/mo | $36.28/hr |
| 53705 | Dane County | $1,220/mo | $39.00/hr |
| 53706 | Dane County | $1,330/mo | $43.26/hr |
| 53707 | Dane County | $1,200/mo | $38.22/hr |
| 53708 | Dane County | $1,200/mo | $38.22/hr |
| 53711 | Dane County | $1,160/mo | $36.67/hr |
| 53713 | Dane County | $1,150/mo | $36.28/hr |
| 53714 | Dane County | $1,150/mo | $36.28/hr |
| 53715 | Dane County | $1,450/mo | $47.92/hr |
| 53716 | Dane County | $1,150/mo | $36.28/hr |
| 53717 | Dane County | $1,280/mo | $41.32/hr |
| 53718 | Dane County | $1,410/mo | $46.37/hr |
| 53719 | Dane County | $1,380/mo | $45.20/hr |
| 53725 | Dane County | $1,200/mo | $38.22/hr |
| 53726 | Dane County | $1,270/mo | $40.94/hr |
| 53744 | Dane County | $1,200/mo | $38.22/hr |
| 53792 | Dane County | $1,200/mo | $38.22/hr |
Under the Four Times Rent standard, a full-time job in Madison needs to pay at least $36.47 an hour before taxes, about $75,862 a year. That is the figure for Dane County, where the typical studio rent is $1,155 a month.
Yes. Across the 19 ZIP codes in Madison with HUD rent figures, studio rents run from $1,150 to $1,450 a month. At the middle rent of $1,200, the pay needed would be $38.22 an hour.
The minimum wage in Dane County is $7.25 an hour. The Four Times Rent standard there is 5.0 times that.
The Four Times Rent standard: a month of full-time work (160 hours) should take home at least four times the typical rent on a studio apartment in the county where the work is done. Rents: HUD FY2027 Fair Market Rents. Taxes: 2026 federal and state income taxes plus Social Security and Medicare, for a single filer. Why four times rent? · Method and data downloads