Real estate · County · Wisconsin
Real estate businesses in Dane County, WI
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for real estate businesses in Dane County, WI, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 40 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,632 of 2,229 scored counties
#45 of 67 scored counties in Wisconsin
- Listings
- 926
- 73 chain locations (8%)
- Official establishments
- 588
- +12.4% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $3.8B
- On rent and homeowner costs · $15,268 a household
- Housing spending per listing (U.S. = 100)
- 96
- 4% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 36.8
- 4% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 590,375
- +4.9% since 2020
See the real estate businesses around any address in Dane County
The site report maps the real estate businesses on map listings near the address, by name and distance, and sizes the households and spending around it. Or open the report at the center of Dane County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardSurvey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure
What this means
Map listings as of September 2026 show 926 real estate businesses in Dane County. Of those, 73 are chain locations, or 8%, against 6% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 36.8, 4% below the U.S. rate of 38.5.
Household spending on rent and homeowner costs in Dane County comes to about $3.8B a year: $15,268 per household, 8% below the U.S. average. Housing spending per office is 4% below the U.S. figure. That figure is all rent and homeowner costs, used as a measure of housing demand; it is not money real estate businesses take in.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as real estate agents, property managers, mortgage lenders and inspectors in Dane County was 588 in 2023, up 12.4% from 2019. That is one for every 428 households, against one for every 414 across the U.S. Official counts also show 2,206 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 6 SBA-backed loans worth $2.5M have gone to businesses classed as real estate agents, property managers, mortgage lenders and inspectors in Dane County.
Population estimates put the population change in Dane County from 2020 to 2025 at +4.9%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for real estate businesses in Dane County is 40 (lower middle), #1,632 of 2,229 scored counties and #45 of 67 scored counties in Wisconsin.
How Dane County compares
The same measures for Wisconsin and the whole U.S. Housing spending per listing divides all rent and homeowner costs by the listings counted: a measure of housing demand for each business, not money any of them take in, so it is shown against the U.S. (100) only. Households per establishment divides households by the official count.
| Measure | Dane County | Wisconsin | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 36.8 | 27.7 | 38.5 |
| Housing spending per listing (U.S. = 100) | 96 | 118 | 100 |
| Households per official establishment | 428 | 660 | 414 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +12.4% | +19.6% | +15.8% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +4.9% | +1.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on rent and homeowner costs | $15,268 | $14,211 | $16,661 |
| Median household income | $89,975 | $77,485 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 40 | 54 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 523 → 588+12.4% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 2,893
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $177.6M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 2,206Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 92673 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 887The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 6
- Amount
- $2.5M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as real estate agents, property managers, mortgage lenders and inspectors in Dane County, through June 2026, placed by the borrower’s ZIP code. Official establishments are businesses with payroll; the official counts leave out places with fewer than 3.
Population and households in Dane County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 590,375+4.9% since 2020
- Households
- 251,529
- Median age
- 38.0
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 57%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 1,197 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 479
- Median household income
- $89,975+21.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $119,712
- Median home value
- $394,800
- Jobs located here
- 369,475
- Daytime population
- 644,560Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Dane County?
These figures cover the whole county. A site report draws rings around one address and counts what’s inside them: households, spending, jobs, and the real estate businesses on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of Dane County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardReal estate across Wisconsin
Every Wisconsin market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Wisconsin for real estate businesses, numbered among those based in Wisconsin, with Dane County marked.
Top counties in Wisconsin
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Housing spending per listing (U.S. = 100) | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Lafayette County, WI | 74 | 8 | 11.8 | 268 | +5.2% | #126 of 2,229 |
| 2Calumet County, WI | 73 | 23 | 10.8 | 317 | +2.9% | #139 of 2,229 |
| 3Trempealeau County, WI | 72 | 8 | 6.4 | 501 | +1.1% | #152 of 2,229 |
| 4Kewaunee County, WI | 71 | 11 | 13.2 | 248 | +1.0% | #189 of 2,229 |
| 5Pierce County, WI | 70 | 23 | 14.5 | 238 | +3.1% | #207 of 2,229 |
| 6Oconto County, WI | 68 | 19 | 11.3 | 283 | +2.9% | #266 of 2,229 |
| 7Chippewa County, WI | 65 | 39 | 14.4 | 221 | +1.9% | #378 of 2,229 |
| 8Clark County, WI | 64 | 17 | 13.2 | 234 | +1.2% | #406 of 2,229 |
| 9Dodge County, WI | 62 | 51 | 14.2 | 224 | −0.3% | #494 of 2,229 |
| 10Washington County, WI | 58 | 114 | 20.0 | 176 | +1.8% | #667 of 2,229 |
| 45Dane County, WI | 40 | 926 | 36.8 | 96 | +4.9% | #1,632 of 2,229 |
Other business types in Dane County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
Auto
Beauty and personal care
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many real estate businesses are in Dane County, WI?
There are 926 real estate businesses on map listings in Dane County as of September 2026. 73 of them (8%) are chain locations. The listings count real estate agents and brokers, property managers, mortgage brokers and lenders, and home inspectors. Official counts show 588 businesses with payroll classed as real estate agents, property managers, mortgage lenders and inspectors in 2023, up 12.4% from 2019. Another 2,206 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Dane County, WI spend on rent and homeowner costs?
About $3.8B a year, or $15,268 per household. That is 8% below the U.S. average (an index of 92, where 100 is the U.S. average). For the 926 real estate businesses on map listings, housing spending per office is 4% below the U.S. figure. The spending figure is all rent and homeowner costs, a measure of housing demand, not money real estate businesses take in. It is estimated from the incomes of the 251,529 households in Dane County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Dane County, WI compare with the U.S. for real estate businesses?
Dane County has 36.8 real estate businesses per 10,000 households, 4% below the U.S. rate of 38.5. The index of housing spending per office is 96, where 100 is the U.S. At the national ratio of real estate businesses to household spending, Dane County would have about 887, against 926 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 428 households, against one for every 414 across the U.S. The official count rose 12.4% from 2019 to 2023, against +15.8% for the U.S.
How fast is Dane County, WI growing?
Population estimates put Dane County at 590,375 people in 2025, up 4.9% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 251,529 households. The median household income in Dane County is $89,975 a year, 11% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 21.8% from the 2015–2019 survey, before inflation.
What is the Groundwork market score?
The Groundwork market score runs from 0 to 100 and compares a market with others of its kind for one business type: states with states, metro areas with metro areas, small-town markets and counties with their own. It weighs household spending per competitor (35%), households per business with payroll (25%), population growth (20%) and spending power (20%), each ranked against those peers. A higher score means that, taken together, the market has more household spending and more households for each business already there, faster population growth and more spending per household than similar markets. It describes a market, not any one site or deal. Dane County scores 40 for real estate businesses (lower middle), #1,632 of 2,229 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Dane County. It maps the real estate businesses on map listings near the site and sizes the households and spending within the distance you choose. New accounts get 10 actions over 3 days, no card.
How the score works · Top markets for real estate businesses · All 56 business types in Dane County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Dane County?
A site report maps the competitors on map listings near an address and sizes the households and spending around it.
The button opens the report at the center of Dane County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
Figures are estimates for research only. Not investment or real estate advice.