Madison is the state capital of Wisconsin and is Wisconsin's second largest city (after Milwaukee), and the metropolitan area is also the state's second largest (after the Milwaukee metropolitan area) which the Madison MSA borders to its east.

The Madison, WI Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), as defined by the United States Office of Management and Budget, is the area consisting of Columbia, Dane, Green, and Iowa counties[2] in Wisconsin, anchored by the city of Madison.

The latest Census estimate as of July 1, 2019, puts the population at 664,865, making it the 89th largest in the United States.

[10] Communities marked with an asterisk (*) are part of the Janesville–Beloit metropolitan statistical area (Rock County).

Communities marked with a cross (†) are part of the Baraboo micropolitan statistical area (Sauk County).