What is the median household income in Cottage Grove, WI?

Name: Income and affordability in Cottage Grove, WI, 2020–2024
Creator: US Census Bureau
License: https://www.census.gov/data/developers/about/terms-of-service.html

The median household income in Cottage Grove, WI is $139,313 (±$10,732) a year (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

Paying the median gross rent of $1,531 a month would take about $61,200 a year at the common guideline of spending no more than 30% of income on rent.

In Cottage Grove, the median household income went from $99,322 in 2015–2019 to $139,313 in 2020–2024 (+40.3%).

Prices (CPI-U) rose 22.7% over the same years; the change is not measurably different from the rise in prices.

Figures last updated on November 12, 2026.

Median household income: $139,313 (±$10,732)
Median renter income: $78,614 (±$20,864)
Income to afford median rent: about $61,200

Income in Cottage Grove against Dane County, its state and the nation

Income, estimate (90% margin of error)
	Cottage Grove	Dane County	Wisconsin	United States
Median household income	$139,313 (±$10,732)	$89,975 (±$1,284)	$77,485 (±$455)	$80,734
Median renter household income	$78,614 (±$20,864)	$56,374 (±$1,531)	$48,374 (±$478)	$52,966
Median owner household income	$147,784 (±$16,270)	$124,753 (±$2,577)	$95,874 (±$462)	$100,009
Median gross rent	$1,531 (±$195)	$1,398 (±$17)	$1,087 (±$4)	$1,413

In Cottage Grove, median household income is higher than in Dane County ($89,975).

It is also higher than in Wisconsin ($77,485).

It is higher than the national figure ($80,734).

In Dane County, Cottage Grove ranks 9 of 59 places with a published estimate, from highest to lowest median household income.

Statewide, it ranks 32 of 1,844.

Rankings use the estimates alone; where margins of error overlap, neighboring ranks may not truly differ.

How much you need to earn to rent in Cottage Grove

Many landlords and housing programs use 30% of gross income as the most a household should spend on rent.

At that guideline, the median gross rent of $1,531 a month ($18,372 a year) needs an income of about $61,200 a year.

The median renting household in Cottage Grove earns $78,614 a year.

This is arithmetic on the published medians, not a rule any landlord must follow; screening criteria vary and some places limit how income may be weighed.

Income against housing costs since 2015–2019

2015–2019 and 2020–2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates
	2015–2019	2020–2024	Amount of change	Verdict
Median household income	$99,322 (±$11,581)	$139,313 (±$10,732)	+40.3%	No measurable change after inflation
Median gross rent	$1,232 (±$147)	$1,531 (±$195)	+24.3%	No measurable change after inflation
Median home value	$277,500 (±$8,517)	$449,700 (±$18,350)	+62.1%	Up after inflation

The Census Bureau publishes 2015–2019 dollars in 2019 dollars and 2020–2024 dollars in 2024 dollars.

Prices (the CPI-U, US Bureau of Labor Statistics) rose 22.7% between 2019 and 2024, so a dollar figure’s verdict compares the two after raising the earlier one by that much, using the Census Bureau’s test for a difference.

The two periods do not overlap, as the Census Bureau recommends for 5-year estimates.

Median household income in places near Cottage Grove

Nearest places with a published estimate, compared with Cottage Grove
Place	Distance	Median household income	Compared with this place
Cottage Grove	—	$139,313 (±$10,732)	—
Town of Cottage Grove	2.7 mi	$87,218 (±$22,275)	Lower
Town of Sun Prairie	4.0 mi	$127,321 (±$19,889)	Not measurably different
McFarland	6.4 mi	$97,500 (±$17,022)	Lower
Sun Prairie	6.5 mi	$90,942 (±$5,849)	Lower
Town of Blooming Grove	6.9 mi	$90,000 (±$10,834)	Lower
Monona	7.0 mi	$87,773 (±$10,236)	Lower
Deerfield	7.2 mi	$91,029 (±$21,528)	Lower
Town of Deerfield (Dane County)	7.5 mi	$118,125 (±$19,480)	Not measurably different

Nearby places with a measurably lower figure: Town of Cottage Grove, WI ($87,218), McFarland, WI ($97,500), Sun Prairie, WI ($90,942).

Distance is measured in a straight line between the Census Bureau’s internal points for each place.

Median household income across Dane County, place by place

Rank	Place	Median household income
3	Town of Cross Plains	$162,000 (±$26,229)
4	Shorewood Hills	$153,542 (±$55,824)
5	Town of Oregon	$150,536 (±$28,268)
6	Town of Verona	$150,000 (±$36,049)
7	Town of Bristol	$141,010 (±$16,974)
8	Town of Vienna	$139,583 (±$23,663)
9	Cottage Grove	$139,313 (±$10,732)
10	Town of Black Earth	$136,667 (±$20,041)
11	Town of Springfield (Dane County)	$135,216 (±$19,814)
12	Town of Roxbury	$132,188 (±$11,482)
13	Town of Springdale	$129,271 (±$20,124)
14	Town of Dunn (Dane County)	$127,734 (±$16,479)
15	Town of Sun Prairie	$127,321 (±$19,889)

Showing 13 of 59 places in Dane County, ranked from highest to lowest.

Survey years: 2020–2024 (American Community Survey 5-year estimates), compared with 2015–2019.

Margins of error are at the 90% confidence level.

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Questions about Cottage Grove

What is the median household income in Cottage Grove?

The median household income in Cottage Grove is $139,313 (±$10,732) a year (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

How much do you need to make to afford rent in Cottage Grove?

About $61,200 a year, if rent is to stay at or below 30% of income at the median gross rent of $1,531 a month.

Have incomes in Cottage Grove kept up with inflation?

In Cottage Grove, the median household income went from $99,322 in 2015–2019 to $139,313 in 2020–2024 (+40.3%).

Prices (CPI-U) rose 22.7% over the same years; the change is not measurably different from the rise in prices.

What do renters earn in Cottage Grove?

The median renting household in Cottage Grove, WI earns $78,614 (±$20,864) a year.

Sources

To check these figures in the Census Bureau’s own API, request the variables below from the 2024 ACS 5-year data profile (acs/acs5/profile) and detailed tables (acs/acs5) for Cottage Grove village, Wisconsin (place:17175, in state:55).

Each estimate (E or PE) has a margin of error beside it (M or PM).

The 2015–2019 figures are B19013_001E, B19013_001M, B25064_001E, B25064_001M, B25077_001E, B25077_001M from the 2019 release.

The API needs a free key.

Request a Census API key.

DP03_0062E, DP03_0062M, B25119_003E, B25119_003M, B25119_002E, B25119_002M, DP04_0134E, DP04_0134M

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.

Figures are published by the US Census Bureau, HUD, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the FBI; Seayora reproduces them and does not adjust them, except where a sentence says it compares dollar figures after inflation. They describe the whole place, not any one building or street, and are not an appraisal, a rent determination, a tax bill, a safety rating or legal advice.