Madison has landed the No. 2 spot on a national ranking of the best U.S. cities for veterans in 2026, with rising incomes and a relatively low rate of homelessness among former service members. The city also ranked fourth in economy and eighth in employment among the 100 largest U.S. cities surveyed.
The ranking comes from WalletHub, which compared the 100 most populated U.S. cities across employment, economy, quality of life and health using 19 separate metrics, according to WalletHub. Madison, Wisconsin, was named the second-best city for veterans overall, trailing only Austin, Texas, which took the top spot. As reported by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Madison was listed second overall, ranking fourth in economy and eighth in employment.
Scottsdale, Arizona, came in third, followed by Plano, Texas; Fort Worth, Texas; Virginia Beach, Virginia; Gilbert, Arizona; Raleigh, North Carolina; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; and Irvine, California, rounding out the top 10. The timing lines up with Veterans Day, which falls on Wednesday, Nov. 11, this year.
Income Growth and Low Unemployment Drive the Ranking
Veterans' median annual income in Madison grows by an average of about 8% a year, the sixth-highest rate in the country, the Journal Sentinel reported. Madison also posted the 20th-highest median annual veteran income nationally, at more than $59,000, per the same report. A separate WalletHub-related account from WeAreGreenBay, published in 2025 and covering an earlier ranking edition, cited a different figure, putting Madison's veteran income growth at roughly 9% annually, which it described as the nation's fourth-highest rate.
On employment, Madison has the 13th-lowest veteran unemployment rate among the 100 largest U.S. cities, the station's report notes. Nationally, veterans had a 3.6% unemployment rate, compared with 4.2% for the overall population, per the same account. WalletHub's 2026 scoring measured job growth from 2021 to 2025 and listed military-skill-related jobs as a separate metric; the WeAreGreenBay report discussed the 2025 ranking and a 2020–2024 measurement period.
Housing and Homelessness Among Local Veterans
Madison has cut its homelessness rate to just two homeless individuals for every 1,000 veterans, WalletHub reported. The city has also been expanding housing support directly: Madison's Community Development Authority received funding for five additional HUD-VASH housing vouchers for veterans experiencing homelessness, according to the City of Madison. That brings the CDA's total to 219 HUD-VASH vouchers administered for veterans in the community.
Those vouchers are available to veterans who receive a referral from a local VA Medical Center and make no more than 80% of the area median income, per the city's announcement. Over the past year, an average of 30 veterans per month were enrolled in emergency shelter and street outreach programs in Dane County, including 35 in the most recent month reported, the city said.
The Madison VA housed 144 homeless veterans in 2025, according to Spectrum News 1. Nationally, the Department of Veterans Affairs housed 51,936 homeless veterans that year, the most it had permanently housed in seven years, the station reported.
Colleges and What Analysts Say Veterans Need
WalletHub also said Madison has the best colleges for veterans, per the Journal Sentinel. Separately, UW–Madison ranked eighth among public universities and 16th overall in U.S. News' Best College for Veterans ranking, according to UW–Madison.
WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo said veterans returning home need a place that offers education, employment opportunities and access to quality physical and mental health care. Lupo outlined the broader characteristics that define the best cities for veterans in comments tied to the report.
How Milwaukee Compared
Milwaukee did not fare nearly as well in the same 2026 ranking, coming in at 78th overall, with a 38th-place finish in health and 62nd in economy, the Journal Sentinel reported. A separate WalletHub-related report from WeAreGreenBay, published in 2025 and describing the 2025 study, listed Milwaukee differently, at No. 57 overall with a score of 51.75, ranking 66th in employment, 43rd in economy, 77th in quality of life and 32nd in health.
