Working in Madison: major employers and commuting

The area's largest employers

The City of Madison publishes a table of principal employers in its Annual Comprehensive Financial Report. In the 2025 report, the 2024 figures list these employers, in descending order of the employee counts the city reports:

• State of Wisconsin: 49,336
• University of Wisconsin: 27,293
• UW Health: 17,138
• Epic Systems: 12,200
• United States Government: 5,927
• SSM Health Care: 5,545
• Madison Metropolitan School District: 4,187
• City of Madison: 3,314
• UnityPoint Health–Meriter: 3,164
• Exact Sciences: 2,934

The city's table totals 131,038 employees for 2024. The counts describe size, not quality. Check each employer's own job pages for current openings.

The Madison Region Economic Partnership (MadREP) publishes a separate list of top employers by county, using employee ranges and drawing on Wisconsin's WORKnet, EMSI Analyst and ReferenceUSA data. The page doesn't state a year. For Dane County it names University of Wisconsin–Madison (10,000 or more employees), Epic Systems in Verona (5,000 to 9,999), and American Family Insurance, Sub-Zero and WPS Health Insurance (1,000 to 4,999 each). MadREP notes that school districts, retail and health care establishments are also among the top employers and aren't listed.

The two sources use different methods, so their lists won't match exactly.

Key sectors

• State government and the university. Madison is the state capital and home to the University of Wisconsin–Madison; both the State of Wisconsin and the University of Wisconsin appear at the top of the city's table. See our guide to visiting UW–Madison if you're new to campus.
• Health care. UW Health, SSM Health Care and UnityPoint Health–Meriter all appear on the city's list. See finding a doctor in Madison for how those systems are organized.
• Health care software. Epic, based in Verona, describes its work as developing software to help people get well and stay well.
• Insurance. American Family Insurance is headquartered at 6000 American Parkway in Madison.
• Biotech and diagnostics. Exact Sciences lists its headquarters at 5505 Endeavor Lane in Madison. Its website now reads "Exact Sciences is now Abbott," and its timeline notes Abbott Laboratories' acquisition in 2026, so check the current employer name if you're applying.
• Education and local government. The Madison Metropolitan School District and the City of Madison are both among the largest employers.

Commuting by bus

Metro Transit runs Rapid Route A, Madison's first bus rapid transit (BRT) line. It runs east and west from the Sun Prairie Park and Ride to Junction Road, every 15 minutes Monday through Friday until 8 p.m. and Saturdays until 7 p.m., and every 30 minutes on Sundays and holidays. A grand opening was held September 24, 2024. Routes B and F also stop at BRT stations where they share the Route A corridor. Cash isn't accepted on buses boarding at BRT stations, so set up your payment method before you ride. A North-South BRT line is listed on Metro's site, but as of November 2026 the page gives no opening date.

Our getting around guide covers the rest of the network, and if you drive downtown, see downtown parking in Madison.

Park and ride

Metro Transit lists five park and ride lots and the routes that serve them:

• Junction Road: routes A, D1, F, R and 55
• Dutch Mill: routes L and 38
• Sun Prairie: routes A, S and W
• American Center: route A, which stops one block west on American Parkway
• Verona: routes D2 and 75

Some lots post time limits. Metro says vehicles at American Center and Verona may stay up to 48 hours, and parts of the Dutch Mill lot have a seven-day limit. Read the signs at your lot. Parking costs weren't listed on Metro's page, so confirm before relying on a lot.

Biking and carpooling

The City of Madison says commuting by bike is often the quickest and most efficient way to travel for trips of five miles or less. Metro says bike racks are available on all its buses, and Madison B-Cycle bike share has close to 100 stations. As of fall 2026, John Nolen Drive reconstruction is detouring Cap City Trail users around Monona Bay, with traffic changes running through spring 2027, so check the city's biking and walking page before planning a route that way.

RoundTrip Greater Madison, a public commuter program, lets you explore bus routes, vanpools, park and rides and B-Cycle stations, find carpool partners and log your trips. Accounts are free at roundtripgreatermadison.org, and it describes a free Emergency Ride Home program for people who carpool or commute car-free.

Commuting from nearby towns

If you live outside the city, Metro's Verona and Sun Prairie park and ride lots connect those towns to its network, and RoundTrip can help match carpool partners. If you work for a large employer, ask its human resources team what commuting programs it offers. If you're deciding where to live, see our neighborhoods guide and browse apartments.

Job search and unemployment help

Job Center of Wisconsin is run by the state Department of Workforce Development (DWD). Its website offers job listings, resume tools, online workshops, training resources, veteran services and job loss resources.

If you've lost work, you can apply for unemployment insurance online at dwd.wisconsin.gov, then file weekly claims to receive benefits once you meet the requirements. DWD says work registration is handled through the Job Center of Wisconsin. Use only the official DWD site, and watch for scams: DWD's site warns about fraud and identity theft.

If you work for yourself or a small team, coworking spaces around Madison offer an alternative to working from home.