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COUNTY

Madison County

North Carolina · 22,553 residents (2025 est.) · 450 sq mi
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The short version

With 21,867 people, Madison County is a county in North Carolina. At a median age of 44.5, this is an older place than the country as a whole. The foreign-born share is 1%. 77% of homes are owner-occupied. Renters pay $780 a month at the median. Density works out to 49 people per square mile.

At a glance
Lower income
below the US median
US median: $82,259
Older
median age 44.5
US median: 38.9
Average education
32% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 86%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
21,867
+11%since 2000
from 19,635 in 2000
22,553 in 2025 (Census Bureau estimate)
1990 – 2025
Population density
49 / sq mi
+8%since 2009
from 45 / sq mi in 2009
US average: 281
Median age
44.5
+13%since 2000
from 39.3 in 2000
US average: 38.9
Land area
450 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
16K18K19K21K22K19902000201020202024Madison County
202422K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2024
Under 54.2%(920)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 94.8%(1,054)
US avg: 6%
10 to 144.4%(970)
US avg: 6.4%
15 to 197.1%(1,548)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 246.5%(1,429)
US avg: 6.5%
25 to 3412.2%(2,670)
US avg: 13.7%
35 to 4411.3%(2,479)
US avg: 13.2%
45 to 5412%(2,628)
US avg: 12.2%
55 to 6414.1%(3,090)
US avg: 12.7%
65 to 7413.9%(3,043)
US avg: 10.2%
75 to 847.4%(1,614)
US avg: 5.1%
85 and over1.9%(422)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$58,531
+4%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $30,985 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$35,126
+118%since 2000
from $16,076 in 2000
US average: $44,673
Households earning $100K+
40.6%
+21.4 ptssince 2009
from 19.2% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Poverty rate
12.1%
−3.3 ptssince 2000
from 15.4% in 2000
US average: 12.5%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.502
+18%since 2010
from 0.424 in 2010
US average: 0.476
Workforce by industry, 2024
Information17%
US avg: 10.8%
Wholesale trade10%
US avg: 6.9%
Finance & insurance6.9%
US avg: 5.9%
Retail trade6.6%
US avg: 9.9%
Other services5.7%
US avg: 6.7%
Professional, scientific, technical5.4%
US avg: 5.1%
Public administration2.1%
US avg: 4.8%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing2%
US avg: 1.6%
Construction1.7%
US avg: 1.2%
Education & health services1.5%
US avg: 0.9%
Transportation & warehousing1.4%
US avg: 2.2%
Arts, entertainment, food0.7%
US avg: 1.9%
Manufacturing0.3%
US avg: 0.4%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$284,600
+86%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $84,100 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$780
+17%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $367 in 2000
US average: $1,442
Owner-occupied
77.5%
+0.8 ptssince 2000
from 76.6% in 2000
22.5% rent
Vacancy rate
26.5%
+2.1 ptssince 2009
from 24.4% in 2009
US average: 10.0%
Persons per household
2.50 people
+10%since 2009
from 2.27 people in 2009
US average: 2.54
Owner cost-burdened
21.8%
+3.6 ptssince 2009
from 18.2% in 2009
US average: 22.9%
Renter cost-burdened
31.4%
−4.1 ptssince 2009
from 35.5% in 2009
US average: 47.4%
Afford Score
4.9
+20%since 2009
from 4.1 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Years of local income it takes to buy a local home, on a scale of about 0 to 15. Lower is more affordable.
Gentrification Score
70
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic96.8%(19,004)
Black0.8%(160)
Hispanic / Latino1.4%(266)
Asian0.2%(43)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic91.2%(19,947)
Black1.1%(239)
Hispanic / Latino3.6%(796)
Asian0.5%(107)
Other3.6%(778)
Diversity Score
21
+87%since 2009
from 11 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
Segregation Score
24
+16%since 2020
from 21 in 2020
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means White and non-White residents are more separated across neighborhoods.
Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Hispanic origin
Mexican2.7%(600)
Puerto Rican0.3%(66)
Spaniard0.2%(43)
Chilean0.1%(18)
Colombian0.1%(12)
Cuban0%(4)
Asian origin
Japanese0.2%(43)
Vietnamese0.1%(22)
Filipino0.1%(16)
Chinese0.1%(14)
Laotian0%(6)
Korean0%(3)
Burmese0%(1)
Ancestry
English19.3%(4,229)
Irish13.1%(2,859)
American12.6%(2,753)
German9%(1,966)
Scotch-Irish5.7%(1,251)
Scottish4.6%(996)
Italian2.9%(637)
French2%(435)
Polish1.4%(298)
Dutch1.3%(289)
Swedish0.9%(197)
Welsh0.9%(196)
+ 26 more ancestry groups with data
Norwegian0.6%(125)
Russian0.5%(119)
British0.5%(111)
Portuguese0.4%(91)
Hungarian0.2%(53)
Swiss0.2%(34)
Greek0.1%(32)
Czech0.1%(30)
Arab0.1%(28)
Moroccan0.1%(28)
West Indian0.1%(27)
Jamaican0.1%(27)
Brazilian0.1%(23)
Danish0.1%(22)
Bulgarian0.1%(15)
Romanian0.1%(15)
Armenian0.1%(14)
Israeli0.1%(13)
Turkish0.1%(12)
Slovak0%(6)
Belgian0%(2)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
32.2%
+16.1 ptssince 2000
from 16.1% in 2000
US average: 35.6%
High school or higher
90.5%
+21.2 ptssince 2000
from 69.3% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Graduate degree
11.1%
+4.6 ptssince 2000
from 6.5% in 2000
US average: 14.0%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
32.7 min
+51%since 2000
from 21.7 min in 2000
US average: 26.5
Drive alone to work
76.3%
−0.5 ptssince 2009
from 76.8% in 2009
US average: 68.9%
Carpooled to work
9.9%
−4.8 ptssince 2009
from 14.7% in 2009
US average: 8.5%
Public transit
0.1%
+0.1 ptssince 2009
from 0.0% in 2009
US average: 3.2%
Worked from home
10.7%
+4.7 ptssince 2009
from 6.0% in 2009
US average: 15.0%
Walked to work
2.3%
Unchangedsince 2009
from 2.3% in 2009
US average: 2.4%
Biked to work
0.0%
Unchangedsince 2009
from 0.0% in 2009
US average: 0.4%
No vehicle available
4.5%
−1.9 ptssince 2009
from 6.5% in 2009
US average: 8.3%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
3.1%
−5.0 ptssince 2011
from 8.2% in 2011
US average: 5.2%
Labor force participation
55.5%
+1.1 ptssince 2011
from 54.4% in 2011
US average: 63.5%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
71.8%
+4.5 ptssince 2020
from 67.3% in 2020
US average: 74.6%
Self-employed
15.1%
−3.3 ptssince 2009
from 18.4% in 2009
US average: 13.1%
Management & professional
34.7%
+7.0 ptssince 2009
from 27.7% in 2009
US average: 42.5%
Section 08

People & community

Male
49.8%
+0.3 ptssince 2009
from 49.5% in 2009
Female
50.2%
−0.3 ptssince 2009
from 50.5% in 2009
Foreign born
1.3%
−0.2 ptssince 2009
from 1.6% in 2009
US average: 14.1%
Veterans
6.9%
−3.7 ptssince 2009
from 10.6% in 2009
US average: 6.2%
With a disability
18.1%
+0.1 ptssince 2012
from 18.0% in 2012
US average: 13.3%
Uninsured
8.4%
−5.4 ptssince 2013
from 13.8% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Broadband at home
83.3%
+16.3 ptssince 2017
from 67.0% in 2017
US average: 91.0%
Computer in household
87.4%
+5.6 ptssince 2020
from 81.8% in 2020
US average: 95.5%
Same house as last year
94.1%
+4.3 ptssince 2020
from 89.8% in 2020
US average: 87.7%
English only at home
98.2%
+1.5 ptssince 2016
from 96.8% in 2016
US average: 77.7%
Spanish at home
1.3%
−1.1 ptssince 2016
from 2.4% in 2016
US average: 13.6%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married33.5%(3,158)
Married51.7%(4,877)
Widowed3%(280)
Divorced11.8%(1,112)
Women 15+
Never married25.6%(2,435)
Married51.7%(4,912)
Widowed11.2%(1,059)
Divorced11.5%(1,090)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09

Health coverage

Uninsured
8.4%
−5.4 ptssince 2013
from 13.8% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Employer-based
46.2%
+1.3 ptssince 2020
from 44.9% in 2020
US average: 54.8%
Direct-purchase
20.7%
+1.0 ptssince 2020
from 19.7% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
Medicare
24.8%
−0.9 ptssince 2020
from 25.7% in 2020
US average: 18.4%
Medicaid
19.4%
+0.6 ptssince 2020
from 18.8% in 2020
US average: 20.9%
VA health care
3.2%
+0.1 ptssince 2020
from 3.1% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
66.2%
+2.8 ptssince 2020
from 63.4% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
42.6%
+2.4 ptssince 2020
from 40.2% in 2020
US average: 36.7%

Shares are "alone or in combination": a person with both Medicare and Medicaid counts in each, so categories overlap and do not sum to 100%.

Section 09 · Service history

Veterans

Veterans by period of service, 2024
Gulf War (2001 or later)15.8%(197)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)18.2%(227)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era41.2%(513)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War3.2%(40)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II0%(0)
US avg: 1%

Share of the 1,245 veterans here. A veteran who served across eras counts in each, so shares can total more than 100%. Peacetime-only service is included in the total but not shown as an era.

BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Drill deeper

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Head to head

Compare Madison County to nearby counties

MADISON COUNTY VS
Buncombe County
Income$74,436+27%
Home value$391,800+38%
Population277,417+1130%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
MADISON COUNTY VS
Yancey County
Income$58,709same
Home value$243,100−15%
Population19,084−15%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
MADISON COUNTY VS
Cocke County
Income$48,016−18%
Home value$158,100−44%
Population37,889+68%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
MADISON COUNTY VS
Greene County
Income$56,194−4%
Home value$207,500−27%
Population73,831+227%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Madison County, North Carolina?

Madison County, North Carolina has about 21,867 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.

What is the median household income in Madison County, North Carolina?

The typical household in Madison County, North Carolina earns about $58,531 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Madison County, North Carolina expensive?

In Madison County, North Carolina, the median home is worth about $284,600, and the typical rent is about $780 a month.

How educated are people in Madison County, North Carolina?

About 32.2% of adults age 25 and over in Madison County, North Carolina hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in Madison County, North Carolina?

About 12.1% of people in Madison County, North Carolina live below the federal poverty line.

Has Madison County, North Carolina grown since 1990?

Yes, Madison County, North Carolina has grown since 1990. The population has added about 4,914 residents, a change of about 29 percent over that period.

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DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · UPDATED 2024

How we source and harmonize this data →