County profile

Madison County

North Carolina · ACS 2020–2024

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Latest estimates

At a glance

U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates.

Total population
21,867
Median household income
$58,531
People below poverty
12.1%
Median home value
$284,600

Income

The median income of households in Madison County, North Carolina was $58,531. An estimated 8.2% of households had income below $10,000 a year and 6.1% had income of $200,000 or more.

Household Income in Madison County, North Carolina in 2020-2024

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Percent
Less than $10,000 8.2
$10,000 to $14,999 4.8
$15,000 to $24,999 8.7
$25,000 to $34,999 10.8
$35,000 to $49,999 11.4
$50,000 to $74,999 15.5
$75,000 to $99,999 14.8
$100,000 to $149,999 12.3
$150,000 to $199,999 7.3
$200,000 or more 6.1

Median Earnings for Full-Time Year-Round Workers by Sex in Madison County, North Carolina in 2020-2024

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Dollars
Male 53440
Female 49221

An estimated 67.3% of households received earnings. An estimated 43.6% of households received Social Security and an estimated 29.5 % of households received retirement income other than Social Security. The average income from Social Security was $22,407. These income sources are not mutually exclusive; that is, some households received income from more than one source.

Proportion of Households with Various Income Sources in Madison County, North Carolina in 2020-2024

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Percent
Earnings 67.3
Social Security 43.6
Retirement income 29.5
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) 4.3
Cash public assistance income 1.5

Poverty and Participation in Government Programs

In 2020-2024, 12.1 % of people were in poverty. An estimated 11.6% of children under 18 were below the poverty level, compared with 16.9% of people 65 years old and over. An estimated 10.4% of people 18 to 64 years were below the poverty level.

Poverty Rates in Madison County, North Carolina in 2020-2024

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Percent
People in poverty 12.1
Children under 18 years below poverty 11.6
People 65 years old and over below poverty 16.9
People 18 to 64 years below poverty 10.4

In 2020-2024, 12.2 % of households received SNAP (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program). An estimated 40.5% of households that received SNAP had children under 18, and 54.2% of households that received SNAP had one or more people 60 years and over. An estimated 26.5% of all households receiving SNAP were families with a female householder and no spouse present.


Among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in Madison County, North Carolina in 2020-2024, 91.6% had health insurance coverage and 8.4% did not have health insurance coverage. Private coverage was 66.2% and public coverage was 42.6%, respectively. The percentage of children under the age of 19 with no health insurance coverage was 1.4%.


In 2020-2024, Madison County, North Carolina had a total population of 21,867 - 10,972 (50.2%) females and 10,895 (49.8%) males. The median age was 44.5 years. An estimated 17.3% of the population was under 18 years, 30% was 19 to 44 years, 26.1% was 45 to 64 years, and 23.2 % was 65 years and older.

Population by Age and Sex for Madison County, North Carolina in 2020-2024

Male Female
Under 5 459 461
5 to 9 390 664
10 to 14 619 351
15 to 19 798 750
20 to 24 851 578
25 to 29 832 594
30 to 34 585 659
35 to 39 486 661
40 to 44 736 596
45 to 49 628 643
50 to 54 668 689
55 to 59 762 643
60 to 64 756 929
65 to 69 759 962
70 to 74 683 639
75 to 79 501 554
80 to 84 238 321
85 and over 144 278

Hispanic Origin and Race

For people reporting one race alone, 91.6% were White; 1.1% were Black or African American; 19.3% were American Indian and Alaska Native; 0.5% were Asian; 0.4% were Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, and 0% were Some Other Race. An estimated 5.7% reported Two or More Races. An estimated 3.6% of the people in Madison County, North Carolina were Hispanic or Latino. An estimated 91.2% of the people in Madison County, North Carolina were White alone, non-Hispanic. People of Hispanic origin may be of any race.


Households and Families

In 2020-2024, there were 8,342 households in Madison County, North Carolina. The average household size was 2.5 people.

Married-couple households made up 52.3% of the households in Madison County, North Carolina while cohabiting couple households made up 3.6% of households. Female householders with no spouse or partner present were 26.2% of all households, while 17.9% of households had male householders with no spouse or partner present. Some households had one person, as 13.4% of households were male householders living alone, and 18.8% were female householders living alone, for a total of 32.2% of all households.

In Madison County, North Carolina, 25.4% of all households had one or more people under the age of 18; 41.9% of all households had one or more people 65 years and over.

Types of Households in Madison County, North Carolina in 2020-2024

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Percent
Married-couple households 52.3
Cohabiting Couples 3.6
Male Householder
No spouse/partner present
17.9
Female Householder
No spouse/partner present
26.2

Marital Status

Among persons 15 and older, 49.5% of males and 49.8% of females were currently married.

Population 15 years and over Percent
Males
Percent
Females
Never married 33.5 25.6
Now married, except separated 49.5 49.8
Separated 2.2 1.9
Widowed 3 11.2
Divorced 11.8 11.5

Grandparents and Grandchildren

In Madison County, North Carolina, 310 grandparents lived with their grandchildren under 18 years old. Of those grandparents, 58.4% were responsible for the basic needs of their grandchildren.


Nativity and Foreign-Born

In 2020-2024, an estimated 98.7% of the people living in Madison County, North Carolina were U.S. natives. 60.6% of the Madison County, North Carolina population were living in the state where they were born.

Approximately 1.3% of Madison County, North Carolina residents in 2020-2024 were foreign-born. 68.8% of foreign-born were naturalized U.S. citizens and an estimated 70.8 % entered the country before the year 2010.

Foreign-born residents of Madison County, North Carolina come from different parts of the world. The bar graph below displays the percentage of foreign-born from each world region of birth in 2020-2024 for Madison County, North Carolina.

Region of Birth for the Foreign-Born Population in Madison County, North Carolina in 2020-2024

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Percent
Latin America 35.9
Asia 6.8
Europe 45.8
Africa 4.7
Northern America 6.8
Oceania 0

Language

Among people at least five years old living in Madison County, North Carolina in 2020-2024, 1.8 % spoke a language other than English at home. Spanish was spoken by 1.3% of people at least five years old; 0.5% reported that they did not speak English "very well."

Percentage of the Population 5 years and over who Speak a Language other than English in Madison County, North Carolina in 2020-2024

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Percent
Spanish 1.3
Other Indo-European languages 0.3
Asian and Pacific Islander languages 0.1
Other languages 0

Geographic Mobility

In 2020-2024, 94.1 % of the people at least one year old living in Madison County, North Carolina were living in the same house one year earlier.

Geographic Mobility of Residents of Madison County, North Carolina in 2020-2024

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Percent
Same house 94.1
Different house, same county 2.5
Different county, same state 2.2
Different state 0.9
Abroad 0.2

Education

In 2020-2024, 90.5 % of people 25 years and over had at least graduated from high school and 32.2% had a bachelor's degree or higher. An estimated 9.5% did not complete high school.

The total school enrollment in Madison County, North Carolina was 4,748 in 2020-2024. Nursery school enrollment was 121 and kindergarten through 12th grade enrollment was 2,822. College or graduate school enrollment was 1,805.

Educational Attainment of People in Madison County, North Carolina in 2020-2024

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Percent
Less than high school diploma 9.5
High school diploma or equivalency 31.1
Some college, no degree 18.9
Associate's degree 8.3
Bachelor's degree 21.1
Graduate or professional degree 11.1

Disability

In Madison County, North Carolina, among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in 2020-2024, 18.1 % reported a disability. The likelihood of having a disability varied by age - from 5.9% of people under 18 years old, to 14.9% of people 18 to 64 years old, and to 35.8% of those 65 and over.


Employment Status and Type of Employer

In Madison County, North Carolina, 53.6 % of the population 16 and over were employed; 44.5% were not currently in the labor force.

An estimated 74% of the people employed were private wage and salary workers; 18.3% were federal, state, or local government workers; and 7.5 % were self-employed in their own (not incorporated) business.

Class of worker Number Percent
Private wage and salary workers 7,452 74
Federal, state, or local government workers 1,846 18.3
Self-employed workers in own not incorporated business 756 7.5

Industries

In 2020-2024, the civilian employed population 16 years and older in Madison County, North Carolina worked in the following industries:

Percent by Industry in Madison County, North Carolina in 2020-2024

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Percent
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and mining 2
Construction 10
Manufacturing 6.6
Wholesale trade 1.4
Retail trade 17
Transportation and warehousing, and utilities 6.9
Information 0.7
Finance and insurance, and real estate and rental and leasing 5.7
Professional, scientific, and management, and administrative and waste management services 8.4
Educational services, and health care and social assistance 23.6
Arts, entertainment, and recreation, and accommodation, and food services 7.1
Other Services, except public administration 3.6
Public administration 7

Occupations

Occupations for the Civilian Employed Population 16 Years and over in Madison County, North Carolina in 2020-2024

Civilian employed population 16 years and over Number Percent
Management, business, sciences, and arts occupations 3,496 34.7
Service occupations 2,136 21.2
Sales and office occupations 1,578 15.7
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations 1,388 13.8
Production, transportation, and material moving occupations 1,479 14.7

Commuting to Work

An estimated 76.3% of Madison County, North Carolina workers drove to work alone in 2020-2024, and 9.9% carpooled. Among those who commuted to work, it took them on average 32.7 minutes to get to work.

Percent of Workers 16 and over Commuting by Mode in Madison County, North Carolina in 2020-2024

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Percent
Car, truck, van -- drove alone 76.3
Car, truck, van -- carpooled 9.9
Public transportation (excluding taxicab) 0.1
Walked 2.3
Other means 0.6
Worked from home 10.7

In 2020-2024, Madison County, North Carolina had a total of 11,356 housing units. Of these housing units, 72.1% were single-family houses either not attached to any other structure or attached to one or more structures (commonly referred to as "townhouses" or "row houses"). 6.6% of the housing units were located in multi-unit structures, or those buildings that contained two or more apartments. 21.4% were mobile homes, while any remaining housing units were classified as "other," which included boats, recreational vehicles, vans, etc.

Types of Housing Units in Madison County, North Carolina in 2020-2024

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Percent
Single-family houses 72.1
Apartments in multi-unit structures 6.6
Mobile homes 21.4
Boat, RV, van, etc 0.1

14.1% of the housing inventory was comprised of houses built since 2010, while 8.3% of the houses were first built in 1939 or earlier. The median number of rooms in all housing units in Madison County, North Carolina was 5.5 rooms, and of these housing units 63.1% had three or more bedrooms.


In 2020-2024, Madison County, North Carolina had 8,342 housing units that were occupied or had people living in them, while the remaining 3,014 were vacant. Of the occupied housing units, the percentage of these houses occupied by owners (also known as the homeownership rate) was 77.5% while renters occupied 22.5%. The average household size of owner-occupied houses was 2.62 and in renter-occupied houses it was 2.1.

1.7% of householders of these occupied houses had moved into their house since 2021, while 18.6% moved into their house in 1989 or earlier. Households without a vehicle available for personal use comprised 4.5% and another 37.6% had three or more vehicles available for use.

The following chart provides the primary fuel used to heat houses in Madison County, North Carolina:

House Heating Fuel Used in Madison County, North Carolina in 2020-2024

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Percent
Gas 20.2
Electricity 49.1
Fuel oil, kerosene, etc 16.8
All other fuels 13.5
No fuel used 0.3

In 2020-2024, the median property value for owner-occupied houses in Madison County, North Carolina was $284,600.

Of the owner-occupied households, 41.6 % had a mortgage. 58.4% owned their houses "free and clear," that is without a primary mortgage or loan on the house. The median monthly housing costs for owners with a mortgage was $1,566 and for owners without a mortgage it was $444.

For renter-occupied houses, the median gross rent for Madison County, North Carolina was $780. Gross rent includes the monthly contract rent and any monthly payments made for electricity, gas, water and sewer, and any other fuels to heat the house.