Madison County, NC

County

Add Comparison

2024 Population

21,867

US Senator

Thom Tillis

Republican Party

US Senator

Ted Budd

Republican Party

2024 Poverty Rate

12.1%

5.94% 1-year increase

2024 Median Household Income

$58,531

0.165% 1-year decline

2024 Median Property Value

$284,600

8.01% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

10,077

1.29% 1-year growth

About

None of the households in Madison County, NC reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language. This does not consider the potential multi-lingual nature of households, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household.

99.6% of the residents in Madison County, NC are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Madison County, NC are Mars Hill University (226 degrees awarded in 2023).

In 2024, the median property value in Madison County, NC was $284,600, and the homeownership rate was 77.5%.

Most people in Madison County, NC drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 32.7 minutes. The average car ownership in Madison County, NC was 3 cars per household.

Madison County, NC borders Buncombe County, NC, Haywood County, NC, Yancey County, NC, Cocke County, TN, Greene County, TN, and Unicoi County, TN.

United States North Carolina Asheville, NC

Population & Diversity

Madison County, NC is home to a population of 21.9k people, from which 99.6% are citizens. As of 2024, 1.35% of Madison County, NC residents were born outside of the country (295 people).

In 2024, there were 41.7 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (19.9k people) in Madison County, NC than any other race or ethnicity. There were 478 Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) and 376 Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

99.6%

2024 Citizenship

99.4%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 99.6% of Madison County, NC residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Madison County, NC was 99.4%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Madison County, NC compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Madison County, NC

White (Non-Hispanic)
19.9k ± 202
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
478 ± 85
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Hispanic)
376 ± 149

3.64%

Hispanic Population

796 people

3.64% of the people in Madison County, NC are hispanic (796 people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Madison County, NC as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the County level, so we are showing data for North Carolina.

Most Common Origin

Mexico
224,963 ± 11,520 people
India
83,219 ± 7,055 people
Honduras
48,247 ± 5,380 people

In 2023, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of North Carolina was Mexico, the natal country of 224,963 North Carolina residents, followed by India with 83,219 and Honduras with 48,247.

Foreign-Born Population

1.35%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

295 people

1.4%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

302 people

As of 2024, 1.35% of Madison County, NC residents (295 people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Madison County, NC was 1.4%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Madison County, NC compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
491 ± 141
Gulf War (2001-)
197 ± 106
Gulf War (1990s)
131 ± 64

Madison County, NC has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 2.49 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Madison County, NC.

Economy

The economy of Madison County, NC employs 10.1k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Madison County, NC were Retail Trade (1,715 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (1,219 people), and Educational Services (1,156 people), and the highest paying industries were Utilities ($90,985), Finance & Insurance ($87,978), and Health Care & Social Assistance ($58,544).

Employment

Occupations

10.1k

2024 Value

± 749

1.29%

1 Year growth

± 10.5%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Madison County, NC grew at a rate of 1.29%, from 9.95k employees to 10.1k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Madison County, NC, are Management Occupations (1,052 people), Sales & Related Occupations (799 people), and Office & Administrative Support Occupations (779 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Madison County, NC.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for North Carolina.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in North Carolina (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

Industries

Employment by Industries

10.1k

2024 Value

± 749

1.29%

1 Year growth

± 10.5%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Madison County, NC grew at a rate of 1.29%, from 9.95k employees to 10.1k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Madison County, NC, are Retail Trade (1,715 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (1,219 people), and Educational Services (1,156 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Madison County, NC, though some of these residents may live in Madison County, NC and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$44,289

Median earning men ± $3,781

$37,425

Median earning women ± $2,784

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Wholesale Trade ($85,625), Information ($83,438), and Other Services Except Public Administration ($64,500).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($52,544), Public Administration ($49,183), and Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($46,100).

Employment by Industry Sector

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for North Carolina.

Y-Axis

3.04%

Year-over-year growth

Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 4.86M people employed in North Carolina. This represents a 3.04% increase in employment when compared to February 2022.

Right after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, during April 2020, a general dip can be seen across industry sectors, resulting in an overall decline in employment by 10.9%.

The following chart shows monthly employment numbers for each industry sector in North Carolina.

Establishments by Size

The industries with the most establishments

44
Construction
31
Other Services (except Public Administration)
29
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services

The visualization shows the distribution of establishments by industry and by size according to the number of employees.

The visualization shows the number of establishments and its share across establishment sizes.

Payroll by Industry Sector

The industries with the highest total annual payroll

$29.7k
Manufacturing
$24.7k
Health Care and Social Assistance
$15.5k
Construction

The chart shows the total annual payroll and the average annual payroll by industry.

Education

In 2023, universities in Madison County, NC awarded 226 degrees. The student population of Madison County, NC in 2023 is skewed towards men, with 542 male students and 507 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Madison County, NC are White (152 and 70.7%), Black or African American (36 and 16.7%), Hispanic or Latino (15 and 6.98%), and Two or More Races (7 and 3.26%).

The largest universities in Madison County, NC by number of degrees awarded are Mars Hill University (226 and 100%).

The most popular majors in Madison County, NC are General Business Administration & Management (51 and 22.6%), Criminal Justice - Law Enforcement Administration (24 and 10.6%), and Social Work (19 and 8.41%).

The median tuition cost in Madison County, NC for private four year colleges is $37,270.

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

University

Measure

In 2023 in Madison County, NC, the percentage of applicants admitted was 77.9%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 29.3%. The number of students enrolled in 2023 was 1,049 (51.7% men and 48.3% women).

The line chart shows the evolution of the percentage of applicants admitted, admitted who enrolled or the number of students enrolled according to the option selected in the upper button.

Enrollments by Gender and Races

Universities

In 2023 there were 1,049 students enrolled in Madison County, NC, 51.7% men and 48.3% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 664 records, of which 55.7% were women and 44.3% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

Criminal Justice - Law Enforcement Administration
19 degrees awarded
Social Work
19 degrees awarded
General Business Administration & Management
30 degrees awarded

In 2023, the most common concentation for Bachelors Degree recipients in Madison County, NC was Criminal Justice - Law Enforcement Administration with 19 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Bachelors Degree from schools in Madison County, NC according to their major.

Universities

Gender

Race

Mars Hill University

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

226 degrees awarded

In 2023, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Mars Hill University with 226 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

University

In 2023, 100 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Madison County, NC, which is 0.794 times less than the 126 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2023, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 152 degrees mean that there were 4.22 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Black or African American, with 36 degrees awarded.

Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Universities

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($37,270) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2023.

The graph shows the average net price by sector and year.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Madison County, NC was $284,600 in 2024, which is 0.855 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $263,500 to $284,600, a 8.01% increase. The homeownership rate in Madison County, NC is 77.5%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Madison County, NC have an average commute time of 32.7 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Madison County, NC is higher than the national average, with an average of 3 cars per household.

In 2025, 12.7% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Madison County, NC. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 1.06%.

Housing

Property

$284,600

Median Property Value 2024

±$22,454

$6,461

Median Property Taxes

±$541

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Madison County, NC the largest share of households pay taxes in the $800 - $1,499 range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Madison County, NC compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

77.5%

Homeownership

2024

69.8%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 77.5% of the housing units in Madison County, NC were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 77.9%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Madison County, NC compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$58,531

Median Household Income

± $4,714

8.34k

Number of Households

± 641

In 2024, the median household income of the 8.34k households in Madison County, NC declined from $58,531 from the previous year's value of $58,628.

The following chart displays the households in Madison County, NC distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $75k - $100k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Madison County, NC is from North Carolina.

0.467

2023 Wage GINI in North Carolina

0.47

2022 Wage GINI in North Carolina

In 2023, the income inequality in North Carolina was 0.467 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.639% decline from 2022 to 2023, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for North Carolina was lower than than the national average of 0.476. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in North Carolina in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in North Carolina across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (76.3%)
Worked At Home (10.7%)
Carpooled (9.91%)

In 2024, 76.3% of workers in Madison County, NC drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (10.7%) and those who carpooled to work (9.91%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

32.7 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Madison County, NC have a longer commute time (32.7 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 3.54% of the workforce in Madison County, NC have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Madison County, NC compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

3 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Madison County, NC distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Madison County, NC have 3 cars.

Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2025, 12.7% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Madison County, NC. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 1.06%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the population living with severe housing problems.

Poverty & Diversity

12.1% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Madison County, NC (2.54k out of 20.9k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is lower than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Males 55 - 64, followed by Females 55 - 64 and then Males 75+.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Madison County, NC is White, followed by Two Or More and Other.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

Children in Poverty

In 2025, 20% of the children was living in poverty in Madison County, NC. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 9.7%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the children living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals
Florida
4,915 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798. New York has the second highest (5,087), followed by Florida (4,915).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

Security

Crimes & Accidents

Indicator

In 2022, the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population was 32.9 in Madison County, NC. From 2014 to 2022, the indicator declined 17.1 per 100,000 population.

The graph shows the trend in the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population.

Health

91.6% of the population of Madison County, NC has health coverage, with 38.2% on employee plans, 15% on Medicaid, 18.1% on Medicare, 18.4% on non-group plans, and 1.85% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Madison County, NC see 1,792 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,792 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 4354 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 470 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 49.9% were men and 50.1% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

1,792 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Madison County, NC

Primary care physicians in Madison County, NC see an average of 1,792 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,792 patients).

The following chart shows how the number of patients seen by primary care physicians has been changing over time in Madison County, NC in comparison to its neighboring geographies.

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 18.2% under 18 years, 21.3% between 18 and 34 years, 37.7% between 35 and 64 years, and 22.7% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 49.9% were men and 50.1% were women.

The following chart shows the number of people with health coverage by gender.

Uninsured People

8.37%

Uninsured

38.2%

Employer Coverage

15%

Medicaid

18.1%

Medicare

18.4%

Non-Group

1.85%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Madison County, NC declined by 4.26% from 8.74% to 8.37%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Madison County, NC changed over time compared with the percent of individuals enrolled in various types of health insurance.

Health Indicators

Health Outcomes

Indicator

In 2025, the number of deaths among residents under age 18 per 100,000 population was 62.3 in Madison County, NC.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Madison County, NC.

Health Behaviors

Indicator

In 2025, the percentage of the adult population (age 18 and older) that reports a body mass index (BMI) greater than or equal to 30 kg/m2 (age-adjusted) was 31.9% in Madison County, NC.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Madison County, NC.