Madison County, North Carolina Demographics 2026

Population Overview

Madison County is located in North Carolina with a total population of 21,640. It is the 78th most populous county out of 100 in North Carolina. The county encompasses 3 Census-designated places.

Age Demographics

The median age in Madison County is 44.5 years. This is 14% higher than the state median of 39.1 years.

Economy, Income & Housing

The median household income in Madison County is $58,628. This is 16% lower than the state median of $69,904. It is also 25% lower than the national median of $78,538. The poverty rate stands at 11.4%. This is 13% lower than the state poverty rate of 13.2%. The unemployment rate is 2.6%. This is 47% lower than the state rate of 4.8%. The median home value is $263,500. Housing costs are 2% higher than the state median of $259,400. The home-value-to-income ratio is 4.5x. 77.9% of occupied housing units are owner-occupied. This homeownership rate is 17% higher than the state average of 66.4%.

Race & Ethnicity

Madison County has a predominantly White (non-Hispanic) population, comprising 91.6% of all residents. Hispanic or Latino residents account for 3.5%. The White (non-Hispanic) population is significantly higher than the state average (91.6% vs 60.7%). The Black or African American population (1.0%) is well below the state average of 20.3%. The Hispanic or Latino population (3.5%) is well below the state average of 10.9%. The Asian population (0.4%) is well below the state average of 3.1%.

Education

31.5% of residents aged 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher. This is 9% lower than the state rate of 34.7%. Nationally, 35.0% of adults hold at least a bachelor's degree. The high school graduation rate (or equivalent) is 90.8%.

Data Sources & Methodology

All figures for Madison County come from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates (2019-2023), with comparisons drawn against North Carolina and national averages from the same dataset. See our methodology page for how each metric is defined, or data.census.gov for official tables with margins of error.