Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Madera earns a D−, 776th among California's 841 graded towns, mostly because of health and incomes. Residents are less healthy than 90% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. The median household income is $64K, and 26% of residents live below the poverty line. What it does well: it is more walkable than 76% of U.S. towns. 26% of residents live below the poverty line in Madera, against 10% in California’s towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns. Madera's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 98% of U.S. towns. Madera County Courthouse is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Where Madera beats most towns.
Lee Evans
Madera County CourthouseEach subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Madera is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 217 in 1880, 66,224 in 2020. The archive holds 9 old photos and papers going back to 1890 and 4 maps from 1922 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Madera, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Madera.
Madera has more 90° days than nearly all U.S. towns and has seen reported crime fall beyond ordinary swings, but it has poverty well above the California rate.
36% of adults say their health is fair or poor in Madera. Madera beats the California average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 21. 37% of adults get no exercise outside work in Madera.
| Madera | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 36% | 22% | 19% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 24% | 25% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 16% | 14% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 67% | 72% | 79% |
| What stands out | Madera | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 4.5% | 6.4% |
| More uninsured adults | 25.7% | 10.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Madera Unified school district. Three of its 30 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thomas Jefferson MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 7–8 | Grades 7–8 | 948 | – |
| Matilda Torres HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 2,017 | – |
| Sherman Thomas STEM AcademyTop results in townGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 75 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
The median property tax bill is $2,295, against $5,124 across California, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
The typical Madera home is worth about $423,000, up 2.5% in a year, 44% below the California typical home. 55% of Madera households own their home.
| Madera | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 55% | 64% | 73% |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 60% | 55% | 48% |
| Median rent | $1,353 a month | $1,898 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 80% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 8 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Madera.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Reported crimes fell from 1,243 to 1,035 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Madera’s violent crime rate is 4.3 per 1,000 residents. Within California, it does better than 48% of towns.
| Madera | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 4.3 per 1,000 residents | 2.9 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 10.5 per 1,000 residents | 13.4 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
The Madera weather station records that about 100 days a year reach 90°, more than in 96% of U.S. towns. July afternoons average 96.7°, hotter than in 98% of U.S. towns; January nights average 38.6°.
Madera has mild winters and hot summers, with very little rain. The July high in Madera is 97°F. Snow is almost unheard of.
| Madera | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 97°F | 89°F | 85°F |
| January low | 39°F | 41°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Jobs based here grew from 13,617 in 2013 to 18,956.
About one in 4 of Madera’s working residents works in town. Since 2013, Madera has added 5,339 jobs, to 18,956 in 2023. The top destinations are Fresno (18%), Chowchilla (3%) and Clovis (2%).
| Madera | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 27% | 6.6% | 8% |
| Work from home | 6.9% | 14% | 11% |
| Median household income | $64,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 26 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
5.7 miles of trail in 9 parks and preserves. Madera-Lions Town and Country Regional Park, at 51 acres with 1.4 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Madera | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.3 miles per square mile | 1.0 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 2.5% | 4.3% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Madera-Lions Town and Country Regional Park | 1.4 mi | 51 |
| 2. Millview Park | — | 27 |
| 3. Rotary Park | — | 12 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Madera. Close and well known come first.
16 mi MuseumForestiere Underground Gardens
21 mi Stadium & arenaValley Children's Stadium
22 mi Stadium & arenaSave Mart Center39 mi MuseumCastle Air Museum
21 mi Zoo & aquariumFresno Chaffee Zoo
23 mi Stadium & arenaChukchansi ParkForestiere Underground Gardens: R&sbwn, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Valley Children's Stadium: Emedina00, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Save Mart Center: Bobak Ha'Eri, CC BY 3.0 · Fresno Chaffee Zoo: Jim Moore, CC BY 2.0 · Chukchansi Park: YAHQQLIGAN, CC BY 2.0
1 within 15 miles of the center of Madera
About 8 of every 100 Madera residents are enrolled in college, about the same as California.
22 notable people were born in Madera.
City in California, United States
Madera (Spanish for "lumber") is a city in and the county seat of Madera County, located in the San Joaquin Valley of California. Founded in 1876 as a timber settlement at the terminus of a major log flume, the city grew around the lumber trade before transitioning to an agriculture-based economy during the 20th century. Irrigation from the San Joaquin River and nearby canals transformed the surrounding plains into fertile farmland that now supports vineyards, nut orchards, and row crops. As of the 2020 United States census, Madera had a population of 66,224.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
3 towns share a border with Madera.
| Town | CA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Madera | #776 | D− | C− | C | C+ | D |
| Madera Acres | #801 | D− | D | — | C+ | C− |
| Parkwood | — | — | C | — | C+ | C− |
| Parksdale | #817 | D− | C− | — | C+ | D |
Parkwood has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Madera Acres, Parkwood and Parksdale report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Madera with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Madera grades D− overall, better than 2% of U.S. towns and #776 of 841 in California. It grades D for health, C for safety and C+ for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D.
Within California, it does better than 48% of towns.
Yes. That is 5.7 years of the area's median household income ($74,468 across the Fresno, CA metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.
22 notable people were born here, including Lee Evans and Wally O'Connor.
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