Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Madison grades B+ overall, 35th among Georgia's 258 graded towns, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. Its schools rank ahead of 85% of Georgia towns and natural-hazard risk is low. It also does better than most on health: CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 63% of the country. Its lowest everyday mark is in cost of living: the typical home is worth about $434K, 4.8 years of the Atlanta metro’s $90K median household income. 29% of working residents work locally in Madison, above both Georgia’s towns (9%) and U.S. towns (8%). On civic life, just 9 of Georgia’s 307 towns do better. Madison has 5 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Bonar Hall and Madison Historic District.
Where Madison beats most towns.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Morgan County Primary School | PK–2 | 854 |
| Morgan County Elementary School | 3–5 | 842 |
| Morgan County Middle School | 6–8 | 749 |
Bonar Hall
Census counts: 1,974 in 1880, 4,447 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1936 and 2 maps from 1972 on.
5 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Georgia), ordered by how far Madison is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Madison, 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 Madison.
Madison draws workers from Athens and beyond and is healthier than towns with similar incomes.
6,242 jobs are based in Madison, 3.2 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. The average commute takes 17.7 minutes, against 28.3 across Georgia.
About one in 3 of Madison’s working residents works in town. Madison’s average trip to work is 18 minutes. Since 2013, Madison has added 2,313 jobs, to 6,242 in 2023.
| Madison | Georgia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 18 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 13% | 15% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $62,000 | $63,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its public schools are run by the Morgan County school district. Three of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Morgan County High School, with 1,117 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Morgan County Primary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–2 | Grades PK–2 | 854 | – |
| Morgan County High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,117 | B |
| Morgan County Elementary SchoolTop results in townGrades 3–5 | Grades 3–5 | 842 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within GA on state tests and graduation
54% of households own their home in Madison. The typical Madison home is worth about $434,000, up 2.2% in a year, 32% above the Georgia typical home.
| Madison | Georgia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 54% | 58% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,165 a month | $1,152 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 70% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Madison has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. The July high in Madison is 91°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Against the 9,296 U.S. towns with household incomes like Madison’s, it is healthier than 87%, so its B isn’t only a matter of income. Its widest gap with Georgia is tooth loss: 8.8% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 14.5% statewide.
18% of Madison adults have been diagnosed with depression. Madison beats the Georgia average on 10 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 42% of Madison adults have high blood pressure.
| Madison | Georgia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 20% | 23% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 42% | 38% | 35% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 19% | 17% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 81% | 79% | 79% |
| What stands out | Madison | GA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 8.8% | 14.5% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 10.5% | 13.1% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 8.8% | 7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Madison's reported crime rate is above Georgia's. Most reported incidents are property crimes, mainly thefts. 10 violent crimes were reported in 2025.
| Madison | Georgia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 17.9 per 1,000 residents | 14.5 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.9 per 1,000 residents | 2.2 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
| Madison | Georgia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 1.4% | 2.3% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Hill Park | — | 7 |
| 2. Lambert Park | 0.2 mi | 3 |
| 3. Walton Park | — | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Madison; the nearest are
About 5 of every 100 Madison residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Georgia.
3,979 counted in 2010 and 4,447 in 2020; an estimated 5,179 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 16.8% since 2020, after 11.8% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
5 places in Madison on the National Register of Historic Places.
6 notable people were born in Madison.
City in Georgia, United States
Madison is a city in Morgan County, Georgia, United States. It is part of the Atlanta-Athens-Clarke-Sandy Springs combined statistical area. The population was 4,447 at the 2020 census, up from 3,979 in 2010. The city is the county seat of Morgan County and the site of the Morgan County Courthouse. The Madison Historic District is one of the largest in the state. Many of the nearly 100 antebellum homes have been carefully restored. Bonar Hall is one of the first of the grand-style Federal homes built in Madison during the town's cotton-boom heyday from 1840 to 1860. Budget Travel magazine voted Madison as one of the world's 16 most picturesque villages. Madison is featured on Georgia's Ante…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Madison grades B+ overall, better than 70% of U.S. towns and #35 of 258 in Georgia. It grades B for health and A for schools.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.
6 notable people were born here, including B.J. Elder and Seaborn Reese.
