Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Madison grades D− overall, 756th among Illinois's 767 graded towns, mostly because of schools and health. Its schools rank behind 96% of the state's. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 94% of the country. One bright spot: a typical home costs about $54K, less than a year of the St. Louis metro’s $80K median household income. 26% of residents live below the poverty line in Madison, above both Illinois’ towns (8.4%) and U.S. towns (9.6%). On hazard risk, just 81 of Illinois’ 1,285 towns do worse. Madison's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 91% of U.S. towns.
Where Madison beats most towns.
Chain of Rocks Bridge3,891 counted in 2010 and 3,171 in 2020; an estimated 3,063 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Illinois), ordered by how far Madison is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Its founding year, 1820, comes before those of 95% of the Illinois towns we grade with a known year.
Census counts: 1,979 in 1900, a peak of 7,963 in 1950, 3,171 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1900 and 7 maps from 1933 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Madison. Close and well known come first.
Big draw3 mi State parkCahokia
Big draw6 mi Stadium & arenaThe Dome at America's Center
7 mi Stadium & arenaBusch Stadium
3 mi LandmarkMonks Mound
6 mi National ParkGateway Arch National Park2.2M visitors a year
7 mi Stadium & arenaEnterprise CenterCahokia: Thank You (24 Millions ) views, CC BY 2.0 · The Dome at America's Center: Paul Sableman, CC BY 2.0 · Busch Stadium: Lee Ann Ratledge, CC BY 4.0 · Monks Mound: Skubasteve834, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Gateway Arch National Park: Daniel Schwen, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Enterprise Center: Haaron755, CC BY-SA 3.0
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 Sep 12, 2025.
Ordered by what stands out in Madison.
Madison draws workers from Granite City and beyond and keeps more of its land conserved than most of Illinois, but it carries more natural-hazard risk than most of Illinois (mostly inland flooding).
At 0.7 years of the St. Louis metro’s $80K median household income, the typical home (about $54K) costs less against local pay than in any other Illinois town; that ratio is one input to its A− for cost of living. Values fell 9.9% in the past year while the Illinois typical home rose 5.3%.
50% of Madison households own their home. Typical home values fell 9.9% in the year to September 2026.
| Madison | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 50% | 75% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,014 a month | $1,129 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
49% of adults have obesity in Madison. Only 2 of the 767 Illinois towns we compare have a higher share of adults who have high blood pressure than Madison. 18% of adults have diabetes in Madison.
| Madison | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 49% | 37% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 11% | 12% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 45% | 35% | 36% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 46% | 35% | 35% |
| What stands out | Madison | IL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 13.9% | 17.8% |
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 6.4% | 7.6% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 27.7% | 10.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
1,931 jobs are based in Madison, 1.5 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. 25% of working residents cross a state line to work.
Most working residents leave Madison for work: only 5% work in town. The average trip to work in Madison is 18 minutes. Since 2013, Madison has added 455 jobs, to 1,931 in 2023.
| Madison | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 18 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $49,000 | $83,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 5.3% | 8.4% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its 4,202 conserved acres are a larger share of the town than in any other Illinois town. Its A+ for the outdoors ranks #9 of 768 in Illinois.
6.5 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Horseshoe Lake State Park, at 1,780 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Horseshoe Lake State Park | — | 1,780 |
| 2. Tri-City Park | — | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 92% of Illinois towns, with expected losses of about $2,955 per resident a year; that rating is what its D for hazard risk is built on.
Madison’s FEMA risk score is 80 of 100. Since 1982, 17 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Madison.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Madison has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 89°, January nights drop to 23° and about 11 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
16 within 15 miles of the center of Madison
About 3 of every 100 Madison residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Illinois.
Where Madison’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
11 notable people were born in Madison.
City in Illinois, United States
Madison is a city in Madison and St. Clair counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. It is also a suburb of Greater St. Louis. The population was 3,171 at the 2020 census, down from 3,891 in 2010. It is home to World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway and the first Bulgarian Orthodox church in the United States.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
9 towns share a border with Madison.
All 3 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its D−; Venice Township (D) is closest.
| Town | IL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Madison | #756 | D− | A− | — | D− | D |
| Granite City · Granite City Township | #715 | D | A | D | D− | C− |
| Fairmont City | — | — | A | B− | C− | D |
| Venice | — | — | A− | — | D | D− |
| Venice Township | #750 | D | B+ | — | D− | D |
| Nameoki Township | #731 | D | B+ | — | D− | C− |
| Brooklyn | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Pontoon Beach | #759 | D− | B− | C | D− | C− |
Fairmont City and Venice have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Madison, Venice, Venice Township and Nameoki Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Brooklyn isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Granite City Township and Granite City are one community, graded once. Compare Madison with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Madison grades D− overall, better than 4% of U.S. towns and #756 of 767 in Illinois. It grades D for health and D− for schools. Schools is its weak spot, with a D−.
Not for the area. Louis, MO-IL 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 A−.
11 notable people were born here, including Donnie Freeman and Maurice Baker.
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