Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 28,575, settled in 1950. Public schools that outperform most of Mississippi.
Trash day: look up yoursFor most people who can afford it, yes. Madison grades A overall, ranked 2nd of 99 in Mississippi. The median household earns $119K. Its public schools beat 93% of Mississippi towns on state tests and graduation and residents are healthier than 92% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. The trade-off is money: the typical home is worth about $418K, 6.8 years of the Jackson metro’s $62K median household income. 64% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Madison, against 24% in Mississippi’s towns and 29% across U.S. towns. No town in Mississippi scores higher than Madison on safety. Madison has 7 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Chapel of the Cross and Montgomery House.
Where Madison beats most towns.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Madison Station Elementary | K–5 | 980 |
| Madison Avenue Upper | 3–5 | 474 |
| Madison Avenue Elementary K2 | K–2 | 397 |
| Widest gap | Madison | MS |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 7.2% | 22.4% |
24,149 counted in 2010 and 27,747 in 2020; an estimated 28,575 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Mississippi), ordered by how far Madison is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 540 in 1950, 27,747 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1852 and 5 maps from 1905 on.
7 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Madison. Close and well known come first.
3 mi ParkwayNatchez Trace Parkway8.0M visitors a year
10 mi Stadium & arenaMississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium
10 mi National MonumentMedgar and Myrlie Evers Home National Monument61K visitors a year
24 mi National Military ParkVicksburg National Military Park410K visitors a year12 mi MuseumMississippi Musicians Hall of Fame12 mi Zoo & aquariumJackson ZooNatchez Trace Parkway: Carol M. Highsmith (1946–), Public domain · Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium: Jfurr1981 at English Wikipedia, Public domain · Medgar and Myrlie Evers Home National Monument: Jud McCranie, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Vicksburg National Military Park: Eoghanacht at English Wikipedia, Public domain
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 is the healthiest town in Mississippi and fares better on crime within Mississippi than nationally, but it has homes that cost more against local pay than most of Mississippi.
At 6.8 years of the Jackson metro’s $62K median household income, the typical home (about $419K) costs more against local pay than in any other Mississippi town; that ratio is one input to its C− for cost of living. The median property tax bill is $2,569, against $1,215 across Mississippi, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
The median rent in Madison is $1,853 a month. Among 99 Mississippi towns, just 3 have a higher share of households owning their home than Madison. The typical Madison home is worth about $419,000, up 0.8% in a year, about twice the Mississippi typical home.
| Madison | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 94% | 62% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,853 a month | $900 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its A for schools comes with a C− for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $419K.
Its public schools are run by the Madison County Schools. Three of its 9 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Madison Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 1,180 | A+ |
| Madison Central High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 10–12 | Grades 10–12 | 1,260 | B− |
| Madison Station ElementaryTop results in townGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 980 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MS on state tests and graduation
It is the healthiest of the 101 Mississippi towns we grade on the CDC estimates behind the Health Grade. Its widest gap with Mississippi is food insecurity: 7.2% of its 20,790 adults worry about having enough food, against 22.4% statewide.
12% of Madison adults report frequent mental distress. Only 1 of the 101 Mississippi towns we compare have a lower share of adults who say their health is fair or poor than Madison. 10% of Madison adults report frequent physical distress.
| Madison | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 18% | 17% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 39% | 36% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 10% | 16% | 14% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 8.8% | 18% | 14% |
| What stands out | Madison | MS |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 7.2% | 22.4% |
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 4% | 11.2% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.7% | 7.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
At 6.2 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 100% of Mississippi’s graded towns. Reported crimes fell from 184 to 113 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Madison’s property crime rate is 3.8 per 1,000 residents. Only 3 of the 57 Mississippi towns we compare have a lower violent crime rate than Madison.
| Madison | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.8 per 1,000 residents | 17.3 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.2 per 1,000 residents | 2.3 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
5.1 miles of trail in 7 parks and preserves. Liberty Park, at 62 acres with 1.8 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Madison | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 4.2% | 2.8% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Liberty Park | 1.8 mi | 62 |
| 2. Strawberry Patch Park | 1 mi | 15 |
| 3. Simmons Arboretum | 0.6 mi | 15 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Madison has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 92°, January nights drop to 36° and about 1 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Most working residents leave Madison for work: only 9% work in town. 4.8% of residents live below the poverty line in Madison. Jobs based in Madison grew to 9,400 in 2023, 1,562 more than in 2013.
| Madison | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $119,000 | $50,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 4.8% | 21% | 9.6% |
| Work from home | 14% | 5.3% | 11% |
| Working residents who work in town | 8.5% | 20% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 57% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 88 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Madison.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
6 within 15 miles of the center of Madison
About 5 of every 100 Madison residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Mississippi.
7 places in Madison on the National Register of Historic Places.
5 notable people were born in Madison.
City in Mississippi, United States
Madison is the 11th most populous city in Mississippi, United States, located in Madison County, 13 miles (21 km) north of the state capital, Jackson. The population was 27,747 at the 2020 census, up from 24,149 in 2010. It is part of the Jackson Metropolitan Statistical Area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Madison.
Ridgeland reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Madison with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Madison grades A overall, better than 91% of U.S. towns and #2 of 99 in Mississippi. It grades A for health, A for safety and A for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a C−.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.
5 notable people were born here, including Tate Ellington and Shaq Buchanan.
