Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A regional job hub with 1,867 jobs.
The best of Madison’s subject grades are an A for history and an A− for the outdoors; the weakest is a C− for incomes. 14% of residents are under 18 in Madison, where North Carolina’s towns sit at 22% and U.S. towns at 22%. Only 32 of North Carolina’s 451 towns score higher on history. Madison's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 89% of U.S. towns. Only 36 of North Carolina’s 451 towns score higher on the outdoors. Madison has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Madison beats most towns.
Where Madison’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within North Carolina), ordered by how far Madison is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 295 in 1870, 2,129 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1856 and 3 maps from 1971 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
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.
Most working residents leave Madison for work: only 8% work in town. Madison’s average trip to work is 20 minutes, below both North Carolina’s towns (24 minutes) and U.S. towns (25 minutes). The median household income in Madison is $53,000.
| Madison | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $53,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 8% | 13% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its public schools are run by the Rockingham County Schools. One of its 3 schools is below, with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Western Rockingham MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 521 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NC on state tests and graduation
The typical Madison home is worth about $225,000, up 5.3% in a year, 32% below the North Carolina typical home. Madison’s median rent is $830 a month.
| Madison | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 58% | 67% | 73% |
| Median rent | $830 a month | $1,085 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Madison beats the North Carolina average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 11. 44% of Madison adults have high blood pressure.
| Madison | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 44% | 38% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 13% | 12% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 15% | 16% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 82% | 80% | 79% |
| What stands out | Madison | NC |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 80.6% | 76.7% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 20.4% | 13.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Madison has mild winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 89°, January nights drop to 28° and about 9 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
| Madison | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.5 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 5.3% | 3.4% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Idol Park | 0.3 mi | 13 |
| 2. Mayodan Tennis Park | 0.2 mi | 16 |
| 3. Highway 704 River Access | — | 15 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 54% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 20 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Madison.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Madison. Close and well known come first.
33 mi ParkwayBlue Ridge Parkway16.5M visitors a year
24 mi Stadium & arenaAllegacy Federal Credit Union Stadium
28 mi MountainPilot Mountain
26 mi MuseumOld Salem
16 mi State parkHanging Rock State Park
25 mi MuseumReynolda House Museum of American ArtBlue Ridge Parkway: Ken Thomas, Public domain · Allegacy Federal Credit Union Stadium: BobHWS, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Pilot Mountain: Berean Hunter, CC BY-SA 2.5 · Old Salem: David Bjorgen, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Hanging Rock State Park: Jacalyn Engler from Greensboro, United States, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Reynolda House Museum of American Art: Zsrarticle, CC BY-SA 4.0
1 within 15 miles of the center of Madison
About 6 of every 100 Madison residents are enrolled in college, about the same as North Carolina.
3 places in Madison on the National Register of Historic Places.
6 notable people were born in Madison.
Town in North Carolina, United States
Madison is a town located in Rockingham County, North Carolina. At the 2020 census, the town had a total population of 2,132. Madison is part of the Greensboro-High Point Metropolitan Statistical Area of the Piedmont Triad metro region. It was home to the corporate headquarters of Remington Arms until 2020, when the company was made defunct by bankruptcy proceedings. It is still home to Marlin Firearms, which was an asset of Remington now owned by Sturm, Ruger & Co.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Madison.
Madison has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Compare Madison with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Not for the area. That is 3.4 years of the area's median household income ($65,565 across the Greensboro-High Point, NC 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 B+.
6 notable people were born here, including Mary Cardwell Dawson and Bill Lindsay.
