Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The best of Madison’s subject grades are an A for cost of living and an A− for history; the weakest is a D− for schools. On hazard risk, just 9 of Nebraska’s 133 towns do worse. Madison has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them St. Leonard's Catholic Church and First United Presbyterian Church. Madison has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Madison beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
St. Leonard's Catholic Church| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Madison Elementary School | PK–5 | 248 |
| St. Leonard School | PK–5 | 27 |
| Trinity Lutheran School | K–7 | 20 |
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 Nebraska), ordered by how far Madison is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 417 in 1880, 2,283 in 2020. The archive holds 3 old photos and papers going back to 2005 and 3 maps from 1963 on.
2 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 Sep 30, 2026.
Ordered by what stands out in Madison.
Its public schools are run by the Madison Public Schools. Two of its 6 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Madison Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 248 | D |
| Madison High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 162 | C− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NE on state tests and graduation
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 82% of U.S. communities. Since 1990, 15 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Madison.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Most working residents leave Madison for work: only 9% work in town. Madison’s average trip to work is 14 minutes, where Nebraska’s towns sit at 17 minutes and U.S. towns at 25 minutes. Since 2013, Madison has lost 209 jobs, to 537 in 2023.
| Madison | Nebraska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 14 minutes | 17 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 9.3% | 34% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 15% | 11% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $63,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The typical Madison home is worth about $208,000, up 1.8% in a year, 25% below the Nebraska typical home.
| Madison | Nebraska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 73% | 67% | 73% |
| Median rent | $971 a month | $914 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Madison has cold winters and warm summers. Only 3 of the 58 Nebraska towns we compare have a lower July high than Madison.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Madison’s property crime rate is 0 per 1,000 residents, below both Nebraska’s towns (7.5) and U.S. towns (9.9). Only 2 of the 46 Nebraska towns we compare have a lower violent crime rate than Madison. Madison's reported crime rate is well below Nebraska's.
| Madison | Nebraska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0 per 1,000 residents | 7.5 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0 per 1,000 residents | 1 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Madison beats the Nebraska average on 3 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 10. 19% of Madison adults 18 to 64 have no health insurance. Only 1 of the 58 Nebraska towns we compare have a lower share of adults who have been diagnosed with depression than Madison.
| Madison | Nebraska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 9.7% | 8.1% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 18% | 23% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 28% | 25% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 73% | 76% | 79% |
| What stands out | Madison | NE |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults with depression | 14.3% | 18.3% |
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 6.8% | 8.3% |
| More uninsured adults | 19.4% | 9.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
0.0 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve. The biggest park or preserve is Memorial Park, at 21 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Memorial Park | — | 21 |
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, against 7 across Nebraska.
2 places in Madison on the National Register of Historic Places.
City in Nebraska, United States
Madison is a city in and the county seat of Madison County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 2,283 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Not for the 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.
