Photo: Ammodramus · Public domainMadison spent less per resident in 2022 than 84% of similar cities
Madison’s city government spent $2.4 million on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2024, about $1,085 per resident. Water and other utilities ($8 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Madison is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$659 per resident in 2022: less than 84% of them
Madison’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($659 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 472 Nebraska cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,038, and the middle half spent $776–$1,452. Madison spent less than 84% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($408,000), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Nebraska cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Madison itself left out).
About $1,085 per resident a year, or $2.97 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 24%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 54% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Madison reported to the Census Bureau. Prices rose too: about 4% a year in 2022–2024.
Day-to-day spending by fiscal year
Per resident: 2022: $659 · 2023: $725 · 2024: $1,085. Per resident it went from $659 to $1,085 (up 65%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 2,343 to 2,188.
full-time in March 2025, up from 12 in 2022.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $1,441 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.08% of the home’s value, vs 1.49% across Nebraska.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Madison’s rate.
Can I afford it? →The median bill homeowners report to the Census survey (bills of $10,000+ are reported as “$10,000+”). The effective rate is that bill ÷ the median home value: a rough guide, not the official tax rate. In a town this small the estimate has a wide margin.
Tax bills are one input to Madison’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Madison →
Who’s in charge in Madison
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Madison’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on madison-ne.com ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 129 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (2,188).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2025
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
Madison Public Schools
Madison’s K–12 school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $16,575 per pupil, $11,095 goes to the classroom (teachers, aides, supplies); the rest to buses, buildings, counselors and administration. Building projects and debt payments aren’t in the per-pupil figure.
Nebraska districts overall: 56% local, 34% state, 10% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Madison’s votes are counted by county
Nebraska reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Madison alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Madison County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican77.4%12,145 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat21.4%3,360 votesOthers: 1.2% (185 votes).
Most votes in Madison County: Donald J Trump
Nebraska: Trump 59.3%, Harris 38.9%
100% of Madison lies in Madison County. Every 2024 race in Madison County is on the county’s page.
Madison County’s 2024 results →Official 2024 general election returns, as certified (MIT Election Data + Science Lab). Percentages are of votes for candidates; blank and spoiled ballots aren’t counted. Candidates are listed by votes, and party colors are neutral on purpose.
Portraits: Kamala D Harris: official vice-presidential portrait, Lawrence Jackson, The White House, 2021; Donald J Trump: official portrait, Shealah Craighead, The White House, 2017. All are U.S. government works in the public domain. A race shows photos only when every candidate has an official portrait; otherwise every candidate in it gets initials.
From town hall to Washington
Every level of government that speaks for Madison.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: madison-ne.com ↗
- 2Nebraska SenateState senator
- 3GovernorStatewide
- 4U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 5U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Nebraska
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
Reach Madison’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Madison’s government
How much does Madison spend per resident?
About $1,085 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $659 was less than 84% of 472 Nebraska cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Madison?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,441 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.08% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.49% across Nebraska. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see madison-ne.com.
Who runs Madison’s government?
See madison-ne.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Madison yet.
How did Madison vote in 2024?
Nebraska counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Madison alone. Madison County, where 100% of Madison lies, voted Trump 77.4%, Harris 21.4% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Madison?
17 full-time and 6 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $95,692 (about $1.1M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Madison in the state legislature?
State Senate District 19 (Robert Dover). Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Madison’s government
Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.
Budget and staff: U.S. Census Bureau, Census of Governments (2022, every government) and Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances (2023–24, a sample) and the Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll; day-to-day spending is current operations, with hospitals, utilities and airports apart. School district: Census school finance survey, 2023–24. Property tax: Census American Community Survey, 2020–24. Elections: official 2024 returns via the MIT Election Data + Science Lab; turnout uses Census citizen voting-age population (CVAP, 2020–24). Officials: Open States, names shown only with a current term (checked October 9, 2026). Districts: Census Bureau (119th Congress, 2024 state districts); legislators: Open States and congress-legislators. How Town Hall works →