Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 2,678, settled in 1889. 78% more nonprofits per person than the typical West Virginia town.
Madison gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $144K, 2.4 years of the Charleston metro’s $60K median household income. It grades C+ overall, 20th of 61 graded towns in West Virginia. The low prices come with trade-offs. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 96% of the country, and FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 87% of U.S. communities, with inland flooding at the top. On the plus side, it is more walkable than 93% of U.S. towns. Madison's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 98% of U.S. towns. Only 1 of the 61 West Virginia towns we compare have a higher January low than Madison. Madison has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Boone County Courthouse and Madison National Bank.
Where Madison beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within West Virginia), ordered by how far Madison is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 295 in 1910, 2,913 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1946 and 6 maps from 1911 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 Aug 3, 2026.
Ordered by what stands out in Madison.
Madison trades lower home prices for longer drives to work and looks healthier within West Virginia than nationally, but it has a long record of flood insurance claims.
Within West Virginia it is less healthy than 70% of the 61 graded towns: much of West Virginia scores lower on these measures.
46% of Madison adults have obesity, where West Virginia’s towns sit at 41% and U.S. towns at 35%. 21% of Madison adults smoke cigarettes. Madison tracks West Virginia closely on all 32 CDC measures.
| Madison | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 46% | 41% | 35% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 46% | 44% | 35% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 18% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 17% | 14% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Boone County Schools. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Scott High School, with 564 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Madison Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 398 | C− |
| Scott High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 564 | C |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WV on state tests and graduation
71 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 11 properties have flooded more than once.
At 87 of 100, Madison’s FEMA risk score is above both West Virginia’s towns (69 of 100) and U.S. towns (44 of 100). Since 1978, 71 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Madison.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
3.4 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve.
| Madison | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 0.2% | 2.5% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.4 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Madison City Park | — | 4 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Adults 35 to 64 are 29% of residents (38% statewide); people 65 and older are 27% of residents (21% statewide). Madison has lost 7.8% of its people since 2020, down to 2,678 in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 21% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Madison.
| Madison | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 21% | 29% | 29% |
| Under 18 | 19% | 20% | 22% |
| Median age | 42.7 years | 42 years | 40.5 years |
46% women, 54% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±5.1 points. Across West Virginia, 50.1% of residents are women.
| Madison | WV | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 11.2% | 10.3% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 7.3% | 9.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 7.7% | 8.8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 18.3% | 12% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 11.1% | 12% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 7% | 12.6% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 10.5% | 13.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 22.2% | 12.6% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 4.6% | 8.4% | 7% |
| No diploma | 7.5% | 10.7% | 10.4% |
| High school | 27.9% | 39.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 28.9% | 17.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 15.1% | 8.4% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 10.4% | 14.4% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 10.3% | 9.7% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 2,700, single groups can be off by several points
Madison has chilly winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 86°, January nights drop to 26° and about 17 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Homes are within reach (about $144K for the typical one, A− for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 22 miles.
Typical home values rose 9.8% in the year to September 2026.
| Madison | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 67% | 68% | 73% |
| Median rent | $944 a month | $874 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Jobs based here fell from 1,628 in 2013 to 920. The average commute for its 937 working residents takes 17.8 minutes, against 26.6 across West Virginia.
Most working residents leave Madison for work: only 10% work in town. The average trip to work in Madison is 18 minutes. Jobs based in Madison fell to 920 in 2023, 708 fewer than in 2013.
| Madison | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 18 minutes | 21 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 13% | 17% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $59,000 | $59,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 9.8% | 14% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Madison's reported crime rate is below West Virginia's. Madison’s property crime rate is 7.4 per 1,000 residents. Most reported incidents are property crimes, mainly thefts.
| Madison | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2024) | 7.4 per 1,000 residents | 14.8 | 11.5 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2024) | 1.9 per 1,000 residents | 2.2 | 1.7 |
FBI crime data, 2024 · crimes reported to police
None within 15 miles of Madison; the nearest are
About 2 of every 100 Madison residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across West Virginia.
2 places in Madison on the National Register of Historic Places.
3 notable people were born in Madison.
City in West Virginia, US
Madison is a city and former coal town in Boone County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 2,911 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Boone County.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Madison.
Madison reports no FBI crime data of its own. Danville isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Madison with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Madison grades C+ overall, better than 45% of U.S. towns and #20 of 61 in West Virginia. It grades D− for health and B for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D−.
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−.
3 notable people were born here, including Leonard S. Echols and Jim Myers.
