• county
  • FIPS 37115
  • Largest town: Mars Hill

Madison County, North Carolina

Madison County had 22,352 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 449.6 square miles of land. It ranks 77th of 100 in North Carolina by population and 53rd by land area.

Population
22,352
#77 of 100 in North Carolina · #1,705 in US
Area
449.6 sq mi
#53 of 100 in North Carolina · #2,270 in US
Density
50 / sq mi
#84 of 100 in North Carolina · #1,479 in US
Median household income
$59,505
#52 of 100 in North Carolina · #1,885 in US

Census Vintage 2024 estimates · SAIPE 2023 income · 2024 Gazetteer land area

Madison County within North Carolina. Pin: Raleigh.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Madison County

Madison County population, land area and income

Madison County had 22,352 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 449.6 square miles of land. It ranks 77th of 100 in North Carolina by population and 53rd by land area. That works out to 49.7 people per square mile, below the US average of 96.3, and above the national county median.

The median county-equivalent in North Carolina has 52,768 residents, so Madison County has 42% of the typical county's population.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $59,505 is below the national county median among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

22,352

3144th1st

1705th of 3,144 (US)

Land area

450 sq mi

3144th1st

2270th of 3,144 (US)

Density

49.7 / sq mi

3144th1st

1479th of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$59,505

3143rd1st

1885th of 3,143 (US)

Rank within North Carolina (100)

Population

22,352

100th1st

77th of 100 (NC)

Land area

450 sq mi

100th1st

53rd of 100 (NC)

Density

49.7 / sq mi

100th1st

84th of 100 (NC)

Median household income

$59,505

100th1st

52nd of 100 (NC)

How Madison County's population changed since 2020

Madison County gained 1,057 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a rise of 5.0%. That ranks 30th of 100 in North Carolina for growth. The median North Carolina county changed by +2.7%, and the state as a whole by +5.7%.

Since the April 2020 estimates base, Madison County recorded 778 births and 1,285 deaths, a natural change of -507. Net international migration added +77 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to +1,605. The largest single component was domestic migration, which added 1,605 people.

21.3k202021.7k202121.9k202222.0k202322.4k2024
Census Vintage 2024 county estimates for July 1 of each year. The axis starts above zero so year-to-year changes are visible.

Components of change, April 2020 to July 2024

Births
778
Deaths
1,285
Net international migration
+77
Net domestic migration
+1,605
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
+313

Where Madison County is

The Census internal point of Madison County is at 35.864200, -82.712600. It sits in UTM zone 17N. The map shades North Carolina's 100 county-equivalents by population change from 2020 to 2024, darker for faster growth, with Madison County outlined. Dots are towns of 1,000+ people with residents in it.

Scotland County: +1.4%Rockingham County: +2.5%Franklin County: +15.6%Caswell County: -0.5%Stokes County: +2.9%Granville County: +2.3%Edgecombe County: +0.7%Randolph County: +2.8%Alexander County: +0.8%Person County: +2.4%Cherokee County: +5.2%Ashe County: +2.5%Davidson County: +5.2%Cabarrus County: +7.8%Mecklenburg County: +8.1%Burke County: +1.5%Cumberland County: +0.4%Northampton County: -4.9%Buncombe County: +3.5%Wilson County: +0.8%Bladen County: +0.5%Pitt County: +4.1%Yancey County: +2.7%Stanly County: +7.4%Harnett County: +9.3%Wilkes County: +0.5%Tyrrell County: +8.8%Pamlico County: +1.9%Hoke County: +6.0%Transylvania County: +2.5%Carteret County: +3.8%Durham County: +6.5%Anson County: +1.8%Pender County: +15.6%Alamance County: +6.7%Polk County: +4.9%Lenoir County: +0.5%Washington County: -3.0%Avery County: -0.0%Hyde County: +1.5%Gates County: -1.4%Davie County: +5.8%Jackson County: +7.4%Montgomery County: +2.5%Martin County: -2.0%Pasquotank County: +2.9%Perquimans County: +3.4%Cleveland County: +2.3%Sampson County: +2.3%Catawba County: +3.8%Alleghany County: +4.5%Robeson County: +2.3%Macon County: +4.4%Clay County: +8.0%Haywood County: +1.3%Duplin County: +3.8%Henderson County: +3.6%Craven County: +2.6%Warren County: +2.6%Graham County: +1.7%Union County: +9.9%Wayne County: +2.2%Gaston County: +5.9%Guilford County: +3.7%Yadkin County: +2.0%Watauga County: +1.0%Rowan County: +4.4%Swain County: -1.1%Chatham County: +9.4%Bertie County: -4.4%Halifax County: -2.9%Forsyth County: +4.1%Onslow County: +3.8%Dare County: +3.1%Chowan County: +1.3%Brunswick County: +20.9%Johnston County: +14.9%Orange County: +6.4%Currituck County: +13.6%New Hanover County: +7.5%Richmond County: -1.7%Vance County: -0.5%Iredell County: +9.9%Lincoln County: +12.0%Caldwell County: +0.2%McDowell County: +1.6%Rutherford County: +1.9%Mitchell County: +0.9%Moore County: +8.1%Columbus County: -0.8%Lee County: +8.1%Greene County: +1.1%Madison County: +5.0%Camden County: +7.5%Hertford County: -12.0%Beaufort County: -0.3%Jones County: +3.5%Wake County: +9.0%Nash County: +3.0%Surry County: +0.2%
Change 2020 to 2024
  1. < +0.5%
  2. < +2.3%
  3. < +3.7%
  4. < +7.4%
  5. ≥ +7.4%
no data

Orange pin: Madison County internal point. Dark pin: Raleigh.

Internal point

Decimal
35.864200, -82.712600
DMS
35°51'51.12"N 82°42'45.36"W
UTM
17N 345376.0E 3970240.5N
Geohash
dnmhjbfs0
Plus code
867VV77P+MX

Towns in Madison County

One incorporated place of 1,000+ people has residents in Madison County, 2,208 people together, or 10% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Madison County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Mars Hill with 2,208.

  1. 01Mars Hill2,208
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Madison County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 6 neighbors for Madison County, including 3 across a state line. The most populous is Buncombe County, NC, with 279,210 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Raleigh and the nearest big city

Raleigh is 228.3 miles E of Madison County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Knoxville, TN (population 198,722), 69.6 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Greeneville, TN (population 15,979), 21.8 miles away.

Madison County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Madison County is 37115: state code 37 for North Carolina plus county code 115. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $59,505.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Madison County, North Carolina?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 22,352. That is up 1,057 people (5.0%) from the July 2020 estimate of 21,295.

What is the FIPS code of Madison County?

37115. The first two digits (37) are North Carolina; the last three (115) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Madison County?

Mars Hill, with 2,208 residents inside Madison County in 2024.

Which counties border Madison County?

6 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Buncombe County, NC; Greene County, TN; Haywood County, NC; Cocke County, TN; Yancey County, NC; Unicoi County, TN.

Sources and data as of

Data as of: Census Vintage 2024 population estimates, 2024 Gazetteer land area and internal points, SAIPE 2023 median household income.

  1. 01Census Vintage 2024 county population estimates
  2. 02Census 2024 Gazetteer, counties
  3. 03Census SAIPE 2023 state and county estimates
  4. 04Census Vintage 2024 subcounty population estimates
  5. 05Census 2024 county adjacency file
  6. 06Census 2024 cartographic boundary file, counties (1:5,000,000)

How every number is computed: methodology. Spotted a wrong figure? Report an error.