Madera County, California Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Madera County, CA Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
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B
Health Around averageLess healthy than 84% of counties in California
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D
Income Well below averageLess wealthy than 89% of counties in California
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F
Education Well below averageAmong the 5 least educated counties in California
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Madera County | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 161,170 | 39,245,658 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 74.8 | 239.4 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.62% | 0.19% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 33.4 | 35.5 | 37.3 |
| Households | 45,546 | 13,531,619 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Madera County grew by 11.3% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 161,170 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Madera County is Gen Z, aged 13–28, at 23.7% of residents. That is 2.0 points above California as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 38,227 23.7% +2.0 pts
- Millennials 29–44 35,071 21.8% -1.9 pts
- Gen X 45–60 28,852 17.9% -2.0 pts
- Boomers 61–79 23,297 14.5% -0.8 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below California, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 51.0% of the people living in Madera County and men 49.0%.
- Women 51.0% California 49.9%
- Men 49.0% California 50.1%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Madera County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Madera County has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Madera County | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $76,645 | $99,161 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 6.65% | 5.57% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 10.1% | 6.6% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Madera County is about 23% lower than in California.
Housing
| Metric | Madera County | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $403,165 | $650,794 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,390 | $2,036 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 67.5% | 55.9% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Madera County is about 24.2 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,390 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Madera County spend about 47 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 195 hours, about 8.1 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Madera County | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 23.4 | 23.5 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 46.8 | 47.0 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 195 | 196 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $6,048 | $6,065 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 9.7% | 17.2% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 13,674 | 16,509 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 2,127 | 2,449 | 1,355 |
Fastest commutes among counties in
California:
Inyo County (11.1 min), Mono County (12.0 min), Del Norte County (12.1 min).
Slowest:
Alpine County (31.3 min), San Benito County (31.2 min), Contra Costa County (31.0 min).
The average commute time in Madera County is about the same as in California.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
Madera County has a education index of F, which means it scores poorly in education.
| Metric | Madera County | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 15.6% | 33.0% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 3.43 | 2.84 | 2.53 |
Highest education index among counties in
California:
Marin County (0.5), San Francisco County (0.4), Santa Clara County (0.4).
Lowest:
Colusa County (0.2), Merced County (0.2), Glenn County (0.2).
Health
Madera County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Madera County | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 77.9 | 79.6 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 20.6% | 16.4% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 15.8% | 13.9% | 19.0% |
Highest health index among counties in
California:
San Francisco County (0.8), San Mateo County (0.8), Santa Clara County (0.8).
Lowest:
Lake County (0.8), Imperial County (0.8), Tulare County (0.8).
Madera County, CA Compared With Nearby Counties
Madera County, CA is the 3rd largest of the 4 counties compared here, 161,170 residents against a local median of 290,118. Madera County, CA's median home price, at $403,165, runs 16% above the $347,704 typical of the counties around it.
The counties themselves spread $85,616 on median home price, so Madera County, CA sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Madera County, CA has the 2nd highest median home price of the 4 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Madera County, CA | 161,170 | $76,645 #2/4 | $403,165 #2/4 | 23.4 min #4/4 |
| Fresno County, CA | 1,016,723 | $74,148 | $428,895 | 20.9 min |
| Tuolumne County, CA | 54,498 | $77,597 | $347,704 | 18.5 min |
| Merced County, CA | 290,118 | $66,042 | $343,279 | 20.7 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Madera County, California.
What is the population of Madera County, California?
About 161,170 people live in Madera County, California, in 45,546 households of 3.4 people on average. The median age is 33.4, so residents are younger than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 4 years.
How densely populated is Madera County, California?
Averaged over its land area, Madera County, California has 75 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is close to the U.S. average of 86.
How affordable is housing in Madera County, California?
The median home costs 5.3 times the median household income ($403,165 against $76,645), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $1,390 a month takes about 22% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
Is it hard to find a job in Madera County, California?
Unemployment in Madera County, California is 10.1%, well above the U.S. rate of 5.2%, so job seekers may face more competition than elsewhere.
How common is a college degree in Madera County, California?
15.6% of adults in Madera County, California hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 6), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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