Madison County, Illinois Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Madison County, IL 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 average
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B
Income Around averageWealthier than 76% of counties in Illinois
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C
Education Below averageBetter educated than 83% of counties in Illinois
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Madison County | Illinois Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 264,024 | 12,692,444 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 356.5 | 219.1 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -0.13% | -0.16% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 40.3 | 37.4 | 37.3 |
| Households | 110,085 | 5,035,584 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Madison County declined by 1.1% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 264,024 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Madison County is Millennials, aged 29–44, at 20.9% of residents. That is 1.0 points below Illinois as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 53,987 20.4% -0.8 pts
- Millennials 29–44 55,100 20.9% -1.0 pts
- Gen X 45–60 54,505 20.6% +0.3 pts
- Boomers 61–79 48,809 18.5% +1.6 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 Illinois, 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 51.1% of the people living in Madison County and men 48.9%.
- Women 51.1% Illinois 50.6%
- Men 48.9% Illinois 49.4%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Madison County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Madison County has a the economy index of B, which means it is quite prosperous.
| Metric | Madison County | Illinois Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $75,869 | $84,042 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.02% | 4.46% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 4.6% | 5.8% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Madison County is about 10% lower than in Illinois.
Housing
| Metric | Madison County | Illinois Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $116,579 | $149,936 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,024 | $1,274 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 74.2% | 67.1% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Madison County is about 9.5 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,024 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Madison County spend about 45 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 189 hours, about 7.9 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Madison County | Illinois Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 22.7 | 23.6 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 45.4 | 47.3 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 189 | 197 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $5,864 | $6,104 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 12.7% | 15.9% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 8,223 | 7,977 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 1,813 | 1,547 | 1,355 |
Fastest commutes among counties in
Illinois:
Edgar County (12.0 min), Brown County (12.7 min), Morgan County (13.1 min).
Slowest:
Calhoun County (43.8 min), Pulaski County (31.2 min), Pope County (31.0 min).
The average commute time in Madison County is 23 minutes, shorter than the 24 minutes in Illinois.
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
Madison County has a education index of C, which means it is somewhat educated.
| Metric | Madison County | Illinois Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 27.2% | 34.1% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.35 | 2.46 | 2.53 |
Highest education index among counties in
Illinois:
DuPage County (0.4), Champaign County (0.4), Lake County (0.4).
Lowest:
Hardin County (0.2), Fayette County (0.2), Perry County (0.2).
Health
Madison County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Madison County | Illinois Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 76.4 | 77.9 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 15.0% | 15.6% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 19.3% | 19.2% | 19.0% |
Highest health index among counties in
Illinois:
DuPage County (0.8), Champaign County (0.8), Monroe County (0.8).
Lowest:
Alexander County (0.8), Pulaski County (0.8), Gallatin County (0.8).
Madison County, IL Compared With Nearby Counties
Madison County, IL is the largest of the 4 counties compared here, 264,024 residents against a local median of 44,343. There is no headline here. Every measure below sits within 15% of the median across the nearest counties, which makes Madison County, IL an unremarkable member of its own neighbourhood rather than an outlier in it.
The largest of those small differences is median home price, 4% below the local median at $116,579 against $121,433. Madison County, IL has the 3rd highest median home price of the 4 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Madison County, IL | 264,024 | $75,869 #2/4 | $116,579 #3/4 | 22.7 min #2/4 |
| St. Clair County, IL | 253,661 | $73,876 | $121,433 | 21.4 min |
| Macoupin County, IL | 44,343 | $72,437 | $69,312 | 23.2 min |
| Jersey County, IL | 21,266 | $78,198 | $129,386 | 22.8 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Madison County, Illinois.
What is the population of Madison County, Illinois?
About 264,024 people live in Madison County, Illinois, in 110,085 households of 2.3 people on average. The median age is 40.3, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 3 years.
How densely populated is Madison County, Illinois?
Averaged over its land area, Madison County, Illinois has 356 people per square mile, a density typical of a mix of suburbs, small towns and farmland. That is about 4.1 times the U.S. average of 86.
Can a typical household afford a home in Madison County, Illinois?
The median home costs 1.5 times the median household income ($116,579 against $75,869), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $1,024 a month takes about 16% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
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