Unemployment in Madison County, Alabama, is lower than in 94% of U.S. counties
In Madison County, 2.6% of the labor force was out of work, on average (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Sep 2025 to Aug 2026). That is lower than in 94% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 61% of U.S. counties.
What drives Madison County's score
In Madison County, collections and bankruptcy is the highest-scoring part, at 69.5. Jobs are the lowest part, at 20.5. Unemployment averaged 2.6%, Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, lower than in 94% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index combines five things we measure for every county: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each gets a score from 0 to 100; the higher the score, the worse off the county is compared with others.
Even so, Madison County is worse off than most counties on bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (249.6, 2025).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Madison County ranks among all 3,144 U.S. counties on that measure, as a percentile: the share of counties it is higher than. A longer bar means more trouble.
- 69.5 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector24.2% · August 202553rd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people249.6 · 202585th percentile
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- 58.2 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.7% · August 202569th percentile
- People with a credit card behind5.3% · August 202547th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score25.4% · Q4 202557th percentile
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- 42.2 of 100
Housing costs
HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027; renters, 2020–24 Census survey
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income18.0% · fiscal year 202722nd percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent20.1% · 2020 to 202462nd percentile
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- 26.0 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line11.8% · 202421st percentile
- People with a disability13.8% · 2020 to 202429th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$89,197 · 202411th percentile
- People below the poverty line9.6% · 202419th percentile
- People without health insurance7.7% · 2020 to 202448th percentile
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- 20.5 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working18.3% · 2020 to 202435th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average2.6% · Sep 2025 to Aug 20265th percentile
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Sources: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and U.S. Census Bureau income; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; Urban Institute, Debt in America; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. County Distress Index by American Default Research, from data through Aug 2026.
Where the money in Madison County comes from
The Bureau of Economic Analysis adds up all the income that reaches the people of a county and splits it three ways: pay from work, income from investments and rent, and benefit checks.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Madison County
Alabama
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Madison County in 2024, pay from work was 62 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 21 cents. Benefit checks were 17 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks have grown from 4 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In Madison County, benefit checks rose from 4 to 17 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Madison County, Alabama: 17.3% and 62.1% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 17.3% of all personal income in Madison County, Alabama (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAINC4).
Benefit checks are Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid paid on people's behalf, veterans' benefits, and food and income support, so a high share usually means an older population, low pay, or both. In Madison County, 15.7% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Madison County has changed
The number of people living in Madison County more than doubled between 1969 and 2024, from 182,485 to 423,355. The number of jobs located there grew by about 72% from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 4.8% in 1990 to 2.4% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 182,485 | 2024 423,355 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 133,980 | 2024 229,807 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.8% | 2025 2.4% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 11.0% | 2024 9.6% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $33,565 | 2024 $89,197 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 4.4% | 2024 17.3% |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices. We don't chart the distress score over time because it compares counties at one moment.
Dated events in Madison County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 388,153, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
1808
Founded December 13, 1808. Wikipedia
1974
Tornado: nine deaths. NOAA Storm Events Database
1984
Thunderstorm wind: 11 deaths. NOAA Storm Events Database
1989
Tornado: $250 million in property damage, 21 deaths. NOAA Storm Events Database
1989
Tornado: $250 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1973
21 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Madison County, 6 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Madison County beside its neighbors
All six counties that border Madison County, in Alabama and Tennessee, score higher than it does. Of the group, Madison County gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; Jackson County gets the largest, at 30.7%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jackson County, AL | 66 | 17.0% | 30.7% |
| Morgan County, AL | 60 | 15.2% | 25.3% |
| Marshall County, AL | 58 | 15.9% | 26.0% |
| Lincoln County, TN | 51 | 12.1% | 26.8% |
| Franklin County, TN | 45 | 12.0% | 27.4% |
| Limestone County, AL | 39 | 10.3% | 18.8% |
| Madison County, AL | 38 | 9.6% | 17.3% |
Distress score: American Default Research, County Distress Index, data through Aug 2026; each county scored against all 3,144. Poverty rate: Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024. Benefit checks: Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024. Neighbors share a border, from Census county maps.
Is Madison County the poorest county in Alabama?
No, Madison County's poverty rate was 9.6% in 2024, 66th highest of 67 in Alabama (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is Bullock County, at 36.7%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Madison County ranks 66th of 67 in the state.
Madison County in photographs
Places in Madison County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Community cotton gin owned and operated by negroes in Madison County, Alabama in 1923.
Photo: U.S. Department of Agriculture via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
Madison County, Alabama: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Madison County, Alabama?
9.6% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in 10 people. Among children it was 11.8%.
Is Madison County the poorest county in Alabama?
No, Madison County's poverty rate was 9.6% in 2024, 66th highest of 67 in Alabama (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is Bullock County, at 36.7%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Madison County ranks 66th of 67 in the state.
What is the population of Madison County, Alabama?
About 423,355 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 388,153, the most of any census.
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
We rank every U.S. county on 14 federal measures of money trouble, grouped into five equally weighted parts, and average them. The published score is the share of the other 3,143 counties with a lower average. The methodology lists every measure and its source.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Madison County
A U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development-approved housing counselor works at a nonprofit agency approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The counseling to avoid foreclosure is free, and a counselor can help you talk to your mortgage company and understand what it offers, according to the Consumer Financial Protection BureauSourceCFPB.
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Community Action Partnership, Huntsville/madison & Limestone Counties, Inc
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Family Services Center, Inc.
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Nid-hca Madison
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Legal Services Alabama
Legal aid
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Alabama State Bar Lawyer Referral Service
Legal aid
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HUD-approved housing counselors
Counseling to avoid foreclosure is free. Our help directory lists 1,313 approved agencies by state.
The score, its 14 measures and their sources, in one file. Free to use with credit to American Default Research.
Download the CSV for Madison County · Every U.S. county (CSV)
Sources and method
- American Default Research · County Distress Index Data through Aug 2026, built from HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; Urban Institute, Debt in America; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. Our methodology
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4) · income shares Where the money in Madison County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.