Madison County, Florida

County Distress Index: Serious · 67.6 | 18,519 people · 20th most distressed in Florida
American Default Research

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Madison County, FL shows significant household financial distress with a score of 67.6 — 336th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Income & Poverty, where poverty rates are high and household incomes lag well behind state and national medians. Within Florida, it ranks 20th of 67 counties. Among its 7 neighboring counties, 5 show more distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Madison County's primary driver is Income & Poverty at 87.8 — worse than roughly 88% of U.S. counties.

Income & Poverty Primary driver 87.8
Poverty Rate 85
Income vs. State Median 92
Child Poverty Rate 86
Community Vulnerability 71.5
Uninsured Rate 78
Disability Rate 66
Debt & Delinquency 67.0
Debt in Collections 88
Medical Debt 45
Student Loan Delinquency 70
Auto Loan Delinquency 95
Credit Card Delinquency 61
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 43
Employment & Wages 60.9
Unemployment Rate 93
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 77
Business Formation Rate 13
Housing Cost Burden 50.6
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 51
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 35
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 26
Homeownership Rate 62
Rent-to-Income Ratio 79

Scores are percentile-based: 50 = national median, higher = more distressed. The median line is shown on each bar.

Neighbors and Peers

How Madison County compares to its 7 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Madison County
Madison County, FL 67.6 Serious —
Brooks County, GA 74.0 Serious +6.4
Hamilton County, FL 69.3 Serious +1.7
Jefferson County, FL 67.8 Serious +0.3
Taylor County, FL 67.8 Serious +0.3
Lowndes County, GA 67.7 Serious +0.1
Suwannee County, FL 66.5 Serious -1.1
Lafayette County, FL 66.2 Serious -1.4

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Madison County
Pike County, OH 67.6 Serious +0.0
Evangeline Parish, LA 67.5 Serious -0.0
Carroll County, TN 67.6 Serious +0.0
Bienville Parish, LA 67.5 Serious -0.1
Toombs County, GA 67.5 Serious -0.1

Download Data

Export all distress indicators for Madison County as a CSV file.

Find Help in Madison County

Find an Attorney

The Florida Bar — Lawyer Referral Service offers a lawyer referral service for bankruptcy, foreclosure defense, and consumer rights.

The Florida Bar — Lawyer Referral Service 1-800-342-8011

Free Legal Aid

Legal aid organizations serving Madison County residents at no cost.

Florida Rural Legal Services (FRLS) 1-239-334-4554
Legal Services of Greater Miami (LSGMI) 1-305-576-0080
Coast to Coast Legal Aid of South Florida 1-954-736-2400
Community Legal Services of Mid-Florida (CLSMF) 1-800-405-1417
Bay Area Legal Services 1-800-625-2257
Legal Services of North Florida 1-850-385-9007
Three Rivers Legal Services 1-866-256-8091

Self-Help Resources

The Florida Bar — Foreclosure Crisis Help for Consumers Official Florida Bar resource page for homeowners facing foreclosure, including information on finding an attorney, legal aid referrals, and understanding the foreclosure process.
Florida Courts — Residential Mortgage Foreclosure Cases Florida Supreme Court page with information on residential mortgage foreclosure cases, including links to administrative orders, mediation resources, and the Managed Mediation program.
Florida AG — Resources Available to Distressed Homeowners Florida Attorney General's office page with resources for distressed homeowners, including information on mortgage fraud, foreclosure rescue scams, and how to file complaints.
Florida LawHelp Statewide legal aid directory connecting Floridians with free legal information and local legal aid providers for foreclosure prevention and other civil legal needs.

American Default Research does not endorse, rate, or rank any provider. Verify attorney credentials with your state bar.

Need legal help? Find a foreclosure defense attorney in Florida →

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Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is the distress score for Madison County, Florida?

    Madison County has a County Distress Index score of 67.6 out of 100, placing it in the Serious zone. It ranks 336th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 20th in Florida out of 67 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Madison County?

    The primary driver of distress in Madison County is Income & Poverty, where the county scores 87.8 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Poverty Rate, Income vs. State Median, Child Poverty Rate.

  • How does Madison County compare to neighboring counties?

    Madison County (67.6) can be compared to its 7 neighboring counties: Brooks County, GA (74.0); Hamilton County, FL (69.3); Jefferson County, FL (67.8).

  • How is the County Distress Index calculated?

    The County Distress Index uses percentile-rank averaging across five domains: Debt & Delinquency, Income & Poverty, Housing Cost Burden, Employment & Wages, and Community Vulnerability. Each county's indicators are ranked against all 3,144 U.S. counties. A score of 50 means the county is at the national median; higher scores indicate greater distress.

  • What is the population of Madison County?

    Madison County, Florida has a population of approximately 18,519 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a small county.