About one in 14 people in Madison County, Idaho, has a disability
In Madison County, 7.2% of people reported a disability. That is lower than in 99% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 69% of U.S. counties.
What drives Madison County's score
In Madison County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 68.7. Late payments on loans are the lowest part, at 9.3. About one in four people (25.9%, Q2 2026) has a subprime credit score, a lower share than in 95% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Madison County: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each part is scored from 0 to 100, and a higher score means worse off than other counties.
Even so, Madison County is worse off than most counties on people below the poverty line (24.3%, 2024) and rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (24.9%, fiscal year 2027).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 68.7 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorRenters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent18.9% · 2020 to 202454th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income24.9% · fiscal year 202782nd percentile
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- 56.0 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.8% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202639th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working24.7% · 2020 to 202472nd percentile
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- 47.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line24.3% · 202495th percentile
- Children below the poverty line15.4% · 202440th percentile
- People with a disability7.2% · 2020 to 20240th percentile
- People without health insurance4.9% · 2020 to 202417th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$55,940 · 202480th percentile
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- 12.2 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector11.1% · August 20256th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people67.8 · 202518th percentile
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- 9.3 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind3.3% · August 202515th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind2.5% · August 20258th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score25.9% · second quarter of 20264th percentile
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Sources: Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey; U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and Census income; 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 Sep 2026.
Where the money in Madison County comes from
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, 5.4% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Madison County
Idaho
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Madison County had its largest rise, from 18.2% in 2004 to 22.6% in 2009.
In Madison County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 22.6% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In Madison County, Idaho, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 22.6%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Madison County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 13.5% in 2021 to 11.6% in 2022.
The share of households in Madison County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2020 and has since fallen by about a third
Low on the chart: 7.4% in 2009. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Madison County, Idaho.
How Madison County has changed
Madison County's population had its largest rise, from 43,377 in 2014 to 51,896 in 2019.
Madison County's population grew to about four times its 1969 size in 2024, reaching 55,549, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1984 to 1989, reaching 23,498. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Madison County, Idaho.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Madison County more than doubled to 17,803, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1995 to 2000, reaching 10,586. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Madison County, Idaho.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.4% | 2025 3.7% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 16.3% | 2024 24.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $26,555 | 2024 $55,940 |
The table uses 3.7% for 2025; the score uses 3.8% for the latest year (Oct 2025 to Sep 2026), both from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Madison County's history
2018
A flood in March 2018 did $1.28 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 52,913, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1976
5 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Madison County, 2 of them for flooding. FEMA
Madison County beside its neighbors
Madison County scores higher than all four counties that border it. For the share of income from benefit checks, Madison County ranks 2nd of the five; Fremont County is highest, at 24.8%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Madison County, ID | 30 | 24.3% | 22.6% |
| Bonneville County, ID | 21 | 8.2% | 18.8% |
| Fremont County, ID | 18 | 11.3% | 24.8% |
| Jefferson County, ID | 9 | 8.5% | 17.8% |
| Teton County, ID | 3 | 7.5% | 12.0% |
Distress score: American Default Research, County Distress Index, data through Sep 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 Idaho?
Yes, Madison County's poverty rate was 24.3% in 2024, the highest of 44 counties in Idaho (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Madison County ranks 20th of 44 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Madison County
Housing counselors approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development work at nonprofit agencies. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau describes free foreclosure-avoidance counseling, including help with mortgage-company conversations and available options Source CFPB.
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Idaho Legal Aid Services, Inc.
Legal aid
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Idaho Volunteer Lawyers Program
Legal aid
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HUD-approved housing counselors
Our help directory lists 1,010 agencies approved for foreclosure counseling, 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 Sep 2026, built from Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. The County Distress Index is American Default Research's own calculation; the Urban Institute does not produce or endorse it. Our methodology
- Urban Institute · Debt in America Breno Braga, Signe-Mary McKernan, Samantha Atherton, and Kassandra Martinchek, "Debt in America," last updated November 20, 2025, https://datacatalog.urban.org/dataset/debt-america-2025. Licensed under ODC-By 1.0.
- Rent on a two-bedroom and household income The rent share compares HUD fair market rent for fiscal year 2027 with Census Bureau median household income for 2024. The page calls this the typical household's income.
- 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.