Living in Madison, MS
Small city in Mississippi
Madison is a small city in Mississippi, home to about 28,000 people, with 350,000 living within 31 mi. Day to day, a car is essential. Life moves at a slow, calm pace, and homes are mostly houses with yards.
Is Madison a good place to live? Pros and cons
👍 Pros
- Safe: violent crime is 0.1× the US rate (FBI 2019)
- Affordable housing: a typical 3-bedroom home is about $305k and rents for $1,540 a month
- Strong public schools: test results well above the US average
- Low taxes: about $803 state income tax per resident, 0.76% property tax
👎 Cons
- Fewer outdoor escapes: no big hills or water close by
- Smaller job market: about 350,000 people live within 31 mi
- No dog parks within 9 mi
- Quieter on culture: few museums and attractions nearby
Whether it's a good place for you depends on what you value. Take the quiz to see how Madison ranks against your own priorities.
Key facts
Living in Madison: common questions
What is the cost of living in Madison?
A typical 3-bedroom home is worth about $305k, and a 3-bedroom rents for about $1,540 a month including utilities. Overall living costs are below the US average (index 89, where the US is 100).
What are taxes like in Madison?
Mississippi collects about $803 in state income tax per resident, and homeowners here pay about 0.76% of their home's value in property tax each year.
Is Madison safe?
Violent crime is well below the national rate (0.1× in FBI 2019 data).
How are the schools in Madison?
Public schools in Madison test well above the US average in math and reading (2018–19 state tests, put on one national scale with NAEP), with about 14 students per teacher.
What is the weather like in Madison?
Madison has mild winters: winter days average around 60°F and summer days around 92°F.
Does Madison get natural disasters?
Natural disaster risk is moderate, mainly from flooding, tornadoes and cold waves: 11 federally declared disasters have hit the county since 2000, and FEMA expects about 1.31 deaths or injuries per 100,000 residents a year.
What is the nearest major airport to Madison?
The nearest major airport is MSY, about 171 mi away.
How Madison scores
Each bar compares Madison with the other 1,990 places in Best Life Fit Me. A dot shows where it sits between two ends, such as major metro and small town; neither end is better. Coloured bars run from poor (red) to excellent (green).
Places like Madison
These places have the most similar overall profile across all 24 aspects.
The circle is each place's all-round score out of 100: the average of its 15 quality scores, from red (poor) to green (excellent).
Nearby
See all the best places to live in Mississippi.
Is Madison right for you?
Answer 27 quick questions and see how it ranks against your priorities.