United States › North Carolina
Madison County, North Carolina
Population 21,867 · Mars Hill, Marshall, Hot Springs
- Overall cost of living: −3.5% vs the US average, higher than 82% of US counties.
- Violent crime: 0.3 per 1k, lower than 95% of US counties.
- Avg commute: 33 min, higher than 92% of US counties.
Cost & Housing
| Overall cost of living (vs US avg) | ≈−3.5% | higher than 82% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Shared figure for the whole Asheville, NC metro area. Prices are published for areas, not single counties. | ||
| Median home price | $284,600 | higher than 78% of US counties |
| Median rent | $780 | lower than 72% of US counties |
| Electric bill | $179/mo | higher than 56% of US counties |
| Child care (preschool) | $5,662/yr | lower than 86% of US counties |
| Property tax rate | 0.48% | lower than 85% of US counties |
| Sales tax | 4.75% | lower than 70% of US counties |
| State income tax | 4.5% | lower than 55% of US counties |
| Property tax paid / yr | $1,362 | lower than 62% of US counties |
Jobs & Career
| Median household income | $58,531 | lower than 71% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate | 4.7% | higher than 73% of US counties |
| Job growth (5 yr) | +2.3% | higher than 59% of US counties |
| Jobs per 1k residents | 154 | lower than 86% of US counties |
| Profession jobs per 1k residents | N/A |
Climate & Environment
| Sunny days / yr | ≈212 days | lower than 52% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Regional estimate: satellite grid cell about 100 km across. Nearby counties can share it. | ||
| July high | 84°F | lower than 69% of US counties |
| January low | 26°F | higher than 58% of US counties |
| Annual snowfall | 26 in | higher than 67% of US counties |
| Hot days (90°F+) | 13 days | lower than 76% of US counties |
| Freezing days (32°F or colder) | 122 days | higher than 58% of US counties |
| Severe drought | 10.8% of weeks | higher than 60% of US counties |
| Summer dew point | ≈62.5°F | lower than 55% of US counties |
| ≈ Regional estimate: NASA grid cell about 50 km across, read at where the county’s people live. Nearby counties can share it. | ||
| Annual precipitation | 44.4 in | higher than 55% of US counties |
| Disaster damage per $100k | $143/yr | higher than 57% of US counties |
| Flood damage per $100k | $123/yr | higher than 82% of US counties |
| Hurricane damage per $100k | $0.58/yr | higher than 61% of US counties |
| Earthquake damage per $100k | $4.7/yr | higher than 66% of US counties |
| Tornado damage per $100k | $5.7/yr | lower than 62% of US counties |
| Wildfire damage per $100k | $1.8/yr | higher than 65% of US counties |
| PM2.5 air pollution | 6.4 µg/m³ | lower than 80% of US counties |
| Distance to coast | 267.1 mi | higher than 61% of US counties |
| Terrain relief | ≈2,762.5 ft | higher than 88% of US counties |
| ≈ Estimated from about 75 elevation points sampled across the county, so the true range is usually somewhat larger. | ||
Education & Health
| % Adults with a high school diploma | 90.5% | higher than 51% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| % Adults with a bachelor's degree | 32.2% | higher than 81% of US counties |
| % Adults with a graduate degree | 11.1% | higher than 76% of US counties |
| Colleges within 30 mi | 9 | higher than 82% of US counties |
| Student-teacher ratio | 12.3:1 | lower than 73% of US counties |
| On-time high school graduation | 96% | higher than 91% of US counties |
| 8th-grade math (grade level) | gr 7.86 | higher than 52% of US counties |
| 8th-grade reading (grade level) | gr 7.76 | lower than 53% of US counties |
| 3rd-grade math (grade level) | gr 3.35 | higher than 88% of US counties |
| Library visits per resident | 4.9 | higher than 89% of US counties |
| Primary care docs / 100k | 60/100k | higher than 67% of US counties |
| Hospitals within 25 mi | 2 | lower than 60% of US counties |
| Hospital quality (avg stars) | 3.3★ | higher than 56% of US counties |
| Life expectancy | 75.4 yrs | lower than 52% of US counties |
| % Uninsured (under 65) | 10.6% | higher than 59% of US counties |
| Mental health providers / 100k | 219/100k | higher than 66% of US counties |
| Dentists / 100k | 27/100k | lower than 73% of US counties |
| Lyme disease cases | 30.4/100k | higher than 86% of US counties |
| % Near parks or rec facilities | 88.4% | higher than 87% of US counties |
Transit & Connectivity
| Airport drive time | 58 min | higher than 51% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Int'l airport drive time | 107 min | lower than 51% of US counties |
| Avg commute | 33 min | higher than 92% of US counties |
| Broadband coverage | 83.3% | lower than 75% of US counties |
| Transit commute share | 0.1% | lower than 55% of US counties |
| Work-from-home share | 10.7% | higher than 67% of US counties |
| Drive to a big city | 148 min | higher than 60% of US counties |
| Street intersections | 5 per sq mi | lower than 83% of US counties |
Community & Safety
| Violent crime | 0.3 per 1k | lower than 95% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Property crime | 3.3 per 1k | lower than 82% of US counties |
| Population | 21,867 | lower than 55% of US counties |
| Median age | 44.5 | higher than 75% of US counties |
| Net domestic migration | +15.7 per 1k/yr | higher than 90% of US counties |
| % Democratic vote | 37.5% Dem | higher than 69% of US counties |
| % Republican vote | 61% Rep | lower than 70% of US counties |
| % Third-party vote | 1.4% | higher than 55% of US counties |
| % White | 91.2% | higher than 80% of US counties |
| % Hispanic or Latino | 3.6% | lower than 63% of US counties |
| % Black | 1.1% | lower than 62% of US counties |
| % Asian | 0.5% | lower than 55% of US counties |
| % American Indian & Alaska Native | 0.1% | lower than 50% of US counties |
| % Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander | 0% | the lowest in the US |
| % Two or more races | 2.7% | lower than 72% of US counties |
| % Some other race | 0.7% | higher than 84% of US counties |
Recreation & Lifestyle
| Parks & protected areas | 223 parks | higher than 78% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurants / 10k | 8.7 | lower than 86% of US counties |
| Arts & rec venues / 10k | 5 | higher than 77% of US counties |
| Drive to dark skies | 78 min | higher than 83% of US counties |
| Lakes & rivers | 0.4% | lower than 75% of US counties |
| Ski areas within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Golf courses within 30 mi | 14 | higher than 55% of US counties |
| Marinas & boat tours within 90 mi | 33 | higher than 71% of US counties |
| Trails (km) within 30 mi | 1,212 km | higher than 88% of US counties |
| Named paved greenways (km) within 15 mi | 1 km | lower than 51% of US counties |
| Gyms & fitness centers within 30 mi | 52 | higher than 77% of US counties |
| Bars within 30 mi | 69 | higher than 80% of US counties |
| Music & theater companies within 30 mi | 14 | higher than 85% of US counties |
| Museums within 30 mi | 6 | higher than 75% of US counties |
| Breweries within 30 mi | 43 | higher than 96% of US counties |
| Wineries within 30 mi | 8 | higher than 88% of US counties |
| Theme parks & arcades within 90 mi | 56 | higher than 82% of US counties |
| Casinos & casino hotels within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Campgrounds & RV parks within 30 mi | 17 | higher than 94% of US counties |
| Sports teams & arenas within 90 mi | 37 | higher than 67% of US counties |
| Bike paths (km) within 15 mi | 5 km | lower than 55% of US counties |
Most similar counties
Closest across all well-covered metrics.
Every number is from a public dataset; N/A means the source doesn't cover this county. Percentages compare against all US counties. ≈ marks a value not measured in the county itself; the line under it says where it comes from. Report bad data