Largest County by population not shuffled to top 2 on Alabama License Plates
Madison County is acounty located in the north central portion of theU.S. state ofAlabama. As of the2020 Census, the population was 388,153, and according to a 2023 population estimate the county has become the second-most populous county in Alabama after onlyJefferson County, home to Birmingham.[3] Itscounty seat isHuntsville.[4] Since the mid-20th century it has become an area of defense and space research and industry. The county is named in honor ofJames Madison,[5] fourthPresident of the United States and the first President to visit the state of Alabama. Madison County covers parts of the formerDecatur County. Madison County is included in the Huntsville, AlabamaMetropolitan Statistical Area.
Madison County was established on December 13, 1808, by the governor of theMississippi Territory.[1] It is recognized as the "birthplace" of the state ofAlabama, which was admitted to the Union on December 14, 1819.Huntsville was designated as the first capital of the new state.
For much of the county's history, its economy was based on agriculture, particularly cotton plantations, which were established across the uplands. These plantations and their owners' profits were dependent on the labor of enslaved African Americans before the Civil War. Madison County was one of the largestcotton-producing counties in the state.
Madison County was the largest county in Alabama in population from 1810 to 1840.[6][7] In the 1810 census alone, Madison County made up nearly half of the population in what would become Alabama, though this did not include Native American tribes and their people. By 1850 however it would lose the title and be the 7th due to its population growth having slowed down. The likely reason was due to Madison County having mainly relied on cotton with little to no other industries.[8]
Cotton remained important after the war. Most labor for cultivation was still provided by African Americans, but they worked as sharecroppers and tenant farmers. By the late 19th century, textile mills had been established around the county; they were restricted to white workers by theJim Crow practices of racial segregation. During the early 20th century, the economy continued to be largely agricultural, although textile mills expanded their production.
During World War II, the Army establishedRedstone Arsenal here as a chemical weapon manufacturing site, and the county attracted related industries. After the war, it became a center of new weapon and rocket development. In 1950, a group of exiled Germanrocket scientists, led byWernher von Braun, came to Redstone Arsenal fromFort Bliss, Texas in order to conduct research and development of new types of rockets.
By the 1960s, research expanded to rockets for space exploration. TheRedstone rocket was modified to launch the first two Americans into space. The US began to emphasize investment in theSpace Race, in order to compete with the Soviet Union during theCold War years and to increase scientific gains. This work in the defense and space industries has generated tens of thousands of jobs in the area, most of them private contractors working in these fields. The population of Madison County has risen from 72,903 in 1950 to an estimated 403,565 in 2022.
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 813 square miles (2,110 km2), of which 802 square miles (2,080 km2) is land and 11 square miles (28 km2) (1.4%) is water.[9]
As of the2020 census, there were 388,153 people, 157,770 households, and 101,684 families residing in the county.[15] Thepopulation density was 484.2 inhabitants per square mile (187.0/km2).
The median age was 38.3 years. 21.6% of residents were under the age of 18 and 15.5% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 95.2 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 93.0 males age 18 and over.[16][17]
82.9% of residents lived in urban areas, while 17.1% lived in rural areas.[18]
There were 157,770 households in the county, of which 28.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 28.4% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 30.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[16]
There were 169,820 housing units, of which 7.1% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 66.3% were owner-occupied and 33.7% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.3% and the rental vacancy rate was 7.7%.[16]
Madison County, Alabama – Racial and Ethnic Composition (NH = Non-Hispanic) Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
As of the2010 census, there were 334,811 people, 109,955 households, out of which 33.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them; 53.40% weremarried couples living together, 11.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.50% were non-families. Nearly 27.20% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45, and the average family size was 3.00.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 25.60% under the age of 18, 9.40% from 18 to 24, 31.50% from 25 to 44, 22.70% from 45 to 64, and 10.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.10 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $44,704, and the median income for a family was $54,360. Males had a median income of $40,779 versus $26,534 for females. Theper capita income for the county was $23,091. About 8.10% of families and 10.50% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 14.10% of those under age 18 and 9.60% of those age 65 or over.
As of the2000 census, there were 276,700 people, 109,955 households, and 75,319 families residing in the county. The population density was 344 people per square mile (133 people/km2). There were 120,288 housing units at an average density of 149 units per square mile (58 units/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 72.06%White, 22.78%Black orAfrican American, 0.77%Native American, 1.86%Asian, 0.06%Pacific Islander, 0.59% fromother races, and 1.89% from two or more races. Nearly 1.91% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race.
There are a number of private schools serving Madison County. These include Randolph School, Madison Academy, Westminster Christian Academy, Faith Christian Academy, and several others.
Madison County was formerly an overwhelmingly Democratic county as with most of the rest of Alabama, with only a narrow loss byAl Smith in1928 due to Prohibitionist anti-Catholicism[24] disrupting this trend until the 1960s. Even in 1964, the county nearly voted againstBarry Goldwater due to its opposition tothe Arizona Senator's privatization plans for theTennessee Valley Authority. However, since that time, the county has become solidly Republican, with the only national Democratic nominee to carry the county since 1960 being Deep South nativeJimmy Carter in 1976.
In the 2016 election,Gary Johnson had his best showing in the state, carrying 4.05 percent of the vote. The county is trending less Republican recently, 58.9% in 2004, 56.9% in 2008, 54.8% in 2016, and in 2020 the Republican margin of victory was the lowest since 1980. The county shifted right by 1% in 2024, compared to the state shifting right by 5%.
For Alabama counties supporting Donald Trump in 2016, it was the fourth narrowest margin, and in 2020 the third-narrowest afterConecuh andBarbour.
The governing body of the county is a commission. The commission is responsible for levying the county tax, establish, maintain, and discontinue county roads and bridges. The commission is also responsible for the county jail as well as the sheriff's department. The County Commission is composed of seven members. A Chairman is elected at-large by the county while each of the other six members is elected by their districts. Each commissioner serves a four-year term.[25] In 2020, Violet Edwards made history becoming the first black woman to be elected to the Madison County Commission.[26]
United States presidential election results for Madison County, Alabama[27]
^abA Digest of the Laws of the State of Alabama: Containing The Statutes and Resolutions in Force at the end of the General Assembly in January, 1823. Published by Ginn & Curtis, J. & J. Harper, Printers, New-York, 1828. Title 10. Chapter II. Page 80-81."By Robert Williams, Governor of the Mississippi Territory." (Internet Archive)
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