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Cost of living, pay and housing

41.28° N · 72.60° W · GEOID 0944630

Madison Center

Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, Connecticut · part of the Hartford, CT metro

Computed by Citytistics from 13 public sources · Data bundle checked 2026-11-14 · How we calculate

Limited data population under 5,000, core figures borrowed from county or metro: median_gross_rent

ConnecticutMadison Center, CTMadison CenterMadison Center

The short answer

Madison Center is home to 1,981 people. Median household income is $178,194 a year and median rent is $1,454 a month, 9.8% of income (a ratio of two medians, not any one household's burden). Rent pressure is lighter than in most places. The median home is valued at $841,800, about 4.7x annual median household income.

Median gross rent
$1,454
7% above the median place
Median household income
$178,194
122% above the median place
Median home value
$841,800
164% above the median place
Unemployment
3.8%
21% below the median place

Compared with the median of the 6,645 places we track. The bundle was checked 2026-11-14; each measure may refer to an older release.

What stands out about Madison Center

  • Between the 2019 and 2024 surveys, household income rose 23.3% a year while rent rose 8.3%, so pay gained on rent more than in 99% of the 2,476 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the lowest of 65 Connecticut places.
  • The median rent takes only 9.8% of the median household's income, a smaller share than in 98% of places its size. It is the lowest of 65 Connecticut places.
  • The median resident is 60.4 years old, older than in 98% of places its size. It is the highest of 65 Connecticut places.
  • 73% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, a larger share than in 96% of places its size.
  • The median household earns $178,194 a year, more than in 95% of places its size.

Rent is light relative to pay, but the county has a FEMA natural hazard risk score of 84 out of 100. Budget for insurance before counting the savings.

Many people here skip the commute entirely: 27% work from home, which keeps total commuting time lower than in 71% of places.

01

Moving to Madison Center

Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region gains about 0.5 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in7,787
Moved out7,716
Net+71

Where people come from and where they go, top counties

Capitol Planning Region, CT2,0461,847+199
South Central Connecticut Plannin, CT1,5741,100+474
Southeastern Connecticut Planning, CT656727−71
Naugatuck Valley Planning Region, CT437354+83
Western Connecticut Planning Regi, CT166116+50
Greater Bridgeport Planning Regio, CT116
Suffolk County, MA94
New York County, NY87

Within Connecticut, other states or abroad

Arrivals
Leavers
Within ConnecticutOther statesAbroad

Income per tax return

Arrivals$87K
Leavers$88K

People on tax returns who moved between counties, from IRS migration data, 2022 to 2023. Figures are for all of Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region; flows under 20 returns are not published.

Who moves here
7.5% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 2.4% from another state.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region report $86,600 a year in income on average; those leaving, $88,400.
Income you would need
$58,200 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $1,454 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $3,481 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $841,800.
Getting to work
25 minutes each way on average; 27.2% work from home; 1.1% take transit.
If it is close but not quite
North Star, DE matches it on character. Compare the two
Moved here in the past year1
7.5%
30% above the median place
Income of households moving out6
$88,409
26% above the median place
Income of households moving in6
$86,604
23% above the median place
All 5 moving measures
MeasureMadison CenterAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year17.5%30% above
Moved from another state1County figure2.4%19% above
Net movers per 1,000 people6County figure0.5above (median -0.6)
Income of households moving in6County figure$86,60423% above
Income of households moving out6County figure$88,40926% above
02

What it costs to live here

Rent to income is 9.8%, 52% below the median place.

Madison Center9.8%
Typical place20.4%

Share of the median household income that goes to the median rent. Above 30% is the usual stress line.

Income needed to rent
$58,160
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
9.8%
52% below the median place
Home price to income
4.7x
24% above the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
10%
comfortably under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$158,600
a year
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Madison Center, $1,454 a month, and local prices for everything else (101.2 against a US average of 100). It runs in your browser and stores nothing.

Like Madison Center, but easier on the budget

Close matches on income, rent, home value, education and age, where rent takes a clearly smaller share of income.

PlaceRent to incomeMore left a year
Basking Ridge, NJ3.5% vs 9.8%n/aCompare

Moving from somewhere else? Work out the salary you would need in Madison Center.

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Madison Center? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Vacant homes1
21.8%
208% above the median place
Median home value1
$841,800
164% above the median place
Property tax paid (median)1
$10,001
206% above the median place
All 14 cost and housing measures
MeasureMadison CenterAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1County figure$1,4547% above
Rent to income19.8%52% below
Home price to income14.7x24% above
Prices vs US average2Metro figure102.82% above
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3County figure$1,93320% above
Property tax paid (median)1$10,001206% above
Median home value1$841,800164% above
Home prices, 1-year change4County figure5.6%75% above
Home prices, 5-year change4County figure60.3%17% above
Homeownership161.2%8% below
Renters paying 30%+141.6%18% below
Owner costs with a mortgage1$3,48186% above
Vacant homes121.8%208% above
Median year built119671% below
03

Work and pay

Income per person is $110,957, 177% above the median place.

Income per person1
$110,957
177% above the median place
Median household income1
$178,194
122% above the median place
Works from home1
27.2%
118% above the median place
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasureMadison CenterAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$178,194122% above
Income per person1$110,957177% above
Unemployment1County figure3.8%21% below
Average annual pay5County figure$73,24111% above
Pay growth, 1 year5County figure4.1%11% above
Jobs5County figure74,36751% below
Poverty rate18.2%24% below
Mean commute125 min2% above
Works from home127.2%118% above
Commutes by transit1County figure1.1%35% above
04

Who lives here

Median age is 60.4, 55% above the median place.

Median age1
60.4
55% above the median place
Bachelor's or higher1
73.3%
129% above the median place
Household size1
2.0
19% below the median place
All 8 people measures
MeasureMadison CenterAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population11,9816646th largest
Median age160.455% above
Bachelor's or higher173.3%129% above
High school or higher197.9%6% above
Household size12.019% below
Born abroad1County figure8.2%7% below
No health insurance1County figure3.3%48% below
Homes with broadband192.9%1% above
05

Life in Madison Center

Out the door, against the typical place

Parks per 10k residents35.3 3.5×
Playgrounds per 10k40.4 4.3×
Grocery stores per 10k10.1 4.8×
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k65.6 5.9×
Libraries per 10k10.1 11.6×
Named paths and bike trails0 km −100%
Bus and rail stops per sq mi1.5 7.0×

Mapped by volunteers in OpenStreetMap inside the city limits (Census boundaries), so coverage is fuller in some places than others. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.

Businesses per 10,000 residents (county figures)

Restaurants and bars25.7 +24%
Shops38.0 +25%
Arts, recreation and fitness7.1 +73%
Doctors' offices and clinics19.1 −5%
Child care centers2.8 +22%

Counts businesses with paid staff, so small owner-run shops are not included.

Students per teacher9
11.2
27% below the median place
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k7
7.1
73% above the median place
Restaurants and bars per 10k7
25.7
24% above the median place
All 15 schools and local life measures
MeasureMadison CenterAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools9County figure57above (median 9)
Public school students9County figure19,075290% above
Students per teacher9County figure11.227% below
Restaurants and bars per 10k7County figure25.724% above
Shops per 10k7County figure38.025% above
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k7County figure7.173% above
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k7County figure19.15% below
Child care centers per 10k7County figure2.822% above
Parks per 10k835.3247% above
Playgrounds per 10k840.4329% above
Grocery stores per 10k810.1376% above
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k865.6above (median 11.2)
Libraries per 10k810.1above (median 0.9)
Named paths and bike trails80.0below (median 2.0)
Transit stops per sq mi81.5above (median 0.2)
06

Safety, weather and risk

Heat wave risk is 42.2, 53% below the median place.

No crime figure yet. Either the city police department did not report to the FBI for the latest year, or our monthly fetch has not reached Madison Center. Larger places are fetched first.

Heat wave risk10
42.2
53% below the median place
Tornado risk10
43.3
47% below the median place
Natural hazard risk10
83.8
9% below the median place
All 7 weather and risk measures
MeasureMadison CenterAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Natural hazard risk10County figure83.89% below
Hurricane risk10County figure87.724% above
Tornado risk10County figure43.347% below
Wildfire risk10County figure43.629% below
Heat wave risk10County figure42.253% below
Median air quality index11Metro figure422% below
Good air days11Metro figure66.6%3% below
08

Madison Center in 2030: where the trends point

If recent trends hold, the median rent will take about 12% of the median income in 2030, down from 13% now.

Citytistics projections to 2030: each figure's own trend, blended with the typical trend across the places we rate, eased toward long-run US growth and carried forward from the latest release. The range is where 80% of places landed when we tested the same method on past releases.

MeasureLatest2030 projectionLikely rangeAvg. per year
Median rent$1,914/mo (2024)$2,530/mo$2,080 to $3,080/mo+4.8%
Median household income$178,194 (2024)$251,000$212,000 to $297,000+5.9%
Median home value$841,800 (2024)$1,201,000$872,000 to $1,655,000+6.1%

The median home would be worth 4.8 years of the median income in 2030, against 4.7 now.

A projection of recent trends, not a prediction of the economy or advice to buy or sell. How we project.

09

Places like Madison Center

The closest matches on income, rent, home value, education and age, and the places nearby.

PlaceRentIncome
North Star, DE$1,479$150,733Compare
Margate City, NJ$1,347$121,800Compare
Ashton-Sandy Spring, MD$1,369$174,063Compare
Marblehead, MA$1,764$182,132Compare
Marblehead, MAAshton-Sandy Spring, MDMargate City, NJNorth Star, DEMadison Center, CTMadison CenterAshton-Sandy SpringMarbleheadMadison CenterAshton-Sandy Spring

Common questions

Is Madison Center a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. Between the 2019 and 2024 surveys, household income rose 23.3% a year while rent rose 8.3%, so pay gained on rent more than in 99% of the 2,476 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the lowest of 65 Connecticut places. The median rent takes only 9.8% of the median household's income, a smaller share than in 98% of places its size. It is the lowest of 65 Connecticut places. On cost, space and class size it scores 44 out of 100 for families. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Madison Center expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 9.8% of the median household income, against 20.4% in the typical place we track. Housing is a lighter load here than usual. The median home is valued at $841,800.

What salary do you need to live in Madison Center?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $58,160 a year. Work it out from your current city.

What places are similar to Madison Center?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are North Star, DE, Margate City, NJ, Ashton-Sandy Spring, MD and Marblehead, MA.

Sources and methods

The small numbers beside each measure point here. Every dataset is public; links go to the publisher.

  1. American Community Survey 5-year estimates · US Census Bureau · 2020 to 2024 estimatesTables B01002, B01003, B05002, B07003, B08013, B08301, B15003, B17001, B19013, B19301, B23025, B25002, B25003, B25010, B25035, B25064, B25070, B25077, B25088, B25103, B28002, S2701
  2. Regional Price Parities · US Bureau of Economic Analysis · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  3. Fair Market Rents · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2027
  4. House Price Index · Federal Housing Finance Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  5. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages · US Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2025 annual averages
  6. SOI Tax Stats, county-to-county migration · Internal Revenue Service · Tax years 2022 to 2023Counts tax returns and the people on them; flows under 20 returns are suppressed.
  7. County Business Patterns · US Census Bureau · 2023 data
  8. OpenStreetMap · © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License (ODbL) · Map data as of 2026-11
  9. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  10. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps
  11. Air Quality System, annual AQI by county · US Environmental Protection Agency · 2025 dataAirData download files

Derived by Citytistics from the tables above: rent to income (B25064, B19013); home price to income (B25077, B19013).

What stands out compares Madison Center with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for Madison Center itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/madison-center-connecticut

Citytistics. “Madison Center, Connecticut.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/madison-center-connecticut/

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.