Madison, AL — Momentum Score, Home Values & Best-For

All states·Alabama·Madison

Madison County · Huntsville · population 64,029

Growing fast
Madison, AL
Image: Wikipedia · Madison, Alabama
OverviewCost of livingMoving guide
View watchlist →
70
Rising
Momentum score · 0–100

Where Madison stands

At or near all-time high. population growing 3.0% per year.

Median home $376,023
1-year +1.1%
5-yr CAGR +4.4%
vs 5-yr peak -0.2%
Population +3.0%/yr

Home value trajectory · last 10 years

Zillow ZHVI · monthly
peak 2022-08$376k$198k$263k$327k$392k201620182020202220242026

Lifestyle scores

🚶
Walkability
40/100
Car-dependent
Estimated from population density. Higher = denser, more amenities within walking distance.
🚉
Public transit
22/100
Transit limited
Curated list of major US transit systems + population-based estimate. Higher = real subway/rail/bus options.
💻
Remote work fit
88/100
Excellent for remote work
Composite of city size, housing cost, state tax structure, and region's remote-work track record.

Scores are heuristic estimates from population density, state, and known transit/walkable cities. Not based on a paid Walk Score / Transit Score API — see methodology for the formula.

Rent trajectory · last 5 years

Zillow ZORI · monthly
$1,474/mo$1,188$1,375$1,563202220242026

Home value vs rent · indexed to 100

Both rebased at first month of ZORI data (~2015)
Home valueRent124117100120202220242026

Rent vs buy

Price-to-rent ratio: 21.3
Lean rent

At a 21.3 price-to-rent ratio, the math is starting to lean toward renting in Madison. Owner-occupier ROI requires longer holds and the assumption that prices keep appreciating roughly at the rate of rent.

How the momentum score breaks down

methodology →
Home YoY
56 · w22%
Home 5-yr CAGR
61 · w22%
Distance from peak
89 · w18%
Population growth
90 · w16%
Rent YoY
58 · w12%
Home 10-yr CAGR
67 · w10%
Long thesis

Madison has held up across the cycle: home values at $376,023 with +4.4% 5-year CAGR. The bull case is structural — population, location, employer base — and holds even if next year's print is soft.

Short thesis

Madison's bear case is the boring one: the cycle is real and any market that's run hard can stall. Watch for slowing population growth, rising days-on-market, or builder discounts as the early warning signals.

About Madison

Madison is a city in Madison County, Alabama, with an estimated population of 64,029. It anchors the Huntsville metro area. The population has grown 3.0% per year on average between 2020 and 2024 — among the faster-growing communities in the state. The median home value in Madison is $376,023 as of 2026-04, up 1.1% over the last 12 months. Over the last five years, home values have averaged +4.4% annual growth, with prices at or near the 5-year peak. Rents in Madison average $1,474 per month, roughly flat year-over-year (+2.0%). The composite momentum score is 70 of 100 (Rising). The market is healthy with prices supported by underlying demand.

▲ Bull case

●People are voting with their feet: population growing 3.0% per year since 2020 — that’s faster than ~80% of US cities.
●Held the highs: currently -0.2% from the 5-year peak — this market refused to give back gains.

▼ Bear case

○Local nuance: city-level data smooths over neighborhood differences. School zones, HOA rules, and street-level character matter — visit before deciding.

About Madison (Wikipedia)

Madison is a city located primarily in Madison County, near the northern border of the U.S. state of Alabama. Madison extends west into neighboring Limestone County. The city is included in the Huntsville Metropolitan Area, the second-largest in the state, and is also included in the merged Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area. The population was 56,933 at the 2020 census. Madison is bordered by Huntsville on nearly all sides with some small unincorporated lands within Madison in Madison and Limestone counties.

Source: Wikipedia · this summary is contributed and licensed under CC-BY-SA.

City facts

MayorRanae Bartlett
Area30.694 sq mi
Elevation686 ft
Founded1818
Motto"Plant Your Roots"
Density2086/sq mi

Extracted from the Wikipedia infobox. Values may be slightly out of date relative to the latest sources.

Playbook

Buyer

You're not in a frenzy but you're not getting bargains either. Make a competitive offer with normal inspection terms. Don't lowball — the listing will move with or without you.

Seller

Price at fair market value; expect movement in 30-45 days. Don't get clever with terms (rent-back, contingencies) — buyers in a Rising market have options.

Investor

Appreciation tailwind exists but cash flow requires discipline on price. Run the numbers conservatively and confirm rent comps before committing.

Local safety & alerts

No active National Weather Service alerts for Madison County right now.

NWS active alerts (AL)Alabama Emergency ManagementHow to prepare (NWS)

Public-safety links are official .gov sources, not curated by us. Madison County routes NWS alerts; check the state EM portal for non-weather emergencies.

Cities like Madison

Tuscaloosa, AL70 · RisingCalera, AL71 · RisingChelsea, AL71 · RisingDaphne, AL69 · Rising

Run the numbers for Madison

ToolCan I afford Madison?Income → city shortlistToolROI on a Madison rentalCap rate, cash-on-cash, DSCRToolCompare Madison to anywhereSide-by-side up to 3 citiesToolMadison cost-of-livingEquivalent income elsewhere

Sources: Zillow ZHVI (home values), Zillow ZORI (rents), US Census ACS + place population. Updated when source agencies publish revisions.

Climate & natural-disaster risk

Winter (Jan)
56° / 36°
avg high / low
Summer (Jul)
91° / 71°
avg high / low
Sunny days/yr
215
~59% of year
Annual precip
58″ rain
1″ snow
Disaster risk (1=very low, 5=very high)
Hurricane
Moderate
Tornado
Very high
Wildfire
Low
Earthquake
Very low
Flood
High

State-level averages from NOAA Climate Normals (1991-2020) and FEMA National Risk Index. City-level conditions can vary significantly within a state.

Current weather

Loading current conditions…

7-day forecast on weather.gov →

Find rentals & listings

Open current Madison listings on the major real-estate sites.

Links open the live search on the destination site — results are always current.

Local news & community

Updated 2026-05-21 from Google News + Reddit RSS. Headlines link to original sources.

Local sports teams

Major professional teams the Huntsville area cheers for. Detailed stats, schedules, and player pages on intherafters.com.

Local economy & environment

Humidity
73%
Humid climate
Median household income
$56,900
Alabama state median
Top industries (state-level)
ManufacturingHealthcareRetail

Humidity is annual average relative humidity (NOAA). Income is Census ACS 5-year estimate. Industries are largest employment sectors statewide (BLS); the local mix in a given city may vary.

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