Madison County

General

Population:  35,337
Land area (sq. mi.):  572.62
Population per square mile:  62.1

Race and Age

Race  2020

White:  78.2%
African American:  1.1%
American Indian:  1.0%
Asian:  1.3%
Hispanic:  15.5%
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander:  0.0%
Two or More Races:  2.6%

Age  2020

0-17:  25.8%
18-64:  57.6%
65+:  16.6%

Households

Total households:  14,024  2020
With one child:  1,880  2022
With 2+ children:  2,640  2022
With seniors (65+):  3,410  2022

Socioeconomics

Personal income per capita:  $62,467  2021
% of Population in Poverty:  13.1%  2022
# of Housing Units:  15,094  2020
2023 housing unit building permits:  110
Owner-occupied rate:  66.0%  2020
Median home price:  $226,140  Q1 2024

Technology

Access to broadband (100 Mbps via fiber or cable modem):  89.2%  2021

Sources: National Association of Realtors, Nebraska Department of Revenue, Nebraska Legislature, Nebraska Library Commission, U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, U.S. Census Bureau (building permits), U.S. Census Bureau (demographics), U.S. Census Bureau (municipalities)

Employment, Schools, and Child Care

Unemployment rate:  1.9%  Sept. 2024

County Employment Website:  https://madisoncountyne.gov/employment/

High school graduate or higher:  92.4%  2020

School Districts:  Battle Creek Public Schools, Elkhorn Valley Schools, Humphrey Public Schools, Newman Grove Public Schools, Norfolk Public Schools

Bachelor's degree or higher:  23.8%  2020

Community College Service Area:  Northeast Community College

Countywide child care capacity:  75 providers; 2,371 children  2024

Find child care:  For a list of child care providers in your zip code, visit Nebraska DHHS or the Nebraska Resource and Referral System.

Madison County Economy

Annual Gross Domestic Product (GDP):  $2,981,311,000  2022

Nonfarm Small Business Receipts:  $396,788,778  2021

Nonfarm Wage Income:  $813,269,000  2021

Farm and Ranch Commodity Sales Receipts:  $432,780,000  2022

Farm and Ranch Operations (Non-Sales) Receipts:  $19,341,000  2022

• For components of nonfarm small business receipts, nonfarm wage income, and farm & ranch commodity sales and operations receipts, see "Notes" below.

Ethanol Plants (annual production capacity):  CIE Norfolk GNS (50 million gallons)

Grain Elevators by Location (bushels capacity):

• Battle Creek: Battle Creek (2,428,764), Farmers Pride (3,807,147)
• Bloomfield: Battle Creek (3,807,147)
• Enola: Agrex (3,555,000)
• Madison: Ochsner (1,159,906)
• Newman Grove: ADM (4,651,000), Battle Creek (2,263,677), Farmers Pride (capacity unknown)
• Norfolk: Norfolk Crush (5,500,000)
• (1 bushel = 56 lbs. corn/sorghum, 60 lbs. soybeans/wheat; % max. moisture = 18% beans, 15.5% corn, 14% sorghum/soybeans, 13.5% wheat)

Railroad Miles:  49.12 main, 37.54 side

• Places with Railroad Service:  Enola, Madison, Norfolk

Local Grain Market:  Click for today's grain prices in Madison County

Cattle Producers:  226

• Pastureland Cash Rent (avg.):  $60/acre  2024

Crop Producers:  284

• Dryland Cash Rent (avg.):  $210/acre  2024
• Irrigated Land Cash Rent (avg.):  $323/acre  2024

Dairy Producers:  2

Grain Co-ops and Purchasers:  Aurora Cooperative, CIE Norfolk GNS, Farmers Pride

Farmers Markets:  Norfolk Farmers Market - Riverpoint Square (Riverpoint Square - Tuesdays & Thursdays 4:30 - 6:30 p.m. and Saturdays 9:00 a.m. to Noon)

Electricity Providers:  City of Battle Creek, City of Madison, Elkhorn Rural PPD, Loup River PPD, Nebraska PPD, Stanton County PPD

Wind Turbines Operating (MW):  1 turbine (MW unknown)

Notes

• Nonfarm small business receipts are reported by partnerships and sole proprietorships. They do not include receipts reported by cooperative associations.
• Nonfarm wage income is reported based upon the wage earner's residential address; therefore, it also includes wages earned by Madison County residents in other counties or states, but it excludes wages earned in Madison County by residents of other counties or states.
• Nonfarm wage income excludes wages earned by anyone claimed as a dependent.
• Farm and ranch commodity sales receipts and operations receipts are reported based upon the farm or ranch owner's principal county of operations; therefore, those figures also include receipts reported by producers operating principally in Madison County for their production in other counties or states, but the figures exclude receipts reported for production in Madison County by producers operating principally in other counties or states.

Well Locations (Irrigation/Livestock), Soils, Groundwater & Surface Water

Total Irrigation/Livestock Wells:  1,272  2024

Irrigation/Livestock Wells per Square Mile:  2.22  2024

Surface Water Diversions (Irrigation):  74  2024

Click for real time:

Streamflow data on the Elkhorn River at Norfolk

Sources: National Agricultural Statistics Service (USDA), Nebraska Cooperative Council, Nebraska Coordinating Commission for Postsecondary Education, Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, Nebraska Department of Revenue, Nebraska Department of Transportation, Nebraska Office of the CIO, Nebraska Power Review Board, Nebraska Public Service Commission, U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. Energy Information Administration, U.S. Department of the Treasury (IRS), Warehouse and Commodity Management Division (USDA)

2023 Levies and Valuation

County levy rate:  $0.3654 per $100 of taxable valuation

County property taxes levied:  $18,695,251

Total local government property taxes levied:  $83,168,826

Total countywide taxable valuation:  $5,116,259,206

Click here for all levy rates in Madison County

County Levy and Taxation Laws

Levy limits

Since 1996, counties and other political subdivisions have been subject to the levy limits listed in Neb. Rev. Stat. § 77-3442 and Neb. Rev. Stat. § 77-3443.

Statutes and regulations

Nebraska Revised Statutes (Chapter 77)

Nebraska Administrative Code (Title 350)

Local tax reductions, exemptions, and credits

Neb. Rev. Stat. § 76-902(5)(a) (Deed "stamp tax" exemption): "The [stamp tax] shall not apply to: ... (5)(a) Deeds between spouses, between ex-spouses for the purpose of conveying any rights to property acquired or held during the marriage, or between parent and child, without actual consideration therefor."

Neb. Rev. Stat. § 77-201(2) (Valuation of agricultural land and horticultural land): "Agricultural land and horticultural land as defined in section 77-1359 shall constitute a separate and distinct class of property for purposes of property taxation, shall be subject to taxation, unless expressly exempt from taxation, and shall be valued at seventy-five percent of its actual value, except that for school district taxes levied to pay the principal and interest on bonds that are approved by a vote of the people on or after January 1, 2022, such land shall be valued at fifty percent of its actual value."

Neb. Rev. Stat. § 77-6703(1) (Tax credit for school district taxes paid): "(1) For taxable years beginning or deemed to begin on or after January 1, 2020, under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, there shall be allowed to each eligible taxpayer a refundable credit against the income tax imposed by the Nebraska Revenue Act of 1967 or against the franchise tax imposed by sections 77-3801 to 77-3807. The credit shall be equal to the credit percentage for the taxable year, as set by the department under subsection (2) of this section, multiplied by the amount of school district taxes paid by the eligible taxpayer during such taxable year."

Sources: Nebraska Department of Revenue

State Senator: Rob Dover (District 19)

Standing Committees (click for scheduled committee hearings): 

• Appropriations

Select Committees:

• LR135 Select Interim Committee

Special Committees:

• Statewide Tourism and Recreation Water Access and Resource Sustainability

Map and statistics for Legislative District 19

Map of all districts in the Nebraska Unicameral Legislature

Madison County History

Number of Registered Historic Places: 12

Year Authorized: 1867

Year Organized: 1867

Etymology: Madison, Wisconsin (in turned named for James Madison, 4th U.S. president)

     Madison County owes its German heritage to settlers who moved from Wisconsin to Nebraska after emigrating from Europe. History credits Herman Braasch and Frederick Wagner among the first European settlers to establish a community in the county, situated along the Elkhorn River. After surveying and finding the area rich with fertile soil and abundant water, the two pioneers departed for Wisconsin, intent on returning with their family and friends. However, when they returned in 1866, another pioneer group from Illinois had staked claims to the area. Disinclined to share the land with the one hundred-strong contingent from Wisconsin, the Illinois group sold their claims to Braasch and moved south to what would become the city of Madison. The German group, composed of two dozen families, drew lots and laid out claims for what would eventually become Norfolk, the northeast region’s biggest city.

     Although James Madison appears to be the namesake of the county and its seat, the most widely accepted historical accounts list Madison, Wisconsin, as the most likely eponym. The county was a notable destination for the Orphan Train Movement, a well-intentioned but also somewhat controversial program that placed orphaned and homeless children, as well as those of destitute families, with families across the Midwest in the early 1900’s. Madison County was also the childhood home of Richie Ashburn, a baseball player who played for the Philadelphia Phillies in the 1950's and later served as the team’s broadcaster. Though he played professional baseball, Ashburn would officiate high school basketball games in Madison County to stay in shape during the offseason.
 

Highlight an important program from your county in this space! Send an email to:

luke.bonkiewicz@nebraskacounties.org

Local Highlights

License Plate Number:  7

Time Zone:  Central

Number of Veterans:  1,913  2023

Zoned County:  Yes

Number of County-Owned Bridges:  230

Number of County-Owned Dams:  1

Election Data

General Election Turnout:  71.03%  2024

Total Registered Voters:  22,362  2024

Number of Precincts:  19  2022

Number of Election Day Polling Places:  14  2022

Land Area per Polling Place (avg.):  128.21 sq. miles

Intergovernmental Data

Emergency Mgt. Planning, Exercise and Training (PET) Region: Northeast

Natural Resource Districts: Lower Elkhorn NRD, Lower Platte North NRD

State Lands (acres): Oak Valley WMA (640), Yellowbanks WMA (663.71)

Sources: Nebraska Department of Transportation, Nebraska Emergency Management Agency, Nebraska Game & Parks Commission, Nebraska Legislature, Nebraska Office of the CIO, Nebraska Secretary of State, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, U.S. Election Assistance Commission, U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (eCFR)