Madison ranks #5 in Florida for affordability
Madison is ranked on 29 lists against the 635 Florida towns with 2,500+ residents. It makes the top 10 on 1 and the top quarter on 4.
Steadier prices than 99% of Florida
Not better or worse, just Madison’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
The lists Madison does best on
Each list ranks every FL town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Madison marked.
Madison lands in the top half on 5 of 18 lists
Each dot is Madison’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in FL, the right end is last. Areas where Madison does best come first.
2 spots from the top 3 for affordability
Lists where Madison sits just outside a milestone, and what it would take to get in.
Where Madison lands in every FL ranking
38 lists from Census, school, health, library, crime, climate and land data. Tap any list to see every town on it.
Cost of living
Most affordable#1 Silver Springs · 0.4 yrs
#5
Cheapest rent#1 Chattahoochee · $613/mo
#18
Lowest property tax#1 Silver Springs · $199/yr
Rent easiest to afford#1 Milton · 23.2%
Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Tierra Verde · 58.9%
#357
Most trails#1 Lely · 6.3 mi / sq mi
Most walkable#1 West Miami · 544 / sq mi
#177 Health
Healthiest#1 Bay Hill · 98 / 100
#625
H
Lowest obesity#1 Highland Beach · 20%
#610
Fewest smokers#1 Pelican Bay · 5%
#616
N
Most active#1 Nocatee · 15%
#606
Fewest uninsured#1 Longboat Key · 4%
#499
Lowest depression#1 Olympia Heights · 12%
#380
Closest to a top hospital#1 Fernandina Beach · 0.2 mi
#631 
People
Most educated#1 Indian River Shores · 79.3%
#578
F
Youngest#1 Florida Gulf Coast University · 19.5
#23
Oldest#1 Timber Pines · 74.8
#613
Most residents 65+#1 The Villages · 85.2%
#554
Most kids#1 Wauchula · 39.3%
#25 Getting around
P Shortest commute#1 Pensacola Station · 9.7 min #621
Climate
Mildest winters#1 Key West · 64.8°
#540
Hottest summers#1 Ave Maria · 92.7°
#204
Coolest summers#1 Key Largo · 89.0°
#365
Longest growing season#1 Arcadia · 324 days
#101
Wettest#1 Destin · 64 in
#216 Housing
Vacation-home towns#1 Lower Grand Lagoon · 57.1%
#495
Most new homes#1 Westlake · 146.3 per 1,000
Fastest-rising home prices#1 West Little River · +102.6%
#517
Housing hasn't kept up#1 Miami Shores · 63.2 per home
Libraries
Most-used libraries#1 North Miami Beach · 20.3 per resident
Most library borrowing#1 Winter Park · 17.4 per resident
Safety
Safest#1 Gulf Breeze · 4.8
The number on the right is Madison’s spot. All of Florida’s rankings, with the map → · National lists and other states: all rankings.
Do the numbers ring true?
The lists count what can be counted. Neighbors know the rest.
Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
- 2,500+ residents. Census estimates for smaller towns carry margins of error too wide to rank fairly, so they sit out every FL list.
- One town, one row. A city that is both a city and a town in Census data, or a village inside a town, is counted once.
- Ties share a rank. Towns on one weather station, one school district or one CDC estimate share a figure, so they share a spot (T).
- No “worst” lists. Lists rank toward the good end, and share cards are made only for the top half. Age, snow and the like are character, not grades.
U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-year, 2010 and 2020 censuses, Building Permits Survey), U.S. Department of Education, FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, CDC PLACES, Medicare Care Compare, IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FHFA House Price Index, NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020, USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. Each list explains its own method.