County outline
Where Madison County is located
Area breakdown
Land accounts for 96.3% of Madison County’s measured area and water for 3.7%. Its combined area converts to 1,921.9 square kilometers or approximately 474,906 acres.
Green: land · blue: water
| Measurement | Square miles | Square kilometers | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land | 714.226 | 1,849.837 | 457,104.6 |
| Water | 27.814 | 72.038 | 17,801 |
| Total | 742.04 | 1,921.875 | 474,905.6 |
How Madison County compares
By original Census land area, Madison County ranks #15 of 82 in Mississippi and #1276 of 3,222 nationally. National rankings include the 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
Its land area is 1.26 times the Mississippi county-equivalent median of 567 square miles. It accounts for 1.5% of the combined county land area in the state.
See the complete Mississippi ranking · What counts as a county equivalent?
Population and density of Madison County
The Census Bureau estimates that 116,298 people lived in Madison County on July 1, 2025. That ranks #560 of 3,222 county equivalents nationally and #6 of 82 in Mississippi. Since the April 1, 2020 estimates base of 109,123, the population has grown by 7,175 (+6.6%), compared with −0.2% for Mississippi as a whole.
With 714.2 square miles of land, that is 163 people per square mile (63 per km²), placing Madison County #735 nationally for density and #8 in Mississippi. The median county equivalent has 47 people per square mile; the Mississippi median is 43. Put another way, there are about 3.9 acres of land per resident.
| July 1 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate | 109,237 | 109,987 | 111,692 | 113,053 | 114,915 | 116,298 |
| Change | — | +750 | +1,705 | +1,361 | +1,862 | +1,383 |
U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 population estimates. Estimates are revised each year and are not decennial census counts. Density divides the whole population by the whole county’s land area, so it describes an average, not how settlement is distributed within the county. Population sources and methods.
Cities and towns in Madison County
6 incorporated places lie at least partly in Madison County. Together they are home to 69,869 people (60.1%); the other 46,429 (39.9%) live outside any incorporated place, in unincorporated communities and rural areas.
The largest is Madison city, with 28,575 residents in the county. The county seat, Canton city, has 10,873 residents. By land, Jackson city is the largest at 111.7 mi² across all its counties. Among places with at least 1,000 residents in 2020, Gluckstadt city grew fastest since then (+13.9%).
| Incorporated place | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² |
|---|---|---|---|
| Madison city | 28,575 | +3% | 25.2 |
| Ridgeland city | 24,750 | +0.3% | 26.3 |
| Canton cityCounty seat | 10,873 | −0.5% | 21.3 |
| Gluckstadt city | 3,500 | +13.9% | 8.803 |
| Flora town | 1,677 | +1.5% | 3.296 |
| Jackson cityAlso in 2 other counties | 494 | 0% | 111.7 |
Population: U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 subcounty estimates, counting only the part of each place inside Madison County. Land: 2026 Census Gazetteer, for the whole place even where it extends into other counties. How communities are listed.
Metropolitan area
Madison County is a central county of the Jackson, MS Metropolitan Statistical Area. Its 8 county equivalents have 609,847 residents on 6,014.3 square miles of land; Madison County accounts for 11.9% of the land and 19.1% of the residents. By combined land it ranks #36 of 393 metropolitan areas, and #97 by population. It belongs to the Jackson-Vicksburg-Brookhaven, MS Combined Statistical Area.
| County equivalent | Population 2025 | Land mi² |
|---|---|---|
| Hinds County | 211,888 | 869.8 |
| Rankin County | 162,181 | 775.5 |
| Madison County | 116,298 | 714.2 |
| Scott County | 28,073 | 609.2 |
| Copiah County | 27,497 | 777.3 |
| Simpson County | 25,498 | 589.2 |
| Yazoo County | 22,947 | 922.3 |
| Holmes County | 15,465 | 756.7 |
ZIP codes
12 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Madison County; 6 of them have most of their land inside the county, and the others mainly cover neighboring areas.
390413904539046390513907139079391103914639157391743920939213
ZIP Code Tabulation Areas are the Census Bureau’s approximations of USPS ZIP Code service areas, from the 2020 Census relationship files. Lighter codes have less than half of their land in this county. Post-office-box and single-address ZIP Codes have no tabulation area.
Counties bordering Madison County
Madison County shares a land border with 6 county equivalents. It has more land than 2 of them. The largest neighbor is Yazoo County (922.3 mi²) and the smallest is Leake County (582.9 mi²). Together with its neighbors, Madison County forms a block of 5,209 mi² of land, of which it holds 13.7%.
| Bordering county equivalent | Land mi² | Size vs. Madison | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yazoo County | 922.3 | 1.3× larger | Compare |
| Hinds County | 869.8 | 1.2× larger | Compare |
| Rankin County | 775.5 | 1.1× larger | Compare |
| Attala County | 735 | about the same | Compare |
| Scott County | 609.2 | 1.2× smaller | Compare |
| Leake County | 582.9 | 1.2× smaller | Compare |
How big is Madison County compared with U.S. states?
Madison County has less land than any of the 50 states. Rhode Island, the smallest state by land area, has 1,033.9 mi², about 1.4 times as much. Mississippi’s county land could hold about 66 areas the size of Madison County.
Another way to picture it: the same land area would fill a square about 26.7 miles (43 km) on each side. Real county shapes are rarely square, so this is a scale reference rather than a width or driving distance.
State figures are the sums of each state’s county-equivalent land measurements in the same Census release, so states and counties are compared on the same basis. Published state totals can differ slightly because of rounding. Compare all states · Counties bigger than entire states.
What stands out about Madison County?
Madison County has more land than 1,946 of the other 3,221 county equivalents in the dataset.
A median is the middle county-equivalent measurement, not the average of the largest and smallest. All three bars use the same linear scale. Very small areas may appear as a thin sliver; the labels retain their values.
Does including water change its rank?
Using land plus water places Madison County at #1,295 nationally by total area, 19 places farther from the top than its land rank. Other county equivalents gain more area when their water measurements are included.
Its water share is 3.7%, compared with a national county-equivalent median of 1.2% — 2.6 percentage points higher. This describes the statistical geography’s land/water mix, not flood exposure or developable land.
Closest positions in the national land ranking
These entries sit immediately beside Madison County in the national ranking. They can be in different states and are not necessarily geographic neighbors.
| Land rank | County equivalent | Land mi² | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1275 | Lyon County, Minnesota | 714.4 | Compare |
| #1276 | Madison County, Mississippi | 714.2 | This county |
| #1277 | Crawford County, Iowa | 714.2 | Compare |
Calculated from the same Census release as the area table. Total-area order uses original ALAND + AWATER; water shares and chart labels use published square miles. Calculation details.
Representative coordinates
The Census internal point is 32.634370, -90.034160. It represents a location inside the geography; it is not necessarily the centroid or the address of a courthouse.
Source and precision
U.S. Census Bureau, 2026 Gazetteer Files, Counties. Original ALAND: 1,849,837,540 m²; AWATER: 72,038,681 m². Rankings use ALAND; exact ties use ascending GEOID. Tables preserve Census-published square miles to three decimals, with conversions based on those values.
Common questions
How big is Madison County?
Madison County, Mississippi has 714.2 square miles (1,849.8 km²) of land and 27.8 square miles of water, for a total area of 742 square miles. It ranks #1276 of 3,222 U.S. county equivalents by land area.
Is Madison County the largest county in Mississippi?
No. Madison County ranks #15 of 82 in Mississippi by land area. The largest is Yazoo County, with 922.3 square miles of land.
What counties border Madison County?
Madison County shares a land border with Yazoo County, Hinds County, Rankin County, Leake County, Attala County, and Scott County.
What is the population of Madison County?
The Census Bureau estimates Madison County had 116,298 residents on July 1, 2025, ranking #560 of 3,222 county equivalents. That is 163 people per square mile of land.
What is the county seat of Madison County?
The county seat of Madison County is Canton.
What cities and towns are in Madison County?
Madison County has 6 incorporated places. The most populous five are Madison city, Ridgeland city, Canton city, Gluckstadt city, and Flora town; 46,429 residents live outside any incorporated place.
Is Madison County part of a metropolitan area?
Yes. It is a central county of the Jackson, MS Metropolitan Statistical Area, which has 8 county equivalents and 609,847 residents.
How many ZIP codes are in Madison County?
12 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Madison County, and 6 of them have most of their land inside the county. Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas approximate USPS ZIP Code areas.
How does Madison County compare with U.S. states?
It has less land than every state. Rhode Island, the smallest, has 1.4 times as much land.
How many acres of land are in Madison County?
The land measurement converts to approximately 457,105 acres. Including water, total area is approximately 474,906 acres. One square mile equals 640 acres.
Why might another source show a different area?
Check whether it reports land or total area, its Census vintage, and its rounding. Our guide explains how to reconcile county area figures.
Can this establish a property boundary?
No. Statistical measurements and generalized maps do not establish property lines. Consult the relevant local surveying or land-records authority.