# Madison, Iowa — #488 of 3,144 counties

> Liberty Moving composite score 6.96 of 10. FIPS 19121. Population 16,971. v4 — beta, 30 October 2026, sourced values.

About 17,000 people live in Madison, Iowa. It ranks #488 of 3,144 counties for liberty, and #16 of 99 in Iowa. The combined sales tax is 7%, higher than in 56% of counties. Property tax takes about 1.25% of a home's value each year, more than in 84% of counties. Local government employs a smaller share of working residents than in 65% of counties. The homicide rate is lower than in 77% of counties. Life expectancy is about 78.9 years, longer than in 83% of counties. Air quality is better than in 61% of counties (a typical day's air quality index is 39), and flood and hurricane risk is lower than in 74% of counties. On this site's state scores, Iowa gets 6.91 of 10 for economic freedom, based on the Fraser Institute's ranking, and 10 of 10 for gun rights.

## Scores

| Factor | Level | Score (0–10) | Flag |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fraser Institute state ranking | state | 6.91 |  |
| 2A | state | 10.00 |  |
| Air quality | county | 6.10 |  |
| GOP + LP vote for President | county | 6.89 |  |
| Homicide rate | county | 10.00 |  |
| Sales tax | county | 3.64 |  |
| Property tax | county | 3.75 |  |
| Floods / hurricanes | county | 6.34 |  |
| Life expectancy | county | 8.90 |  |
| Government employees | county | 6.46 |  |
| Single-parent households | county | 9.00 |  |

"est" marks a derived or placeholder value with no published county figure.

## Neighbors

- #1059 Adair, Iowa — https://libertymoving.org/counties/19001.md
- #1396 Union, Iowa — https://libertymoving.org/counties/19175.md
- #740 Clarke, Iowa — https://libertymoving.org/counties/19039.md
- #1007 Warren, Iowa — https://libertymoving.org/counties/19181.md
- #1025 Dallas, Iowa — https://libertymoving.org/counties/19049.md

## Links

- Page: https://libertymoving.org/counties/19121
- Compare: https://libertymoving.org/compare?a=19121
- Methodology: https://libertymoving.org/methodology
- Sources and terms: https://libertymoving.org/privacy