Housing study breaks down Madison County’s demographic data

Regional planning is the focus of the state’s Department of Economic and Community Development as West Tennessee communities prepare for expected growth from the single largest investment in the state dubbed as BlueOval City (BOC). Ford Motor Co. and SK On are preparing for its 2025 roll-out of Ford’s electric truck line - T3. SK On will produce batteries for the vehicles assembled in Stanton, Tenn. The $5.6 million project is expected to create nearly 6,000 direct jobs at the West Tennessee Megasite in Haywood County.

To prepare for future growth as a result of direct and indirect jobs, housing studies are examining current and future populations in an eight-county region surrounding BOC. Counties included are Madison, Crockett, Fayette, Hardeman, Haywood, Lauderdale, Shelby and Tipton. Younger Associates of Jackson was tasked with compiling housing-study data for Madison County, which is being used as a resource for stakeholders in the county.

The following are a handful of datasets from the 80-page study pertaining to countywide demographics. The full report can be found online at westtnplanning.tn.gov, a resource created by TNECD to house regional demographics relevant to housing, population and transportation plans.

Information was gathered in 2022 for Madison County’s housing study.

• When looking at the different races that live within Madison County, white people make up 56.26 percent of the population at 55,699. Black people make up 37.72 percent of the population at 37,345. There are 1,160 Asians, making up 1.17 percent. Those listed as “Some Other Race” make up 2.43 percent with 2,409 people. Those who are Two or More races make up 2.13 percent of the population at 2,114 people.
• There are more women than men residing in Madison County. Females make up 52.59 percent of the population, numbering 52,068, while men number 46,931, making up 47.41 percent.
• There are 88,537 residents who speak only English, while 3,272 speak Spanish as their primary language at home.
• Those who are between the ages of 55-64 hold a slight majority of the population at 13,017 (13.15 percent). Those ages 25-34 numbered at 12,465 (12.59 percent), while those who are between 45-54 number 11,469 (11.59 percent).
• The average age of a Madison Countian is 40.2 years.
• There are 34,435 (42.58 percent) married residents and 32.88 percent (26,595) who have never married.
• Of those who are married with children, 6,583 households own their own homes. Married without children households who do not own their home numbered 10,960.
• The majority of property owners whose houses are valued between $100,000 to $149,999 numbered 6,331. There are 4,647 property owners whose homes are valued between $200,000 and $299,999. There are 3,929 people whose homes are valued between $150,000 and $199,999.
• There are 25,637 (66.47 percent) households in the county with no resident under age 18. 
• Madison County shows 22,757 (34.14 percent) people with a high school diploma or GED. Those with some college, but no degree, number 14,220 (21.33 percent). Those with a bachelor’s degree numbered 10,936 (16.4 percent).
• Households earning between $50,000 and $74,999 in annual income make up 20.54 percent of the population at 7,923. There are 5,127 (13.29 percent) households earning between $35,000 and $49,999. Those with an annual income of less than $15,000 make up 13.35 percent of the population at 5,147 households.
• Asian households have the highest earning income, averaging $88,226.50 annually. Those who are two or more races are the second highest earners at $68,528 annually. White households earn, on average, $60,948.36 annually. Those who are Native American/Pacific Islander earn, on average, $53,621.61 annually. Black households have a median annual income of $37,218.85.
• There were 22,300 families in 2022 in Madison County whose incomes were considered at or above poverty level. Of those, 8,641 have children.
• Of ages 16 and older, 25,618 had white-collar employment, while 10,856 worked at blue-collar jobs.
• Madison County had 36,848 people ages 16 and older who drive alone to work. There were 3,823 people who carpooled. Madison County had 1,426 who worked from home. There were 244 who used public transit to get to work and 493 who reportedly walked to their jobs in 2022.
• Of the employment sectors, there were 30,381 people who worked for a for-profit, private business; 4,429 people who work for non-profit, private agencies and 3,645 who were self-employed.
• When looking at Madison County’s population by ancestry, those who reported “unclassified” ancestry numbered 36,493 while those who listed their ancestry as “other” numbered 32,229. Those who reported their ancestry as US/American numbered 6,415. Those of Irish descent numbered 5,491; English descent was numbered at 5,155; German descent numbered 4,092 and those who have Sub-Saharan African descent numbered 2,102.