Madison County is a county in Mississippi, United States, on the northern edge of the Jackson metropolitan area. It had a population of 109,145 at the 2020 census and covers 742 square miles (1,920 km2) centred near 32°38′N 90°02′W.
Canton is the county seat and its postal code is 39046. The county has four incorporated cities, one town, one census-designated place, and several unincorporated communities. Madison County sits in the Central time zone and carries FIPS code 28089.
Towns & Villages in Madison County
Madison County has four incorporated cities (Canton, Madison, Ridgeland and Gluckstadt), one incorporated town (Flora), one census-designated place (Kearney Park), and several unincorporated communities. Type key: CDP = census-designated place; Unincorp. = unincorporated community.
| Place | Type | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canton | City · seat | 10,948 | 39046 |
| Madison | City | 27,747 | 39110 |
| Ridgeland | City | 24,340 | 39157 |
| Gluckstadt | City | — | — |
| Flora | Town | — | — |
| Kearney Park | CDP | — | — |
| Camden | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Farmhaven | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Livingston | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Sharon | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Vernon | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Way | Unincorp. | — | — |
Gluckstadt is one of the newest cities in Mississippi, incorporated in 2018 out of unincorporated Madison County land along the I-55 corridor. A small part of the city of Jackson crosses into the southwestern corner of Madison County, but Jackson’s seat of government and the bulk of its population lie in neighboring Hinds County, so it is not listed as a Madison County place above. Beatties Bluff, once a trading post on the old Pearl River channel, survives today only as a historic site rather than an active community.
ZIP Codes
- 39046 — Canton
- 39110 — Madison
- 39157 — Ridgeland
Flora, Gluckstadt and the county’s smaller unincorporated communities share ZIP codes with nearby post towns rather than having their own; those specific ranges are not confirmed here.
Geography
Madison County lies on gently rolling land in the Jackson Prairie and loess-hill transition zone of central Mississippi. The old channel of the Pearl River, before it was dammed to form the 33,000-acre Ross Barnett Reservoir, runs along the county’s southeastern edge, and the reservoir itself forms part of the boundary with Rankin County. Of the county’s 742 square miles, 715 square miles are land and 27 square miles are water.
Madison County borders six other Mississippi counties: Attala County to the north, Leake County to the east, Scott County to the southeast, Rankin County to the south, Hinds County to the southwest, and Yazoo County to the west.
Demographics
Madison County had 109,145 residents at the 2020 census, making it one of the more populous counties in Mississippi. Madison (27,747) and Ridgeland (24,340) are its two largest communities, followed by Canton (10,948). Median household income in the county runs well above the Mississippi median of $54,203, driven by the Madison and Ridgeland suburbs. With 715 square miles of land, the county’s overall density works out to roughly 153 people per square mile, though density varies sharply between the suburban south and the more rural north around Canton and Flora.
Economy & Local Life
The Nissan Canton Vehicle Assembly Plant, which opened in May 2003 just outside Canton, is the county’s largest single employer, with several thousand workers building vehicles including the Nissan Altima and Frontier. Madison and Ridgeland anchor the county’s retail and office economy along the I-55 corridor, including the Renaissance at Colony Park development in Ridgeland. Canton’s historic downtown square, built around its 1855 courthouse, hosts the twice-yearly Canton Flea Market, one of the largest outdoor markets in the South.
History
Madison County was organized on January 29, 1828, and named for James Madison, the fourth president of the United States. Canton was laid out as the county seat soon after and takes its name from the Chinese city of Canton (Guangzhou), reportedly chosen because early settlers considered the site as far from the state capital as Canton was thought to be from the rest of the world. Beatties Bluff, on the county’s early frontier, was the site of a slave-insurrection panic in 1835 that led to a wave of hangings across central Mississippi. The completion of the Ross Barnett Reservoir in the 1960s reshaped the county’s southeastern edge and set off decades of suburban growth toward Jackson.
Getting There
Interstate 55 runs the length of the county north-south through Madison, Ridgeland and Gluckstadt, with Interstate 220 clipping the county’s southwestern corner near Jackson. U.S. 49 and U.S. 51 and Mississippi Highways 16, 17 and 22 also cross the county, along with a stretch of the Natchez Trace Parkway.
- Jackson — 15 miles south
- Yazoo City — 25 miles west
- Philadelphia — 45 miles east
- Kosciusko — 35 miles north
Jackson-Medgar Wiley Evers International Airport, just south of the county line in Rankin/Hinds counties, is the nearest commercial airport.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Madison County, Mississippi?
It is in west-central Mississippi, just north of Jackson, bordered by the Ross Barnett Reservoir on its southeast edge.
What is the population of Madison County?
109,145 at the 2020 census.
How big is Madison County?
742 square miles (1,920 km2), of which 715 square miles are land.
What is the county seat of Madison County?
Canton is the county seat.
How many towns and cities are in Madison County?
Four cities (Canton, Madison, Ridgeland, Gluckstadt), one town (Flora), one census-designated place (Kearney Park), and several unincorporated communities.
What ZIP codes are in Madison County?
Canton is 39046, Madison is 39110, and Ridgeland is 39157.
What is Madison County’s largest employer?
The Nissan Canton Vehicle Assembly Plant, which has employed several thousand workers since it opened in 2003.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Mississippi.