The county economy from official statistics, with source and year on every table.
Click any dot to open that city: jobs, pay, rent, commute, county economy and climate. Dot size follows population; colours follow the state flag.
By AtiveSite · Published 07/11/2026 · Updated 07/11/2026 · Every figure is linked to its source below.
Madison County is a county of Illinois with 264,238 residents. Its economy produced $16,575 million in 2024 (ranked #9 of 102 counties) and had 105,166 jobs with an average annual pay of $57,153 (#26 for pay). The unemployment rate was 3.4% in 2026M09. It is part of the St. Louis, MO-IL metropolitan area (central county).
Madison County produced about $16,575 million of goods and services in 2024, which is 1.4% of the combined output of the 102 counties of Illinois that BEA reports (about 2.1% of the state's population lives here), and ranks it 9th of 102 on that measure. Per resident that is $62,729, 31% below the state average; the average for all counties of the state taken together is $90,439. In current dollars output grew 6.9% from 2023 to 2024, before adjusting for inflation. The gap between its output rank (9th) and its output-per-resident rank (40th) shows that population is large relative to the value of what is produced here.
BLS counts 105,166 jobs located in Madison County on average in 2024, spread over 5,398 employer sites (about 19 jobs per site). That is 0.40 jobs for every resident, above the 0.33 of the typical county in Illinois, which tells you whether the county is a place people mostly commute to for work or a place they commute from. The average annual pay per job was $57,153, 24% below the average of all counties in the state ($57,153 against $75,660). Average pay is total wages divided by jobs, so it is pulled up by high earners and counts part-time jobs as whole jobs; it is not the pay of a typical worker. The number of jobs rose 1.6% from 2023 to 2024.
The three largest private industries are health care and social assistance (17.0% of private jobs, $60,070 a year on average), transportation and warehousing (13.5% of private jobs, $58,033 a year on average), retail trade (13.2% of private jobs, $37,015 a year on average). Together they hold 43.6% of private-sector jobs. Among industries with at least 3% of jobs, the best paying is professional and technical services at $99,884 a year, followed by manufacturing ($85,621). The county is specialised in several industries: transportation and warehousing (2.7 times the US share, 12,203 jobs); utilities (2.1 times the US share, 823 jobs). A location quotient above 1 means an industry employs a larger share of workers here than in the whole country, so these are the industries where local employers compete hardest for skills. Several of the biggest employers pay well below the county average: retail trade ($37,015), accommodation and food services ($22,457). Jobs there are plentiful but the pay is lower than the headline average suggests.
In 2026M09 the unemployment rate in Madison County was 3.4%, 19% below the average of the state's counties (3.4% against 4.2%). The labour force (people working or looking for work) numbered 132,941. Over the last 12 months it ranged from 3.4% (2026M09) to 4.6% (2025M11); the latest month is preliminary and BLS revises it. These county rates are not seasonally adjusted, so compare the same month across years.
The median household income was $75,793 (ACS 2020–2024), 9% below the state median ($75,793 against $83,390). The guide covers 4 cities with this as the main county: Granite City, Edwardsville, Alton, Collinsville. Open any of them for rent, home values, commuting and climate. Within the county, median rent runs from $834 in Granite City to $1,306 in Edwardsville, so where you live matters as much as which county you pick.
Counties close to Madison County in output are Peoria County, McLean County, Saint Clair County, McHenry County. Compare their jobs, pay and unemployment on their own pages.
| Measure ⇅ | Value ⇅ | Rank among the 102 counties of Illinois ⇅ |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 264,238 | 8 of 102 |
| GDP 2024 | $16,575 million | 9 of 102 |
| GDP per resident | $62,729 | 40 of 102 |
| Jobs (QCEW 2024) | 105,166 | 8 of 102 |
| Average annual pay | $57,153 | 26 of 102 |
| Job change vs 2023 | +1.6% | 36 of 102 |
| Unemployment rate (lower is better) | 3.4% | 27 of 102 |
| Median household income | $75,793 | 23 of 102 |
Federal jobs in Illinois (1,066) →All cities of IllinoisState guide: Illinois
These links go to official sources and open in a new window. The first one is the government's or company's own site as listed in Wikidata (property "official website"); check it before relying on it.
Cities of this guide whose main county is Madison County.
| City ⇅ | Population ⇅ | Median household income ⇅ | Median rent ⇅ | Median home value ⇅ | Bachelor's+ ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Granite City | 26,549 | $59,205 | $834 | $104,300 | 15.6% |
| Edwardsville | 26,474 | $86,721 | $1,306 | $299,800 | 52.6% |
| Alton | 25,279 | $54,568 | $1,015 | $103,700 | 21.5% |
| Collinsville | 24,031 | $67,612 | $1,038 | $163,600 | 31.0% |
| Industry ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Share of private jobs ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Concentration vs US (location quotient) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health care and social assistance | 15,366 | 17.0% | $60,070 | 1.02 |
| Transportation and warehousing | 12,203 | 13.5% | $58,033 | 2.74 |
| Retail trade | 11,991 | 13.2% | $37,015 | 1.14 |
| Accommodation and food services | 11,107 | 12.3% | $22,457 | 1.16 |
| Manufacturing | 9,524 | 10.5% | $85,621 | 1.10 |
| Construction | 6,696 | 7.4% | $79,540 | 1.21 |
| Administrative and waste services | 4,873 | 5.4% | $48,530 | 0.79 |
| Professional and technical services | 3,777 | 4.2% | $99,884 | 0.52 |
| Other services (except public administration) | 3,627 | 4.0% | $38,705 | 1.15 |
| Wholesale trade | 3,127 | 3.4% | $72,223 | 0.75 |
| Finance and insurance | 2,791 | 3.1% | $71,976 | 0.65 |
| Arts, entertainment, recreation | 1,678 | 1.9% | $27,098 | 0.95 |
| Educational services | 1,021 | 1.1% | $29,424 | 0.47 |
| Utilities | 823 | 0.9% | $128,215 | 2.06 |
| Real estate and rental | 770 | 0.8% | $61,706 | 0.47 |
| Information | 553 | 0.6% | $74,331 | 0.28 |
| Management of companies | 384 | 0.4% | $92,943 | 0.22 |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing | 197 | 0.2% | $36,538 | 0.23 |
| Mining, oil and gas | 132 | 0.1% | $79,864 | 0.33 |
A location quotient above 1 means the industry is more concentrated here than in the US. BLS withholds sectors with too few employers.
| Measure ⇅ | Value ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Labour force | 132,941 |
| Employed residents | 128,462 |
| Unemployed residents | 4,479 |
| Unemployment rate | 3.4% |
| Jobs located in the county (QCEW) | 105,166 |
| Employer sites | 5,398 |
Residents employed and jobs located here differ: many residents commute to other counties.
| County ⇅ | Population ⇅ | GDP 2024 ⇅ | GDP per resident ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Unemployment ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cook County | 5,182,090 | $546,441 million | $105,448 | 2,565,567 | $86,931 | 4.7% |
| DuPage County | 930,024 | $129,734 million | $139,495 | 622,113 | $79,674 | 3.8% |
| Lake County | 714,223 | $82,869 million | $116,027 | 329,354 | $91,042 | 3.6% |
| Will County | 701,462 | $50,333 million | $71,754 | 263,673 | $60,570 | 4.2% |
| Kane County | 517,255 | $37,058 million | $71,644 | 213,795 | $62,791 | 3.6% |
| McHenry County | 312,591 | $15,983 million | $51,130 | 96,922 | $55,107 | 3.8% |
| Winnebago County | 283,292 | $18,798 million | $66,355 | 126,415 | $59,400 | 4.5% |
| Madison County | 264,238 | $16,575 million | $62,729 | 105,166 | $57,153 | 3.4% |
| Saint Clair County | 253,694 | $16,131 million | $63,586 | 89,981 | $57,001 | 3.8% |
| Champaign County | 208,741 | $15,450 million | $74,013 | 94,777 | $64,216 | 3.6% |
| Sangamon County | 194,947 | $15,669 million | $80,374 | 134,376 | $69,350 | 3.6% |
| Peoria County | 179,645 | $16,966 million | $94,443 | 103,940 | $74,778 | 4.2% |
| McLean County | 171,556 | $16,910 million | $98,570 | 88,945 | $66,183 | 3.3% |
| Rock Island County | 142,757 | $12,607 million | $88,312 | 70,119 | $72,332 | 5.4% |
| Kendall County | 137,675 | $5,408 million | $39,283 | 30,329 | $51,205 | 3.6% |
| Tazewell County | 130,290 | $7,835 million | $60,138 | 46,883 | $56,089 | 3.6% |
| La Salle County | 108,714 | $7,670 million | $70,553 | 39,242 | $58,537 | 4.2% |
| Kankakee County | 106,635 | $8,529 million | $79,982 | 42,231 | $55,890 | 4.2% |
| Macon County | 101,849 | $9,054 million | $88,893 | 45,051 | $67,788 | 5.0% |
| DeKalb County | 100,703 | $5,661 million | $56,218 | 36,272 | $56,896 | 3.6% |
| Vermilion County | 72,386 | $4,180 million | $57,748 | 25,748 | $54,579 | 4.5% |
| Williamson County | 66,876 | $3,987 million | $59,613 | 28,465 | $53,081 | 3.6% |
| Adams County | 64,754 | $4,661 million | $71,982 | 32,154 | $54,986 | 2.9% |
| Whiteside County | 54,947 | $2,978 million | $54,194 | 21,197 | $54,164 | 3.8% |
| Boone County | 53,230 | $1,975 million | $37,102 | 11,526 | $55,414 | 4.0% |
| Grundy County | 53,219 | $6,044 million | $113,561 | 22,349 | $69,868 | 3.9% |
| Jackson County | 53,064 | $3,297 million | $62,141 | 25,266 | $56,398 | 4.2% |
| Ogle County | 51,495 | $3,853 million | $74,831 | 14,934 | $58,187 | 3.5% |
| Knox County | 49,046 | $2,449 million | $49,926 | 17,106 | $46,491 | 4.3% |
| Henry County | 48,643 | $2,048 million | $42,096 | 13,805 | $50,950 | 4.1% |
| Coles County | 46,777 | $3,509 million | $75,014 | 23,930 | $52,987 | 3.0% |
| Macoupin County | 44,350 | $1,525 million | $34,392 | 10,150 | $46,689 | 3.6% |
| Stephenson County | 43,768 | $2,485 million | $56,782 | 17,367 | $55,932 | 3.8% |
| Woodford County | 38,312 | $1,783 million | $46,547 | 11,428 | $54,993 | 2.9% |
| Franklin County | 37,323 | $1,362 million | $36,490 | 9,079 | $46,819 | 4.5% |
| Marion County | 37,000 | $1,758 million | $47,509 | 12,409 | $49,266 | 4.2% |
| Clinton County | 36,954 | $1,581 million | $42,770 | 12,592 | $50,189 | 2.7% |
| Jefferson County | 36,550 | $2,434 million | $66,594 | 19,307 | $57,833 | 4.4% |
| Livingston County | 35,565 | $2,895 million | $81,398 | 13,762 | $56,455 | 3.2% |
| Monroe County | 35,036 | $1,345 million | $38,401 | 8,442 | $48,706 | 2.6% |
| Effingham County | 34,522 | $3,084 million | $89,340 | 23,242 | $53,064 | 2.9% |
| Lee County | 33,869 | $2,173 million | $64,169 | 12,375 | $58,453 | 3.7% |
| Christian County | 33,538 | $1,970 million | $58,733 | 9,353 | $51,042 | 3.5% |
| Morgan County | 33,021 | $2,062 million | $62,431 | 13,936 | $53,188 | 3.6% |
| Fulton County | 33,020 | $1,138 million | $34,473 | 8,642 | $44,887 | 3.7% |
| Bureau County | 32,866 | $1,598 million | $48,617 | 10,032 | $53,297 | 4.0% |
| Randolph County | 30,058 | $2,023 million | $67,287 | 11,393 | $55,632 | 3.1% |
| Montgomery County | 27,942 | $2,021 million | $72,321 | 8,783 | $83,351 | 3.7% |
| Logan County | 27,713 | $1,344 million | $48,484 | 7,878 | $53,750 | 3.8% |
| McDonough County | 26,920 | $1,455 million | $54,053 | 10,119 | $48,433 | 3.6% |
| Iroquois County | 26,449 | $1,425 million | $53,876 | 7,372 | $50,100 | 3.9% |
| Saline County | 23,213 | $1,123 million | $48,363 | 8,307 | $46,586 | 3.7% |
| Jo Daviess County | 21,851 | $1,138 million | $52,101 | 7,485 | $46,804 | 2.9% |
| Fayette County | 21,315 | $770 million | $36,142 | 5,030 | $45,171 | 3.9% |
| Jersey County | 21,274 | $673 million | $31,632 | 5,218 | $45,258 | 3.1% |
| Shelby County | 20,720 | $1,098 million | $52,972 | 4,848 | $48,311 | 3.3% |
| Perry County | 20,639 | $873 million | $42,314 | 4,622 | $50,313 | 4.2% |
| Douglas County | 19,751 | $1,440 million | $72,917 | 7,643 | $54,270 | 3.0% |
| Crawford County | 18,511 | $1,657 million | $89,518 | 7,487 | $61,683 | 3.4% |
| Hancock County | 17,281 | $824 million | $47,707 | 4,144 | $45,832 | 3.0% |
| Union County | 16,997 | $533 million | $31,345 | 5,377 | $45,223 | 3.7% |
| Bond County | 16,716 | $781 million | $46,736 | 4,511 | $50,963 | 3.8% |
| Piatt County | 16,695 | $719 million | $43,073 | 3,707 | $46,937 | 2.8% |
| Edgar County | 16,535 | $1,039 million | $62,837 | 7,065 | $54,835 | 3.7% |
| Warren County | 16,447 | $1,097 million | $66,712 | 6,368 | $45,522 | 3.6% |
| Wayne County | 15,973 | $679 million | $42,536 | 4,064 | $42,917 | 4.0% |
| Richland County | 15,598 | $834 million | $53,482 | 5,834 | $50,035 | 3.3% |
| Carroll County | 15,576 | $761 million | $48,887 | 3,955 | $46,933 | 3.4% |
| Mercer County | 15,495 | $590 million | $38,054 | 2,968 | $43,706 | 3.9% |
| De Witt County | 15,373 | $1,629 million | $105,948 | 5,008 | $67,169 | 3.1% |
| Clark County | 15,266 | $715 million | $46,866 | 4,392 | $45,606 | 3.9% |
| Lawrence County | 15,031 | $661 million | $43,987 | 4,016 | $51,158 | 3.9% |
| Pike County | 14,469 | $825 million | $56,990 | 3,881 | $47,124 | 3.5% |
| Moultrie County | 14,424 | $981 million | $68,011 | 5,140 | $51,569 | 3.0% |
| Massac County | 13,865 | $509 million | $36,703 | 2,858 | $53,753 | 3.6% |
| Washington County | 13,627 | $1,259 million | $92,357 | 6,126 | $60,403 | 2.9% |
| White County | 13,619 | $724 million | $53,188 | 4,205 | $49,671 | 3.8% |
| Ford County | 13,406 | $1,119 million | $83,434 | 5,727 | $55,831 | 3.3% |
| Johnson County | 13,376 | $329 million | $24,588 | 2,439 | $58,740 | 4.3% |
| Clay County | 13,052 | $699 million | $53,584 | 4,625 | $50,797 | 3.6% |
| Cass County | 12,784 | $884 million | $69,113 | 5,143 | $51,068 | 3.5% |
| Mason County | 12,745 | $634 million | $49,728 | 2,828 | $42,271 | 3.6% |
| Menard County | 12,095 | $364 million | $30,109 | 1,773 | $42,242 | 3.4% |
| Greene County | 11,683 | $431 million | $36,880 | 2,275 | $42,061 | 3.2% |
| Marshall County | 11,647 | $687 million | $58,949 | 2,765 | $47,124 | 3.9% |
| Wabash County | 11,119 | $451 million | $40,563 | 3,376 | $50,640 | 3.9% |
| Cumberland County | 10,334 | $1,828 million | $176,891 | 2,893 | $47,709 | 2.6% |
| Jasper County | 9,180 | $646 million | $70,332 | 2,186 | $47,286 | 2.6% |
| Hamilton County | 7,916 | $478 million | $60,419 | 2,057 | $54,483 | 3.9% |
| Schuyler County | 6,787 | $346 million | $50,982 | 1,715 | $52,053 | 3.7% |
| Brown County | 6,322 | $624 million | $98,708 | 4,791 | $64,340 | 2.7% |
| Henderson County | 6,193 | $224 million | $36,244 | 1,150 | $37,040 | 3.2% |
| Edwards County | 6,075 | $321 million | $52,774 | 1,933 | $43,778 | 6.3% |
| Putnam County | 5,601 | $428 million | $76,389 | 2,012 | $69,607 | 3.6% |
| Stark County | 5,308 | $340 million | $64,057 | 1,696 | $60,314 | 3.8% |
| Pulaski County | 5,015 | $223 million | $44,411 | 1,195 | $45,329 | 5.2% |
| Scott County | 4,937 | $208 million | $42,089 | 920 | $49,729 | 3.1% |
| Alexander County | 4,875 | $273 million | $56,096 | 888 | $50,443 | 5.5% |
| Gallatin County | 4,819 | $173 million | $35,805 | 874 | $51,088 | 4.0% |
| Calhoun County | 4,330 | $131 million | $30,268 | 743 | $36,322 | 3.7% |
| Pope County | 3,739 | $85 million | $22,755 | 643 | $41,535 | 5.3% |
| Hardin County | 3,605 | $125 million | $34,812 | 767 | $46,177 | 4.0% |
264,238 (Census Bureau ACS 2020–2024).
$16,575 million in 2024 (BEA, current dollars).
3.4% in 2026M09 (BLS, not seasonally adjusted; the latest month may be revised).
105,166 jobs on average in 2024 with an average annual pay of $57,153 (BLS QCEW).