What it's like to live in Madera
Madera is a smaller city in California. The numbers below lay out what daily life there actually looks like.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Madera deals with unemployment above the national average, household incomes below the national average, crime rates above the national average, and air quality that falls short of national benchmarks.
The not so good
- Above-average unemployment
- Below-average household incomes
- Crime above national average
- Air quality concerns
- Low college degree attainment
- High student-teacher ratio
How Madera compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Madera
Based on Madera's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$2,706
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $54,120 a year
- 57% of Madera renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$71,980
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $35,990
- Homes cost 5.6× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of livingNear US average
$1,353/mo median rent
Rent is pretty middle of the road, at $1,353 a month median. Not a bargain, not a budget-buster. About typical for a city this size. Home prices run above average, with a median around $359,900. Buyers should expect to stretch their budget here.
Median home value $359,900 · 57% of renters cost-burdened
Job market▲ 98% above US
8.5% unemployment
Unemployment here is 8.5%, well above the national average of 4.3%. Moving with a job already lined up matters more here.
City-level (BLS)
Safety▲ 31% above US
432 violent crimes per 100k
Crime is worth weighing seriously here. Rates run above the national average, and while plenty of residents live comfortably, neighborhood selection matters a lot more than it does in a safer city.
Property crime 1090/100k · Madera Police Department · 2025 data
Getting aroundNear US average
26 min average commute
Commutes run about average, at 25.7 minutes. Fine day to day, but it adds up over a year, and where someone lives relative to where they work starts to matter. 8 in 10 workers drive to work; 7% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers run seriously hot, with average highs pushing 96°F, and winters are chilly but manageable, with lows around 39°F. It's a dry climate with limited rainfall.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Healthcare
1 hospital
There's one Medicare-certified hospital inside city limits. Hospitals in neighboring towns aren't counted here.
Medicare-certified hospitals
Education & workforce▼ 70% below US
11% bachelor's degree or higher
This is a working-class city, and college degree rates reflect that. Trades, manufacturing, and service industries tend to dominate the local economy, which is a strength for some fields and a real constraint for others.
Schools
30 public schools inside the boundary
There are 30 public schools inside the boundary and 2 private schools. The student-to-teacher ratio is 22:1, above the national average of 16:1.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is Yosemite National Park (68 miles away). There are 4 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Nothing in Madera's numbers stands out as a clear strength, and the main tradeoffs are unemployment above the national average and household incomes below the national average. A year of median rent ($1,353/mo) equals 25% of the median household income here, more than the 21% typical nationwide. It may be a harder fit for anyone moving without a job lined up and anyone who doesn't drive.
Other places near Madera
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