The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in Madison County, NC
Madison County is home to 21,900 residents and includes Mars Hill and Marshall · Updated November 2026
Is Madison County, NC safe?
Yes. Most US neighborhoods have little crime, and Madison County has less than most of them: its overall CrimeGrade™ is A+, safer than the neighborhoods where 94% of Americans live. Violent and property crime both grade A+ here. Every neighborhood in Madison County grades A+.
A+
Overall CrimeGrade™
Safety score 973 of 1,000Safer than nearly all US neighborhoodsi What this means
94% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more crime than Madison County as a whole, and 6% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a safety score of 838, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. Madison County scores 973.
Crime is concentrated in a small share of places, so most neighborhoods score high on the 0 to 1,000 scale. That is why a score in the 800s can still mean more crime than most US neighborhoods.
How to read the map: each area's color compares its crime with the people, homes and cars there, on one national scale, from green for the least crime to red for the most. Each area gets its own color, so a busy shopping center can show red while the homes beside it stay green. The interactive maps load faster on a strong connection. Compare high speed internet in Madison County, NC at ISP Reports.
Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in Madison County, and anyone thinking about buying or renting a home there.
Business and enterprise customers: this free map shows neighborhood areas. CrimeGrade™ business reports map crime at about 66-meter detail and estimate it for one address and type of business. See business reports
What stands out in Madison County
Thefts and simple assaults both run low. In Madison County, each runs at a small fraction of the US rate: 3.4 thefts and 1.6 simple assaults a year per 1,000 residents, against 13.1 and 9.7 nationally.
The safest and least safe parts of Madison County
Every part of Madison County where people live grades A or B on the national scale.
100%
A or B 100%
Share of residents, by the overall CrimeGrade™ of the area they live in.
Across the county, the southwest side has the least crime and the Mars Hill area the most.
Crime rates and types in Madison County
CrimeGrade™ estimates Madison County has about 9.7 reported crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 74% less than the US as a whole and 76% less than North Carolina.
Overall crime
Violent crime
Property crime
Reported crimes a year, per 1,000 residents. These figures include simple assaults and vandalism, which the FBI's violent and property crime rates leave out.
Theft is the most common crime in Madison County, about 35% of everything reported.
Each CrimeGrade™ compares a crime with what it affects: people for assaults and robbery, homes for burglary, parked cars for vehicle theft. Rates count crimes per 1,000 residents.
Select a crime's name to see its map above. CrimeGrade™ business reports map each crime at about 66-meter detail.
Where and when crime happens in Madison County
These figures come from the reports of the police departments across Madison County, 2022 to 2024.
In Madison County, 80% of burglaries hit homes, against 57% nationally.
Crime
Most often at
Busiest time
Burglary
Homes (80%)
Afternoon (noon to 6 pm)
Vandalism
Homes (54%)
Afternoon (noon to 6 pm)
Shares of the crimes reported to police, 2022 to 2024. Reports with no time recorded are left out of the times.
How Madison County compares with nearby counties
Madison County has less crime than 9 of its 10 nearest counties; only Yancey County has less.
Night lighting, empty homes and walkability in Madison County
Two things set Madison County apart: it has 7% of the land where people live lit at night, against 78% nationally, and 19.0% of its homes standing empty, against 7.1% nationally. Places whose neighborhoods are dark at night tend to report less theft and vandalism, and they run low here.
Lit at nightSatellite images show which neighborhoods are lit at night, a sign of busy streets and businesses. Brightly lit places tend to report more theft and vandalism.7% where people liveUS: 78%Lower than for 99% of Americans
Empty homesSeasonal and vacation homes are left out. Places with many empty homes tend to report more burglary and arson.19.0% of homesUS: 7.1%Higher than for 99% of Americans
Walk GradeBestNeighborhood's grade for getting through daily life on foot, traced along real walking routes to shops, schools and parks. Walkable places tend to report more theft. 95% of residents here live in car-dependent areas.F (4 of 100)US: 21Lower than for 98% of Americans
Show all 6
JobsJobs draw daytime crowds. Places with many jobs tend to report more theft and robbery.19 for every 100 residentsUS: 45Lower than for 99% of Americans
Stores and restaurantsShops and restaurants draw crowds and parked cars. Places with many stores tend to report more theft.6.9 per 1,000 residentsUS: 10.5Lower than for 97% of Americans
Residents in dense blocksBlocks of 10,000 or more people per square mile. Dense neighborhoods tend to report more robbery.1% of residentsUS: 24%Lower than for 96% of Americans
These traits tend to go with more or less crime; none of them causes it on its own. Sources: Census job counts and housing figures, OpenStreetMap and Overture business listings, CrimeGrade™ parking estimates, NASA night-light imagery, US Forest Service tree cover, EPA transit data and BestNeighborhood's Walk Grade.
What crime costs Madison County
Counting police, courts and prisons as well as victims' losses, crime costs Madison County about $561 a year per household, 53% less than the US figure of $1,205.
Cost of crime per resident, per year
Counting the pain and suffering of victims, which comes almost entirely from violent crime, the full cost comes to about $26 million a year, or $1,173 per resident.
How the cost breaks down
Crime
Cost a year
Per resident
Murder
$3.0 million
$138
Rape
$150,000
$7
Robbery
$32,000
$1
Assault
$610,000
$28
Burglary
$180,000
$8
Theft
$380,000
$17
Vehicle theft
$230,000
$11
Arson
$56,000
$3
Vandalism
$340,000
$16
Total
$5.0 million
$229
How CrimeGrade™ works
A CrimeGrade™ shows how much crime an area has compared with the rest of the country, from A+ for the least crime to F for the most. Every neighborhood in the US is graded on the same scale, so a B in Madison County means the same as a B anywhere else.
CrimeGrade™ starts from the crimes people report to police and measures each kind of crime against what it affects: people for assaults, homes for burglaries, parked cars for car thefts.
The rates on this page count crimes for every 1,000 people who live here, the way police departments report them.
Comparisons with US neighborhoods use the Census Bureau's block groups, small areas of about 1,400 residents, and count the people who live in each. The figures count crimes reported to police; many crimes, shoplifting above all, never are. Behind the grades, CrimeGrade™ tested 21,607 factors from 125 data families. For business owners, paid CrimeGrade™ location reports estimate crime at a single address for each type of business.
Where the numbers come from
Crime reports that police departments file with the FBI
State crime records and city crime data, where they are published
Published research on what crime costs victims and communities
These are estimates of reported crime for whole areas, not a record of what happened on any one street. CrimeGrade™ updates them once a year and provides them free and without guarantee. Check local sources before you rely on them for a decision.
Schools in Madison County, NC average a SchoolGrade of B+: 58% of students test proficient, against 51% projected for schools like them. Overall, they meet expectations. See schools in Madison County on SchoolGrade
