Madison County, Iowa

Madison County
Madison County courthouse
Location within the U.S. state of Iowa
Iowa's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 41°20′N 94°01′W / 41.33°N 94.01°W / 41.33; -94.01
Country United States
State Iowa
Founded1846
Named afterJames Madison
SeatWinterset
Largest cityWinterset
Area
  Total
562 sq mi (1,460 km2)
  Land561 sq mi (1,450 km2)
  Water1.2 sq mi (3 km2)  0.2%
Population
 (2020)
  Total
16,548
  Estimate 
(2023)
16,971
  Density29/sq mi (11/km2)
Time zoneUTC−6 (Central)
  Summer (DST)UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district3rd
Websitemadisoncounty.iowa.gov

Madison County is a county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 census, the population was 16,548. The county seat is Winterset. Madison County is included in the Des MoinesWest Des Moines, IA Metropolitan Statistical Area. Madison County is famous for being the county where John Wayne was born, and for a number of covered bridges. These bridges were featured in Robert James Waller's 1992 novella The Bridges of Madison County, as well as the 1995 film and 2014 musical based on it.