[10] One of the city's first African Americans to hold an elected office was Rev.

[13] Landmarks include the historic Madera County Courthouse, the notable Madera water tower, and a fully operational drive-in movie theater.

[7] The geographic center of California is 38 mi (61 km) east of Madera.

According to the United States Census Bureau, Madera has a total area of 16.5 square miles (43 km2), all of it recorded as land.

[19] The 2010 United States Census[22] reported that Madera had a population of 61,416.

2,374 households (14.9%) were made up of individuals, and 1,077 (6.8%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 17,049 housing units at an average density of 1,079.8 per square mile (416.9/km2), of which 8,096 (50.8%) were owner-occupied, and 7,842 (49.2%) were occupied by renters.

16.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

According to estimates by the US Census Bureau from July 1, 2019, the total population for the city of Madera was 65,860, and the median household income was $42,581.

In the California State Legislature, Madera is in the 14th Senate District, represented by Democrat Anna Caballero, and in the 27th Assembly District, represented by Democrat Esmeralda Soria.

[26] Within the city, State Route 99 carries traffic in a generally northwest–southeast orientation.

East of the city, State Route 41 can be accessed via either eastbound county roads or via State Route 145, the latter of which turns from a northeast–southwest bearing to a directly southern orientation within the city.

[32] Madera residents can travel conveniently from neighborhoods to shopping centers, local schools, medical offices and work sites on the Madera Metro fixed-route transit services.

It is situated on approximately 524 acres (2.12 km2) on the northwest edge of the city and is supervised by the Madera Public Works Department.

Madera residents also have access to the nearby Yosemite International Airport, located in Fresno.