What makes Madison County the nation’s youngest?

Madison County has the nation’s youngest population, according to U.S. Census data released last week.

The median age in Madison County is just 23 — the national median is 38.

Seventy percent of the county’s population is under the age of 30, and the local hospital said each year it’s flooded with births.

“We do anywhere from 1,500 to 1,600 births a year, so that’s pretty high for the size of community and the size of hospital that we have,” said Doug McBride, spokesman for Madison Memorial Hospital.

McBride said the high birth rate can be attributed to the large number of Brigham Young University-Idaho students who remain in the area after school and start families.

“Since it went to a four-year university, we obviously have a lot more births in this area because they are staying a little bit longer and they are during those age groups where they’re getting married,” said McBride.

Madison County recently won the distinction of being the healthiest county in Idaho, which some say is due to the younger population.