Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 3,390, settled in 1872. Public schools that outperform most of Alabama.
Hanceville gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $208K, 3.3 years of the Cullman area’s $63K median household income. It grades B− overall, ranked 62nd of 187 in Alabama. The low prices come with trade-offs. Residents are less healthy than 91% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. On the plus side, its public schools beat 75% of Alabama towns on state tests and graduation. Hanceville's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 99% of U.S. towns. Hanceville is home to George C Wallace State Community College-Hanceville. Only 7 of the 187 Alabama towns we compare have a lower share of children under 18 than Hanceville.
Where Hanceville beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Hanceville Elementary School | K–5 | 648 |
| Hanceville Middle School | 6–8 | 284 |
| Hanceville High School | 9–12 | 363 |
| College | Students |
|---|---|
| George C Wallace State Community College-Hanceville | 4,737 |
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Alabama), ordered by how far Hanceville is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 150 in 1880, 3,217 in 2020. The archive holds 32 old photos and papers going back to 2010 and 2 maps from 1969 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Hanceville, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Hanceville.
Hanceville pairs an A− for schools with modest home prices, trades lower home prices for longer drives to work and is healthier than towns with similar incomes.
Against the 2,949 U.S. towns with household incomes like Hanceville’s, it is less healthy than 60%, so its D isn’t only a matter of income.
27% of adults have been diagnosed with depression in Hanceville, above both the Alabama town median (24%) and the median of U.S. towns (23%). 46% of adults have high blood pressure in Hanceville. Hanceville beats the Alabama average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 14.
| Hanceville | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 15% | 14% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 23% | 19% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 46% | 43% | 35% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 16% | 14% |
| What stands out | Hanceville | AL |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 12.2% | 8% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 22.3% | 15.4% |
| More adults with heart disease | 10% | 7.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its A− for schools comes with a B+ for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $208K.
Its public schools are run by the Cullman County school district. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Hanceville High School, with 363 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hanceville Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 648 | B− |
| Hanceville High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 363 | C− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within AL on state tests and graduation
1.0 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve. The biggest park or preserve is C.W. Day Hanceville Park & Recreation, at 26 acres.
| Hanceville | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 0.8% | 1.2% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.1 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. C.W. Day Hanceville Park & Recreation | 0.9 mi | 26 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The Hanceville weather station records that the frost-free season runs about 205 days: longer than most of the country, but shorter than 80% of Alabama places with climate records. January nights average 31.5°: milder than most of the country, but colder than 83% of Alabama places with climate records; July afternoons average 90.1°.
Hanceville has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. Hanceville’s July high is 90°F, against 91°F in Alabama’s towns and 85°F across U.S. towns. Hanceville’s January low is 32°F.
| Hanceville | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 90°F | 91°F | 85°F |
| January low | 32°F | 33°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 67% of U.S. communities. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Hanceville since 2009.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Most working residents leave Hanceville for work: only 6% work in town. The median household income in Hanceville is $42,000. Since 2013, Hanceville has added 126 jobs, to 1,557 in 2023.
| Hanceville | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $42,000 | $62,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 28 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 17% | 16% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 5.8% | 10% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Homes are within reach (about $208K for the typical one, B+ for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 28 miles. 66.8% of renter households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, against 48.8% across Alabama.
58% of Hanceville households own their home. The typical Hanceville home is worth about $208,000, up 1.9% in a year, 13% below the Alabama typical home.
| Hanceville | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 58% | 70% | 73% |
| Median rent | $812 a month | $943 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Hanceville's reported crime rate is below Alabama's. Only 8 of the 137 Alabama towns we compare have a lower violent crime rate than Hanceville. Most reported incidents are property crimes, mainly thefts.
| Hanceville | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2024) | 0.6 per 1,000 residents | 2.8 | 1.7 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2024) | 14.6 per 1,000 residents | 19.6 | 11.5 |
FBI crime data, 2024 · crimes reported to police
1 within 15 miles of the center of Hanceville
About 8 of every 100 Hanceville residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Alabama.
3 notable people were born in Hanceville.
City in Alabama, United States
Hanceville is a city in Cullman County, Alabama, United States. At the 2020 census, the population was 3,217.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Hanceville.
| Town | AL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hanceville | #62 | B− | B+ | — | A− | D |
| Garden City | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Hanceville reports no FBI crime data of its own. Garden City isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Hanceville with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Hanceville grades B− overall, better than 46% of U.S. towns and #62 of 187 in Alabama. It grades D for health and A− for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D.
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B+.
3 notable people were born here, including Candi Staton and Allen Green.
