Is Hartford a good place to live?
Hartford gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $177K for a typical one, or 3.1 years of the Dothan metro’s $58K median household income. It grades B overall, ranked 52nd of 187 in Alabama. The low prices come with trade-offs. The median household income is $56K, and 19% of residents live below the poverty line, and residents are less healthy than 76% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. On the plus side, its public schools beat 80% of Alabama towns on state tests and graduation. Of the 138 Alabama towns we compare, none has a lower level of violent crime than Hartford. Hartford's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 95% of U.S. towns. Hartford’s January low is 39°F, above both the Alabama town median (33°F) and the median of U.S. towns (22°F).
What makes Hartford stand out
Where Hartford beats most towns.
Typical home value
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Geneva County Elementary School | PK–5 | 474 |
| Geneva County Middle School | 6–8 | 178 |
| Geneva County High School | 9–12 | 234 |
87% of working residents leave Hartford for work
Where Hartford’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
How Hartford grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Alabama), ordered by how far Hartford is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Moving to Hartford: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Hartford, 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.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Hartford.
Hartford pairs an A− for schools with modest home prices and is healthier than towns with similar incomes.
Hartford’s grade for schools is an A−
That grade comes with an A for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $177K.
Public schools: the Geneva County school district. Below: Two of its 3 schools, each with why it was picked.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Geneva County Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 474 | A |
| Geneva County High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 234 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within AL on state tests and graduation
0% of Hartford is conserved land
In 2 parks and preserves, walkers have 1.3 miles of trail. The biggest park or preserve is Hartford Recreational Park, at 24 acres. The town’s density of trails comes in at 0.2 miles per square mile.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Hartford Recreational Park | 0.6 mi | 24 |
| 2. Town Square | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Hartford’s grade for health is a C−
Against the 7,801 U.S. towns with household incomes like Hartford’s, it is less healthy than 57%, so that grade isn’t only a matter of income. Within Alabama it is less healthy than 54% of the 187 graded towns: much of Alabama scores lower on these measures.
44% of adults have high blood pressure in Hartford. Among adults here, 15% have diabetes and 14% binge drink.
| Hartford | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 44% | 43% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 15% | 12% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 14% | 16% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 39% | 35% |
| What stands out | Hartford | AL |
|---|---|---|
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.6% | 8.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Hartford has 0.7 jobs per working resident, so most workers leave town for work
For half of commuters, work is under 18 miles away. Jobs in Hartford grew by 73 from 2013 to 2023, reaching 658. Commuting out is the norm locally: 13% of working residents work locally. The top destinations are Dothan (19%), Geneva (11%) and Enterprise (6%).
| Hartford | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $56,000 | $62,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 13% | 9.8% | 8% |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Hartford’s grade for cost of living is an A
Zillow values the typical Hartford home at about $177,000, up 6.1% in a year, 26% below the Alabama typical home. In Hartford, the typical rent is $802 a month. For households locally, the share who are owner-occupiers is 63%.
| Hartford | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 63% | 70% | 73% |
| Median rent | $802 a month | $943 a month | $1,185 a month |
Typical home value
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Top of a high hazard risk in Hartford: inland flooding
In Hartford, the FEMA risk score is 68 of 100. The town has had 16 paid flood insurance claims since 1998. Expected losses in Hartford break down as 47% from inland flooding and 27% from hurricanes. Households in the town have drawn federal disaster aid in 3 declared disasters, most recently in 2018.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
In Hartford, expect mild winters and hot summers
Its typical July afternoon high stands at 92°F.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Crime reported in Hartford
Hartford's reported crime rate is well below Alabama's. Its property crime rate comes in at 7.9 per 1,000 residents. Most reported incidents are property crimes, mainly thefts. No violent crimes were reported in 2025.
Violent crime per 1,000 residents
Property crime per 1,000 residents
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Everything we know about Hartford
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Hartford
About 3 of every 100 Hartford residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Alabama.
Famous people from Hartford
4 notable people were born in Hartford.
About Hartford
City in Alabama, United States
Hartford is a city in Geneva County, Alabama, United States. It incorporated in 1896. It is part of the Dothan, Alabama Metropolitan Statistical Area. At the 2020 census, the population was 2,651, an increase over the figure of 2,624 tabulated in 2010.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 6.3 sq mi
- Elevation
- 272 ft
- ZIP code
- 36344
- Area code
- 334
Questions about Hartford
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Hartford, AL a good place to live?
By most measures, yes. Hartford grades B overall, better than 59% of U.S. towns and #52 of 187 in Alabama. It grades C− for health and A− for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a C−.
Is Hartford, AL expensive?
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 A.
What is Hartford, AL known for?
4 notable people were born here, including William G. Hardwick and Carl Ward.