Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Hartselle gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $242K, 3.6 years of the Decatur metro’s $68K median household income. It grades B+ overall, 37th of 187 graded towns in Alabama. The low prices come with trade-offs. FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 75% of U.S. communities, with inland flooding at the top. On the plus side, its schools rank ahead of 94% of Alabama towns. Hartselle Downtown Commercial Historic District is on the National Register of Historic Places. Hartselle's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 86% of U.S. towns. Grady and Margie Long Complex, at 46 acres with 1.4 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
Where Hartselle beats most towns.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Crestline Elementary School | PK–4 | 710 |
| FE Burleson Elementary School | K–4 | 452 |
| Barkley Bridge Elementary School | K–4 | 419 |
Hartselle Downtown Commercial Historic DistrictEach subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Alabama), ordered by how far Hartselle is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 226 in 1880, 15,455 in 2020. The archive holds 7 old photos and papers going back to 2013 and 4 maps from 1936 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Hartselle, 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 Hartselle.
Hartselle pairs an A for schools with modest home prices, looks healthier within Alabama than nationally and has more 90° days than most of the country, though not than most of Alabama.
Its A for schools comes with an A for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $243K. Its A ranks #8 of the 187 Alabama towns we grade for schools.
Its public schools are run by the Hartselle City school district. Three of its 6 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Hartselle High School, with 1,027 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crestline Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–4 | Grades PK–4 | 710 | A− |
| Hartselle High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,027 | A− |
| Barkley Bridge Elementary SchoolTop results in townGrades K–4 | Grades K–4 | 419 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within AL on state tests and graduation
2.7 miles of trail in 3 parks and preserves.
| Hartselle | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.1 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 2% | 1.2% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Grady and Margie Long Complex | 1.4 mi | 46 |
| 2. Sparkman Park | 1 mi | 46 |
| 3. E.A.R.T.H. Park | 0.2 mi | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Since 1978, 33 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Hartselle.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Hartselle’s property crime rate is 17.2 per 1,000 residents, against 16.9 in Alabama’s towns and 9.9 across U.S. towns. Within Alabama, it does better than 61% of towns.
| Hartselle | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 17.2 per 1,000 residents | 16.9 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.2 per 1,000 residents | 2.9 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
The Belle Mina 2 N weather station, 18 miles away, records that about 61 days a year reach 90°: more than most of the country, but fewer than 92% of Alabama places with climate records. July afternoons average 89.8°: hotter than most of the country, but cooler than 77% of Alabama places with climate records; January nights average 30.8°.
Hartselle has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. Hartselle’s July high is 90°F, near the Alabama town median (91°F) and above the median of U.S. towns (85°F). Hartselle’s January low is 31°F.
| Hartselle | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 90°F | 91°F | 85°F |
| January low | 31°F | 33°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Jobs based here grew from 3,543 in 2013 to 5,425.
Most working residents leave Hartselle for work: only 15% work in town. Jobs based in Hartselle grew to 5,425 in 2023, 1,882 more than in 2013. The average trip to work in Hartselle is 28 minutes.
| Hartselle | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 28 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 15% | 9.8% | 8% |
| Work from home | 6.5% | 6.7% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 13% | 16% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
No broad age group is more than 4 points off the Alabama average. 26% of residents are under 18 in Hartselle. Hartselle has grown 4.7% since 2020, to 16,312 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
| Hartselle | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 26% | 23% | 22% |
| Median age | 38.5 years | 39.2 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 28% | 23% | 29% |
55% women, 45% men
About 84 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±2.6 points). Across Alabama, 51.4% of residents are women.
| Hartselle | AL | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 13.6% | 11.8% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 12% | 10.4% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 8% | 9.5% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 12.3% | 12.9% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 10.8% | 12.4% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 13.9% | 12.2% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 12.1% | 13% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 10.7% | 10.7% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 6.7% | 7.1% | 7% |
| No diploma | 7.9% | 11.4% | 10.4% |
| High school | 30.8% | 30.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 24.7% | 20.8% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 8.7% | 9.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 17.4% | 17.3% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 10.5% | 11.1% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Within Alabama it is healthier than 76% of the 187 graded towns: much of Alabama scores lower on these measures.
Hartselle beats the Alabama average on 10 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 42% of Hartselle adults have high blood pressure.
| Hartselle | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 42% | 43% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 15% | 12% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 24% | 23% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 19% | 14% |
| What stands out | Hartselle | AL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 13.2% | 19.2% |
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 6.6% | 9.6% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.2% | 8.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The typical Hartselle home is worth about $243,000, up 2% in a year, close to the Alabama typical home.
| Hartselle | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $804 a month | $943 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 78% | 69% | 73% |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
1 within 15 miles of the center of Hartselle
About 3 of every 100 Hartselle residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Alabama.
9 notable people were born in Hartselle.
City in Alabama, United States
Hartselle is the second largest city in Morgan County, Alabama, United States, 13 miles (21 km) south of Decatur. It is part of the Decatur Metropolitan Area and the Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 15,455. Hartselle was founded in 1869 with the arrival of the South and North Alabama Railroad. It takes its name from George Hartsell, one of the railroad's owners. The post office opened in 1873. It was formally incorporated on March 1, 1875. Most of the oldest buildings were destroyed by a disastrous fire in 1916.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Hartselle.
Falkville has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Compare Hartselle with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Hartselle grades B+ overall, better than 70% of U.S. towns and #37 of 187 in Alabama. It grades B− for health, C for safety and A for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a C−.
Within Alabama, it does better than 61% of towns.
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.
9 notable people were born here, including John Sparkman and Vickie Orr.