USPS - Harvest, AL 35749, 2012
Harvest’s story
121 years in pictures
Census counts: 1,922 in 1990, 5,893 in 2020. The archive holds 2 old photos and papers going back to 2004 and 3 maps from 1888 on.
- 1905Harvest is settled
HarvestAL
The town, settled in 1905, counts 5,955 residents. Public schools that outperform most of Alabama.
Photo: Shannon McGee · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
5,955
Census survey, 2020–24
Typical home
$313K
+0.8% in a year
Household income
$102K
median
Median age
41.2
years
Jobs based here
526
A commuter town
TownGrade
A
#8 of 187 in AL
Is Harvest a good place to live?
Good on most counts; one lags. Schools are its strong suit — its schools rank ahead of just over four fifths of Alabama towns. Cost of living is another plus: a typical home costs about $313K, 3.6 years of the Huntsville metro’s $86K median household income. The catch is walkability. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 76% of U.S. towns. Overall, that makes an A, good for 8th of 187 in Alabama. That leaves it better than 90% of U.S. towns. Only 5 of Alabama’s 308 towns score lower on history.
Figures: schools, state test and graduation results · home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · National Register of Historic Places.
What makes Harvest stand out
Where Harvest beats most towns.
Madison County schools
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Harvest School | PK–5 | 663 |
| Ford's Chapel Learning Center | PK–K | 13 |
| Sparkman Ninth Grade School | 9 | 621 |
SchoolsA−
On state tests and graduation
NCES · EDFacts.
Typical home value
Harvest$313K
Alabama$239K
Cost of livingA−
More affordable than 79% of U.S. towns
Zillow Home Value Index; area median household income, Census ACS.
A growing town
Harvest has grown 12% from 2010 to 2020
5,281 counted in 2010 and 5,893 in 2020.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts
How Harvest grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Alabama), ordered by how far Harvest is from typical.
SchoolsSchools rank among the strongest comparedA−Open →Cost of livingBetter than most of the towns comparedA−Open →Jobs & incomeBased on what households earn, poverty and workA−Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 5.8 of 20; 7.9% of households have no car; 0.9% of workers walk, bike or ride transitC−Open →Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 37% of U.S. communities; inland flooding tops the listBOpen →HealthAthens Limestone Hospital 12.9 miles awayBOpen →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors2 miles of trails; 0% conserved landDOpen →HistoryLittle recorded history by comparisonD−Open →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
Housing market81 days on market–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 41.2; 39% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
Moving to Harvest: who provides what
Harvest is unincorporated, so Madison County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerCity of Huntsville12.5¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterMadison County Water DepartmentNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet5 providers99% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesMadison CountyMadison County provides services here
Register to voteOnlineIn Alabama you can register online until 15 days before Election Day, in person until 15 days before Election Day, or by mail (received 15 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereMadison County Absentee Elections ManagerMadison County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Apr 2026
ZIP code3574935749 99%Census 2020
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 Harvest.
Harvest pairs an A− for schools with modest home prices, looks healthier within Alabama than nationally and has a longer frost-free season than most of the country, though not than most of Alabama.
SchoolsA−
Public schools in Harvest beat 82% of Alabama districts
Its A− for schools comes with an A− for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $313K.
Two of the 3 schools are below, and why each made the list. Public schools: the Madison County school district. 2 public schools serve Harvest, with 1,284 students in all.
82%of AL districts it outscoresA−School Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harvest SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 663 | B |
| Sparkman Ninth Grade SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9 | Grades 9 | 621 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within AL on state tests and graduation
Work & commuteJobs & income grade A−
More than half of Harvest’s working residents commute to Huntsville
Harvest has 526 jobs for its 2,571 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out.
Half of commuters travel less than 12 miles. Harvest’s middle household income stands at $102,000, where Alabama’s towns sit at $62,000 and U.S. towns at $80,000. Most working residents leave Harvest for work: only 1% work in town. Employers in Harvest added 230 jobs between 2013 and 2023, to 526.
1%work in town
| Harvest | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $102,000 | $62,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 1.2% | 10% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 11% | 16% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 26 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
Where working residents work
In Harvest1%
Huntsville58%
Madison8%
Athens3%
Decatur3%
12 mi
median commute distance
526
jobs based in Harvest
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
C−
Walkability grade: more walkable than 24% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
OutdoorsD
Protected land: 0.1% of Harvest
2.2 miles of trail. Harvest’s trail network density is 0.2 miles per square mile.
#69for trails in AL
| Harvest | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 0.1% | 1.2% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.1 | 0.4 |
0.1%
conserved · 5 of 7,899 acres
2.2 mi
of trails · 0.2 per sq mi
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
HousingCost of living grade A−
Harvest’s grade for cost of living is an A−
The typical Harvest home is worth about $313,000, up 0.8% in a year, 31% above the Alabama typical home. The share of households in Harvest who own their home: 83%. A home in Harvest typically sold within 81 days of listing.
$313KZillow home value
Typical home value
Harvest$313K
Alabama$239K
Market temperature
81
days on market
99.1%
sale-to-list price
+0.8%
value change, 1 year
18
homes sold in September
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Climate
Mild winters and hot summers in Harvest
The Belle Mina 2 N weather station, 13 miles away, records that the frost-free season runs about 214 days: longer than most of the country, but shorter than 82% of Alabama places with climate records. July afternoons average 89.3°: hotter than most of the country, but cooler than 86% of Alabama places with climate records; January nights average 30.4°.
The town’s January low stands at 30°F, against 33°F in Alabama’s towns and 22°F across U.S. towns. About 1 inches of snow falls in a winter. Its peak summer temperature is 89°F.
1″snow a winter
| Harvest | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 89°F | 91°F | 85°F |
| January low | 30°F | 33°F | 22°F |
Typical low → high °F
Winter32–53°
Spring48–72°
Summer67–88°
Fall49–73°
Nov 1
typical first frost
Mar 31
typical last frost
+0.7°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade B
Top of a low hazard risk in Harvest: inland flooding
Expected damage from storms and floods is lower here than in 63% of U.S. communities. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Harvest since 2015. Federal aid has come to Harvest households in 2 declared disasters; the latest was in 2011.
37risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingTornadoesCold waves
1
paid flood claims since 2015
2
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
HealthB
Residents of Harvest are healthier than 58% of U.S. towns
Within Alabama it is healthier than 80% of the 187 graded towns: much of Alabama scores lower on these measures. Its widest gap with Alabama is tooth loss: 9.5% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 15.4% statewide.
39% of Harvest adults have high blood pressure. The town beats the Alabama average on 16 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. In Harvest, just over two in five adults have obesity, and 23% get no exercise outside work.
58%healthier than U.S. townsBHealth Grade
| Harvest | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 15% | 14% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 42% | 39% | 35% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 30% | 25% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 43% | 35% |
32 measures vs. Alabama
16 better15 too close to call1 worse
| What stands out | Harvest | AL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 9.5% | 15.4% |
| Fewer adults with COPD | 5.6% | 8% |
| Fewer adults treating high blood pressure | 75% | 78% |
Athens Limestone Hospital
12.9 mi away · emergency room
None
primary care, dental or mental-health shortage
80th
percentile among AL towns
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Nearby attractions
All 15 attractions →U.S. Space & Rocket Center and 7 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Harvest. Close and well known come first.
12 mi MuseumU.S. Space & Rocket Center1.0M visitors a year13 mi Theme parkSpace City USA
16 mi MuseumBurritt on the Mountain
13 mi MuseumNorth Alabama Railroad Museum
13 mi MuseumHuntsville Museum of Art14 mi Theme parkSouthern AdventuresSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
U.S. Space & Rocket Center: formulanone from Huntsville, United States, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Burritt on the Mountain: Carol M. Highsmith, Public domain · North Alabama Railroad Museum: Jeff Hunter from Madison, AL, USA, CC BY 2.0 · Huntsville Museum of Art: Chris Pruitt, CC BY-SA 3.0
_(cropped).jpg){kind=link}
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Harvest
17pages on Harvest
The big questions
Out and about
After high school
Colleges nearby
6 within 15 miles of the center of Harvest
Oakwood UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Huntsville9.1 mi$22,512 tuitionUniversity of Alabama in HuntsvilleUniversity or college · Public · Huntsville11.2 mi$12,132 in-state tuitionJ. F. Drake State Community and Technical CollegeCommunity college · Public · Huntsville12 mi$5,190 in-state tuition
About 9 of every 100 Harvest residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Alabama.
A commuter town
99% of working residents leave Harvest for work
Where Harvest’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
526jobs based in Harvest
1%of working residents work in town
12 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
About Harvest
Census-designated place in Alabama, United States
Harvest is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in the northwestern part of Madison County, Alabama, United States, and is included in the Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area. As of the 2020 census, Harvest had a population of 5,893.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 12 sq mi
- Elevation
- 833 ft
- ZIP code
- 35749
- Area code
- 256
Questions about Harvest
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Harvest, AL a good place to live?
By most measures, yes. Harvest grades A overall, better than 90% of U.S. towns and #8 of 187 in Alabama. It grades B for health and A− for schools. Walkability is its weak spot, with a C−.
Is Harvest, 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−.