Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A solid town with one catch. Hazel Green’s overall A puts it 5th of 187 in Alabama. That leaves it better than 92% of U.S. towns. Its strongest is cost of living (A+): a typical home costs about $259K, 3 years of the Huntsville metro’s $86K median household income. It also does well on schools — its schools outperform just over four fifths of the state's. The drawback is walkability. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than three quarters of U.S. towns. Only 8 of the 187 Alabama towns we compare have a lower midsummer high than Hazel Green.
Figures: home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · schools, state test and graduation results · NOAA normals, 1991–2020.
Where Hazel Green beats most towns.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Hazel Green Elementary School | PK–5 | 963 |
| Hazel Green High School | 9–12 | 1,454 |
3,630 counted in 2010 and 4,105 in 2020.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Alabama), ordered by how far Hazel Green is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,503 in 1980, 4,105 in 2020. The archive holds 5 old photos and papers going back to 2026 and 4 maps from 1936 on.
Hazel Green is unincorporated, so Madison County and regional agencies provide most services.
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 Hazel Green.
Hazel Green pairs an A− for schools with modest home prices, has less tooth loss than most of Alabama and has a longer frost-free season 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 $259K.
The largest public high school is Hazel Green High School, with 1,454 students. Public schools: the Madison County school district. Its two schools are below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hazel Green Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 963 | B+ |
| Hazel Green High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,454 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within AL on state tests and graduation
Jobs based here grew from 605 in 2013 to 983.
The top destinations are Huntsville (57%), Madison (5%) and Decatur (2%). 1.9% of Hazel Green working residents work locally, below both the Alabama town median (10%) and the median of U.S. towns (8%). Between 2013 and 2023, jobs here rose by 378, to 983. For half of commuters, work is under 15 miles away.
| Hazel Green | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 14% | 6.7% | 11% |
| Working residents who work in town | 1.9% | 10% | 8% |
| Median household income | $86,000 | $62,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 10% | 16% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its widest gap with Alabama is tooth loss: 7.1% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 15.4% statewide.
17% of Hazel Green adults say their health is fair or poor, below both Alabama’s towns (24%) and U.S. towns (19%). Hazel Green: just over a fifth of adults get no exercise outside work.
| Hazel Green | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 30% | 25% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 15% | 14% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 24% | 19% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 15% | 12% |
| What stands out | Hazel Green | AL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 7.1% | 15.4% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 11.4% | 19.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The Fayetteville Wtp weather station, 15 miles away, records that the frost-free season runs about 201 days: longer than most of the country, but shorter than 99% of Alabama places with climate records. The Fayetteville Wtp weather station, 15 miles away, records that about 51 days a year reach 90°: more than most of the country, but fewer than 83% of Alabama places with climate records.
Its midsummer high is 89°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Among adults 25 and older, 36% have a four-year degree or more, against 28% across Alabama. Adults 18 to 34 are 18% of residents (22% statewide); children under 18 are 26% of residents (22% statewide). 16% of residents are 65 or older in Hazel Green.
| Hazel Green | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 36% | 23% | 29% |
| Aged 65 or older | 16% | 18% | 18% |
| Median age | 38.2 years | 39.2 years | 40.5 years |
46% women, 54% men
About 117 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±3.4 points). Across Alabama, 51.4% of residents are women. Among residents 25 to 34, 82% are women (AL 51%).
| Hazel Green | AL | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 12.8% | 11.8% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 13.5% | 10.4% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 7.2% | 9.5% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 10.7% | 12.9% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 16.1% | 12.4% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 4.4% | 12.2% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 19.3% | 13% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 7.5% | 10.7% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 8.5% | 7.1% | 7% |
| No diploma | 10.9% | 11.4% | 10.4% |
| High school | 30.9% | 30.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 12.6% | 20.8% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 9.4% | 9.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 28.3% | 17.3% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 7.9% | 11.1% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 3,900, single groups can be off by several points
The share of households in Hazel Green who are owner-occupiers: 88%. Zillow values the typical Hazel Green home at about $259,000, up 2.7% in a year, 9% above the Alabama typical home. Homes sold in Hazel Green spent a median 90 days on the market.
| Hazel Green | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 88% | 69% | 73% |
| Median rent | $992 a month | $940 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
2 flood insurance claims have been paid in Hazel Green since 2017. Expected damage from storms and floods is higher here than in 54% of U.S. communities. Two fifths of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by tornadoes at 20%. Federal disaster aid has reached households in Hazel Green after 3 declared disasters, most recently in 2011.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Hazel Green. Close and well known come first.
16 mi MuseumU.S. Space & Rocket Center1.0M visitors a year
14 mi MuseumBurritt on the Mountain
10 mi MuseumNorth Alabama Railroad Museum20 mi Theme parkSpace City USA
14 mi MuseumHuntsville Museum of Art16 mi Theme parkSouthern AdventuresU.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
5 within 15 miles of the center of Hazel Green
About 2 of every 100 Hazel Green residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Alabama.
Where Hazel Green’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Census-designated place in Alabama, United States
Hazel Green is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in north central Madison County, Alabama, United States, and is included in the Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area. As of the 2020 census, the population of the community was 4,105, up from 3,630 at the 2010 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes, by almost any measure. Hazel Green grades A overall, better than 92% of U.S. towns and #5 of 187 in Alabama. It grades B+ for health and A− for schools. Walkability is its weak spot, with a C−.
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+.
2 notable people were born here, including Jordan Beck and Slim Carter.
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