Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Hartford earns a D−, in the bottom 2% of U.S. towns, mostly because of schools and health. Its public schools trail 95% of Connecticut towns on state tests and graduation. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 90% of the country. In its favor, few places in the country are easier to get around without a car. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 100% of U.S. towns, with 152 places on the National Register. 26% of residents live below the poverty line in Hartford, where Connecticut’s towns sit at 5.8% and U.S. towns at 9.6%. Only 1 of Connecticut’s 92 towns score lower on safety. Its National Register listings include Henry Barnard House and Connecticut Statehouse.
Where Hartford beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
| College | Students |
|---|---|
| Connecticut State Community College | 27,381 |
| Trinity College | 2,276 |
| University of Connecticut-Hartford Campus | 1,483 |
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Dwight-Bellizzi Dual Language Academy | PK–8 | 651 |
| Kennelly School | PK–8 | 628 |
| Webster Micro Society Magnet School | PK–8 | 626 |
Connecticut Statehouse is one of 8 National Historic Landmarks here, the National Register’s top tier. Its 152 National Register listings are more than in any other Connecticut town with a listing.
Census counts: 2,683 in 1790, a peak of 177,397 in 1950, 121,054 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1818 and 7 maps from 1892 on.
Explore the history →Hartford takes its name from Hertford in Hertfordshire, England, 3,360 miles across the Atlantic.
UKUK editionHartford takes its name from Hertford, a large town in Hertfordshire, England.
1 more U.S. town is named after Hertford:Hertford, NC2,011
Named after: each U.S. town’s Wikipedia article. Grades compare each town with towns in its own country, so they aren’t a head-to-head.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Connecticut), ordered by how far Hartford is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Hartford. Close and well known come first.
in town Stadium & arenaPeoplesBank Arena
3 mi Stadium & arenaPratt & Whitney Stadium
in town MuseumWadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art
in town MuseumMark Twain House
24 mi National Historic SiteSpringfield Armory National Historic Site14K visitors a year
15 mi Theme parkLake CompouncePeoplesBank Arena: PeoplesBank Arena, CC BY 2.5 · Pratt & Whitney Stadium: Quintin Soloviev, CC BY 4.0 · Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art: Daderot at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Mark Twain House: Makemake at German Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Springfield Armory National Historic Site: National Park Service, Public domain · Lake Compounce: Wildcat1 at English Wikipedia, Public domain
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 Sep 30, 2026.
Ordered by what stands out in Hartford.
Hartford draws workers from West Hartford and beyond and is healthier than towns with similar incomes, but it reports violent crime at 4 times the Connecticut rate.
Each of its 6 graded neighbors has a higher School Grade than its D, West Hartford highest at B+.
Its public schools are run by the Hartford School District. Three of its 57 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dwight-Bellizzi Dual Language AcademyLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–8 | Grades PK–8 | 651 | D− |
| Hartford Magnet Trinity College AcademyLargest public high schoolGrades 6–12 | Grades 6–12 | 925 | C− |
| Renzulli Gifted and Talented AcademyTop results in townGrades 4–8 | Grades 4–8 | 128 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CT on state tests and graduation
105,086 jobs are based in Hartford, 2.5 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
Hartford’s median household income is $46,000. Since 2013, Hartford has lost 11,530 jobs, to 105,086 in 2023. 27% of working residents work locally in Hartford.
| Hartford | Connecticut towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 27% | 11% | 8% |
| Median household income | $46,000 | $109,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 9.4% | 16% | 11% |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its typical home is the least expensive on its borders; Bloomfield is next at $361K.
The typical Hartford home is worth about $203,000, up 1.2% in a year, 55% below the Connecticut typical home. 59% of Hartford renter households spend 30% or more of their income on rent.
| Hartford | Connecticut towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 59% | 50% | 48% |
| Median rent | $1,269 a month | $1,451 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Against the 4,477 U.S. towns with household incomes like Hartford’s, it is less healthy than 68%, so its D isn’t only a matter of income. All 6 graded neighbors score healthier than its D, from East Hartford (C) to West Hartford (A+).
Of the 154 Connecticut towns we compare, none has a higher share of adults who say their health is fair or poor than Hartford. Hartford beats the Connecticut average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 24. Among 154 Connecticut towns, just 2 have a higher share of adults who report frequent physical distress than Hartford.
| Hartford | Connecticut towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 14% | 19% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 22% | 25% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 45% | 33% | 36% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 31% | 33% |
| What stands out | Hartford | CT |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 4.6% | 8.5% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 37.5% | 14.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Violent crime runs at 4.5 per 1,000 residents, 4 times the Connecticut rate; the Safety Grade counts each violent crime four times, so this weighs most on its D. Each of the 6 graded towns on its borders reports less crime per resident, from West Hartford (C) to Wethersfield (B).
The violent crime rate in Hartford is 4.5 per 1,000 residents. Among 90 Connecticut towns, just 4 have a higher property crime rate than Hartford.
| Hartford | Connecticut towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 4.5 per 1,000 residents | 0.4 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 22.2 per 1,000 residents | 9.6 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
28 miles of trail in 34 parks and preserves. The biggest place to walk is Keney Park, 553 acres with 5.9 miles of trail.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Keney Park | 5.9 mi | 553 |
| 2. Bushnell Park | 1.5 mi | 36 |
| 3. Riverside Park | 1.2 mi | 61 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Hartford has chilly, snowy winters and warm summers. Among 155 Connecticut towns, just 2 have a higher July high than Hartford.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 67% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 43 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Hartford.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
11 within 15 miles of the center of Hartford
About 9 of every 100 Hartford residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Connecticut.
4 colleges in town.
152 places in Hartford on the National Register of Historic Places.
34 notable people were born in Hartford.
Capital city of Connecticut, U.S.
Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The city, located in Hartford County, had a population of 121,054 at the 2020 census and was estimated at 124,006 in 2025. Hartford is the most populous city in the Capitol Planning Region and the core city of the Greater Hartford metropolitan area with 1.17 million residents in total. Founded in 1635, Hartford is among the oldest cities in the United States. It is home to the country's oldest continuously operating public art museum (Wadsworth Atheneum), the second oldest publicly funded park (Bushnell Park), the oldest continuously published newspaper (the Hartford Courant), the second-oldest secondary school (Hartford Public …
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
8 towns share a border with Hartford.
All 6 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its D−; East Hartford (C−) is closest.
| Town | CT rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hartford | #151 | D− | D− | D | D | D |
| West Hartford | #80 | B | D | C | B+ | A+ |
| Windsor | #108 | C+ | C− | B− | C | A− |
| East Hartford | #136 | C− | C+ | C+ | C− | C |
| Wethersfield | #57 | B+ | C | B | B− | A |
| Blue Hills | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Bloomfield | #128 | C | C− | C+ | C− | B+ |
| Newington | #95 | B− | C | C+ | B− | A− |
Blue Hills isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Hartford with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Hartford grades D− overall, in the bottom 2% of U.S. towns. It grades D for health, D for safety and D for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D−.
Yes. That is 3.5 years of the area's median household income ($57,797 across the county).
34 notable people were born here, including Katharine Hepburn and Barbara McClintock.
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