Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Hartwell gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $310K, 5.2 years of the county’s $59K median household income. It grades C+ overall, 104th of 258 graded towns in Georgia. The low prices come with trade-offs. Its crime rate is higher than 86% of U.S. towns, with 8 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025, and residents are less healthy than 78% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. Its National Register listings include Adams-Matheson House and Benson Street-Forest Avenue Residential Historic District. 23% of residents are 65 or older in Hartwell, where Georgia’s towns sit at 14% and U.S. towns at 18%. Hartwell is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 68% of U.S. towns.
Where Hartwell beats most towns.
Hart County Jail
Its 33 National Register listings are more than in 97% of Georgia towns with a listing.
Census counts: 154 in 1870, 4,470 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1896 and 3 maps from 1893 on.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Georgia), ordered by how far Hartwell is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Hartwell, 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 Hartwell.
Hartwell trades lower home prices for longer drives to work, fares better on crime within Georgia than nationally and is healthier than towns with similar incomes.
At 43.2 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 70% of Georgia’s graded towns. Reported crimes fell from 235 to 106 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
The property crime rate in Hartwell is 20.6 per 1,000 residents. Hartwell reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 86% report less.
| Hartwell | Georgia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 20.6 per 1,000 residents | 14.5 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.7 per 1,000 residents | 2.2 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Its public schools are run by the Hart County school district. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Hart County High School, with 1,071 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hart County Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 832 | B |
| Hart County High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,071 | C |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within GA on state tests and graduation
Against the 5,513 U.S. towns with household incomes like Hartwell’s, it is healthier than 54%, so its C− isn’t only a matter of income. Within Georgia it is less healthy than 58% of the 261 graded towns: much of Georgia scores lower on these measures.
45% of Hartwell adults have high blood pressure. Hartwell beats the Georgia average on 2 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 12. 17% of Hartwell adults have diabetes.
| Hartwell | Georgia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 45% | 38% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 14% | 12% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 14% | 16% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 14% | 14% |
| What stands out | Hartwell | GA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 12% | 14.5% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 82.4% | 77.4% |
| More adults with COPD | 9.8% | 6.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 71% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The Hartwell weather station records that about 36 days a year reach 90°: more than most of the country, but fewer than 90% of Georgia places with climate records. January nights average 32.5°: milder than most of the country, but colder than 78% of Georgia places with climate records; July afternoons average 89.8°.
Hartwell has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. Hartwell’s January low is 33°F. Snow is almost unheard of.
| Hartwell | Georgia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 33°F | 33°F | 22°F |
| July high | 90°F | 90°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Most working residents leave Hartwell for work: only 16% work in town. Jobs based in Hartwell fell to 3,070 in 2023, 461 fewer than in 2013. The top destinations are Athens (5%), Lavonia (5%) and Atlanta (3%).
| Hartwell | Georgia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 16% | 9% | 8% |
| Median household income | $49,000 | $63,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 13% | 15% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Homes are within reach (about $310K for the typical one, B+ for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 33 miles. The median property tax bill is $1,124, against $2,341 across Georgia, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
The typical Hartwell home is worth about $310,000, up 1.1% in a year, 6% below the Georgia typical home. 58% of households own their home in Hartwell.
| Hartwell | Georgia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $728 a month | $1,160 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 58% | 58% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
1 within 15 miles of the center of Hartwell
About 2 of every 100 Hartwell residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Georgia.
33 places in Hartwell on the National Register of Historic Places.
6 notable people were born in Hartwell.
City in Georgia, United States
Hartwell is a city in Hart County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2020 census, Hartwell had a population of 4,470. The city is the county seat of Hart County.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Hartwell.
| Town | GA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hartwell | #104 | C+ | B+ | D | B+ | C− |
| Reed Creek | #113 | C | C | — | B+ | B |
Reed Creek reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Hartwell with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Hartwell grades C+ overall, better than 38% of U.S. towns and #104 of 258 in Georgia. It grades C− for health, D for safety and B+ for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a D.
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 B+.
6 notable people were born here, including Paul Brown and E. G. Sewell.
