Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 1,153, settled in 1920. A typical home costs 1 years of the St.
The best of Hartford’s subject grades are an A+ for cost of living and an A− for the outdoors; the weakest is a C− for schools. Only 16 of Illinois’ 1,284 towns score higher on cost of living. Hartford's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 82% of U.S. towns. Hartford has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Hartford beats most towns.
1,429 counted in 2010 and 1,185 in 2020; an estimated 1,153 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Illinois), ordered by how far Hartford is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,566 in 1930, a peak of 2,355 in 1960, 1,185 in 2020. The archive holds 1 old photo or paper going back to 2007 and 7 maps from 1927 on.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Hartford. Close and well known come first.
Big draw11 mi State parkCahokia
Big draw14 mi Stadium & arenaThe Dome at America's Center
14 mi Stadium & arenaBusch Stadium
11 mi LandmarkMonks Mound
13 mi National ParkGateway Arch National Park2.2M visitors a year
8 mi Ancient sitePiasaCahokia: Thank You (24 Millions ) views, CC BY 2.0 · The Dome at America's Center: Paul Sableman, CC BY 2.0 · Busch Stadium: Lee Ann Ratledge, CC BY 4.0 · Monks Mound: Skubasteve834, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Gateway Arch National Park: Daniel Schwen, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Piasa: Burfalcy, CC BY-SA 3.0
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 12, 2025.
Ordered by what stands out in Hartford.
The typical Hartford home is worth about $80,000, up 8.7% in a year, 73% below the Illinois typical home. 84% of Hartford households own their home, above both the Illinois town median (75%) and the median of U.S. towns (73%). The median rent in Hartford is $984 a month.
| Hartford | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 84% | 75% | 73% |
| Median rent | $984 a month | $1,129 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 73% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 17 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Hartford.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Hartford beats the Illinois average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 12. 15% of Hartford adults report frequent physical distress, against 13% in Illinois’ towns and 14% across U.S. towns. 17% of Hartford adults smoke cigarettes.
| Hartford | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 13% | 14% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 13% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 17% | 17% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 37% | 35% |
| What stands out | Hartford | IL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 8% | 9.9% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 14.8% | 10.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Hartford has chilly winters and warm summers. Hartford’s July high is 88°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
21% of residents live below the poverty line in Hartford. Since 2013, Hartford has added 126 jobs, to 565 in 2023. 1.2% of working residents work locally in Hartford.
| Hartford | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 21% | 8.4% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $41,000 | $83,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 1.2% | 8.3% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 24 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Hartford's reported crime rate is below Illinois's. Most reported incidents are property crimes, mainly thefts. Violent crime is rare: 1 reported in 2024.
| Hartford | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2024) | 15.7 per 1,000 residents | 9.3 | 11.5 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2024) | 0.9 per 1,000 residents | 1.2 | 1.7 |
FBI crime data, 2024 · crimes reported to police
| Hartford | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 9.3% | 3.7% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Hartford Park | 0.4 mi | 16 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
9 within 15 miles of the center of Hartford
About 8 of every 100 Hartford residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Illinois.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Village in Illinois, United States
Hartford is a village in Madison County, Illinois, United States, on the Mississippi River near the mouth of the Missouri River. The population was 1,185 at the 2020 census, down from 1,429 in 2010. Lewis and Clark spent the winter of 1803-04 there, near what has been designated the Lewis and Clark State Historic Site.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
A typical home costs 1 years of the St.
Not for the area. Louis, MO-IL metro 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+.
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