Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 2,065, founded in 1856.
The best of Hart’s subject grades are an A− for walkability and an A for civic life and history; the weakest is a D for safety. Hart’s average trip to work is 14 minutes, against 25 minutes in Michigan’s towns and 25 minutes across U.S. towns. On incomes, just 98 of Michigan’s 1,279 towns do worse. 18% of the land in Hart is conserved, against 4.4% in Michigan’s towns and 4.3% across U.S. towns. Hart Downtown Historic District is on the National Register of Historic Places. Hart has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Hart beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Where Hart’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2021
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Michigan), ordered by how far Hart is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 213 in 1870, 2,053 in 2020. The archive holds 9 old photos and papers going back to 1929 and 3 maps from 1931 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Hart, 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 Hart.
About one in 5 of Hart’s working residents works in town. 21% of Hart residents live below the poverty line. The top destinations are Hart Township (14%), Muskegon (5%) and Grand Rapids (4%).
| Hart | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 21% | 8.9% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 21% | 5.9% | 8% |
| Median household income | $51,000 | $77,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
Its public schools are run by the Hart Public School District. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Hart High School, with 422 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spitler Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–4 | Grades K–4 | 389 | C− |
| Hart High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 422 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MI on state tests and graduation
Hart’s property crime rate is 20.4 per 1,000 residents.
| Hart | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 20.4 per 1,000 residents | 7.9 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.9 per 1,000 residents | 1.9 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 91% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
11% of adults 18 to 64 have no health insurance in Hart. Hart beats the Michigan average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 3. 16% of adults report frequent physical distress in Hart.
| Hart | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 14% | 14% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 6.5% | 8.1% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 25% | 25% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 19% | 19% |
| What stands out | Hart | MI |
|---|---|---|
| More uninsured adults | 11.4% | 6.9% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 13.2% | 10.2% |
| More adults with heart disease | 8.4% | 7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
0.1 miles of trail in 6 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is John Gurney Park, at 23 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. John Gurney Park | — | 23 |
| 2. Pointe Park | — | 5 |
| 3. Hart Commons | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Hart has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. The July high in Hart is 81°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The typical Hart home is worth about $217,000, up 7.1% in a year, 18% below the Michigan typical home.
| Hart | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 60% | 84% | 73% |
| Median rent | $757 a month | $1,046 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
None within 15 miles of Hart; the nearest are
About 2 of every 100 Hart residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Michigan.
5 notable people were born in Hart.
City in Michigan, United States
Hart is a city and county seat of Oceana County, Michigan. As of the 2020 census, Hart had a population of 2,053. The city is located within Hart Township, but is politically independent. Hart is also home to the north end of the Hart-Montague Trail.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Hart.
| Town | MI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hart · Hart Township | — | — | B+ | D | B− | C |
Hart has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Hart Township and Hart are one community, graded once. Compare Hart with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Not for the area. That is 3.5 years of the area's median household income ($62,417 across the county). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B+.
5 notable people were born here, including George Winston and Walter C. Willett.
