Galat-Inn Restaurant and Lounge statue, 1991
Hartford’s story
170 years in pictures
Census counts: 838 in 1880, 2,515 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1991 and 3 maps from 1927 on.
- 1856Hartford is settled
HartfordMI
Population
2,448
2025 Census estimate · −2.6% since 2020
Typical home
$178K
+3.7% in a year
Household income
$42K
median
Median age
29.7
years
Jobs based here
419
A commuter town
Is Hartford a good place to live?
The best of Hartford’s subject grades is an A− for cost of living; the weakest is a D− for health. Only 57 of Michigan’s 1,265 towns score lower on civic life. Hartford has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Hartford stand out
Where Hartford beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Typical home value
Hartford$178K
Michigan$264K
Cost of livingA−
2.6 years of income buys a home
More affordable than 81% of U.S. towns
Zillow Home Value Index; area median household income, Census ACS.
0historic places
History
Settled in 1856
A long history
A history going back 170 years.
32 measures vs. Michigan
1 better11 too close to call20 worse
| Widest gap | Hartford | MI |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 34.8% | 10.2% |
Worth knowing · HealthD−
Less healthy than 98% of U.S. towns
Less healthyHealthier
CDC PLACES 2025 estimates.
A commuter town
91% of working residents leave Hartford for work
Where Hartford’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
419jobs based in Hartford
9%of working residents work in town
16 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2021
How Hartford grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Michigan), ordered by how far Hartford is from typical.
HealthCorewell Health Watervliet Hospital 4.4 miles awayD−Open →Jobs & income$42K median household incomeDOpen →Cost of livingA−Open →SchoolsCOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 7.4 of 20; 12.5% of households have no car; 2.9% of workers walk, bike or ride transitBOpen →Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 42% of U.S. communities; inland flooding tops the listBOpen →SafetyB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors0 miles of trails; 2% conserved landCOpen →History3 notable people born hereB−Open →Civic life2.1 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsCOpen →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
Climate–Open →Housing market–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 29.7; 7% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Hartford: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Hartford, and how to reach them.
PowerMidwest Energy Cooperative19.5¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterHartford water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet6 providers96% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Hartford’s trash rules yet
Register to voteOnlineIn Michigan you can register online until 15 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 15 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereHartford City ClerkThe town itself; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Nov 2025
ZIP code4905749057 100%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 12, 2025.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Hartford.
HealthD−
Hartford stands out in Michigan and nationally: a larger share of its adults get no exercise outside work
Hartford: 17% of adults 18 to 64 have no health insurance, where Michigan’s towns sit at 6.5% and U.S. towns at 8.1%. Among adults in the town, 23% smoke cigarettes. Against the Michigan average, Hartford comes out ahead on 1 CDC measures out of 32, and behind on 20.
2%healthier than U.S. townsD−Health Grade
| Hartford | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 19% | 19% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 14% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 25% | 25% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 14% | 14% |
32 measures vs. Michigan
1 better11 too close to call20 worse
| What stands out | Hartford | MI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 7.4% | 8.9% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 34.8% | 10.2% |
Corewell Health Watervliet Hospital
4.4 mi away · emergency room
2 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
SchoolsC
Hartford’s public schools trail 70% of Michigan districts
Public schools: the Hartford Public Schools. The largest public high school is Hartford High School, with 379 students. Two of its 4 schools are shown below, with the reason for each.
30%of MI districts it outscoresCSchool Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Redwood ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 516 | C− |
| Hartford High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 379 | C− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MI on state tests and graduation
Work & commuteJobs & income grade D
Compared with most of Michigan and the rest of the country, the median household income in Hartford is lower
Commuting out is the norm in the town: nearly a tenth of working residents work locally. Hartford: 16% of residents live below the poverty line, above both Michigan’s towns (8.9%) and U.S. towns (9.6%). Between 2011 and 2021, jobs in Hartford dropped by 329, to 419. Its typical journey to work stands at 22 minutes.
9%work in town
| Hartford | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $42,000 | $77,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 16% | 8.9% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 9.2% | 5.9% | 8% |
Where working residents work
In Hartford9%
Benton Township8%
Lawrence Township5%
Watervliet Township4%
Oshtemo Township4%
16 mi
median commute distance
419
jobs based in Hartford
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
B
Walkability grade: more walkable than 62% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
HousingCost of living grade A−
Zillow puts the typical Hartford home at about $178K
Nearly two thirds of households live in a home they own in Hartford. Typical home values rose 3.7% in the year to September 2026. Its rent at the middle of the market stands at $837 a month.
$178KZillow home value
| Hartford | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 65% | 84% | 73% |
| Median rent | $837 a month | $1,046 a month | $1,185 a month |
Typical home value
Hartford$178K
Michigan$264K
+3.7%
value change, 1 year
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Climate
Snowy winters and pleasant summers: that is Hartford’s year
Summer afternoons peak near 83° in July, and January nights bottom out around 18°; snowfall runs to about 109 inches a winter.
109″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter21–35°
Spring37–58°
Summer59–81°
Fall42–62°
Oct 11
typical first frost
May 7
typical last frost
+1.2°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade B
Top of a moderate hazard risk in Hartford: inland flooding
Federal disaster aid has reached households in Hartford after 2 declared disasters, most recently in 2000. Expected damage from storms and floods is lower here than in 58% of U.S. communities.
42risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingTornadoesHail
2
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
SafetyB−
Hartford reports more crime per resident than 52% of U.S. towns
Hartford’s rate of thefts and burglaries is 5.3 per 1,000 residents. The violent crime rate for Hartford comes to 0.8 per 1,000 residents.
48%of U.S. towns report more crimeB−Safety Grade
| Hartford | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.8 per 1,000 residents | 1.9 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 5.3 per 1,000 residents | 7.9 | 9.9 |
Violent crime per 1,000 residents
Hartford0.8
Michigan4.3
U.S.3.3
Property crime per 1,000 residents
Hartford5.3
Michigan13
U.S.15.5
48th
percentile among U.S. towns we grade
2
violent crimes reported in 2025
13
property crimes reported in 2025
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
1.9%conserved
1.9%
conserved · 16 of 866 acres
0.0 mi
of trails · 0 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Ely Park | — | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Hartford
20pages on Hartford
The big questions
SchoolsCBehind 70% of MI districts · 4 schoolsSafetyB−0.8 violent crimes per 1,000 residents (2025)HealthD−Better than MI on 1 of 32 CDC measuresCost of livingA−$178K typical home · up 3.7% in a yearWork & commuteD$42K median household income · 419 jobs hereNatural hazardsBFEMA risk higher than 42% of U.S. communities · inland flooding
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Hartford
About 5 of every 100 Hartford residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Michigan.
Famous people from Hartford
3 notable people were born in Hartford.
About Hartford
City in Michigan, United States
Hartford is a city in Van Buren County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, Hartford had a population of 2,515. The city is located within Hartford Township, but is politically independent.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 1.3 sq mi
- Elevation
- 659 ft
- ZIP code
- 49057
Questions about Hartford
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Hartford, MI expensive?
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−.
What is Hartford, MI known for?
3 notable people were born here, including Eddie Carpenter and Edward D. Kelly.