Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Hardwick's schools rank behind 98% of the state's. Overall it grades C, 49th among Vermont's 71 graded towns. It is more walkable than 79% of U.S. towns. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 95% of U.S. towns, with 6 places on the National Register. On cost of living, just 13 of Vermont’s 172 towns do better. Its National Register listings include Hardwick Street Historic District and Downtown Hardwick Village Historic District. Among 64 Vermont towns, just 6 have a lower typical home value than Hardwick.
Where Hardwick beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Hardwick Street Historic District| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Hardwick Elementary School | PK–6 | 223 |
| Hazen Union High School | 7–12 | 267 |
Census counts: 3 in 1790, 2,920 in 2020. The archive holds 29 old photos and papers going back to 1892 and 3 maps from 1938 on.
6 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Vermont), ordered by how far Hardwick is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Hardwick, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Aug 3, 2026.
Ordered by what stands out in Hardwick.
Hardwick has a shorter frost-free season than nearly all U.S. towns, has seen reported crime fall by about half and is healthy by national standards but behind most towns in Vermont.
Its public schools are run by the Hazen Union High School District #26. Its two schools are below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hardwick Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 223 | D− |
| Hazen Union High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 7–12 | Grades 7–12 | 267 | D |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within VT on state tests and graduation
The typical Hardwick home is worth about $262,000, up 3.5% in a year, 33% below the Vermont typical home. At $875 a month, Hardwick’s median rent is where Vermont’s towns sit at $1,137 a month and U.S. towns at $1,185 a month.
| Hardwick | Vermont towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $875 a month | $1,137 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 76% | 75% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
18 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve. The biggest park or preserve is Woodbury Mountain Wilderness Preserve, at 67 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Woodbury Mountain Wilderness Preserve | 0.1 mi | 67 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Within Vermont it is less healthy than 73% of the 71 graded towns: Vermont sets a high bar.
Hardwick beats the Vermont average on 0 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 7. 34% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Hardwick, above Vermont’s towns (30%) but below U.S. towns (36%). 27% of adults have been diagnosed with depression in Hardwick.
| Hardwick | Vermont towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 34% | 30% | 36% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 27% | 23% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 30% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 9.9% | 9.1% | 12% |
| What stands out | Hardwick | VT |
|---|---|---|
| More adults who get no exercise | 23.9% | 18.9% |
| More smokers | 14.1% | 11.2% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 12.5% | 10.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The Worcester 2 W weather station, 15 miles away, records that the frost-free season runs about 153 days, shorter than in 95% of U.S. towns. The Worcester 2 W weather station, 15 miles away, records that 126 inches of snow fall in a normal winter, more than in 99% of U.S. towns.
Hardwick has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. The July high in Hardwick is 78°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
About one in 4 of Hardwick’s working residents works in town. Hardwick’s average trip to work is 29 minutes. The top destinations are Morristown (11%), Stowe (8%) and Montpelier (3%).
| Hardwick | Vermont towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 24% | 16% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 29 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $92,000 | $80,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Reported crimes fell from 73 to 33 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 58% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 60 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Hardwick.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Hardwick. Close and well known come first.
23 mi MountainMount Mansfield
21 mi LakeLake Willoughby
36 mi TheatreHaskell Free Library and Opera House
22 mi Ski areaStowe Mountain Resort144 runs · 2,390 ft vertical
29 mi Ski areaJay Peak Resort79 runs · 1,988 ft vertical
21 mi Ski areaSmugglers' Notch Resort110 runs · 2,533 ft verticalMount Mansfield: Original uploader was Calzarette (Joe Calzarette) at en.wikipedia, Public domain · Lake Willoughby: King of Hearts, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Haskell Free Library and Opera House: Thomsonmg2000, CC0 · Stowe Mountain Resort: Stevage, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Jay Peak Resort: Hanumanix at English Wikipedia, Public domain · Smugglers' Notch Resort: Jrclark (talk), CC BY-SA 3.0
1 within 15 miles of the center of Hardwick
About 2 of every 100 Hardwick residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Vermont.
6 places in Hardwick on the National Register of Historic Places.
8 notable people were born in Hardwick.
Town in Vermont, United States
Hardwick is a town in Caledonia County, Vermont, United States. The population was 2,920 at the 2020 census. It contains the unincorporated villages of Hardwick, East Hardwick, and Mackville. The town is a commercial center for the region's farming population. The main settlement of Hardwick in the center of the town, formerly an incorporated village, is since 1988 a census-designated place (CDP), with a population of 1,269 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
6 towns share a border with Hardwick.
| Town | VT rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hardwick | #49 | C | B | C+ | D− | B+ |
| Woodbury | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Walden | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Greensboro | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Wolcott | — | — | C+ | — | D− | B+ |
| Elmore | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Stannard | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Wolcott has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Wolcott reports no FBI crime data of its own. Woodbury, Walden, Greensboro, Elmore and Stannard aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Hardwick with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Hardwick grades C overall, better than 34% of U.S. towns and #49 of 71 in Vermont. It grades B+ for health, C+ for safety and D− for schools. Schools is its weak spot, with a D−.
That is 3.7 years of the area's median household income ($69,970 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.
8 notable people were born here, including Lee E. Emerson and Thomas J. D. Fuller.
