  Fifth forces are ubiquitous in modified theories of gravity. To be compatible
with observations, such a force must be screened on solar-system scales but may
still give a significant contribution on galactic scales. If this is the case,
the fifth force can influence the calibration of the cosmic distance ladder,
hence changing the inferred value of the Hubble constant $H_0$. In this paper,
we analyze symmetron screening and show that it generally increases the Hubble
tension. On the other hand, by doing a full statistical analysis, we show that
cosmic distance ladder data are able to constrain the theory to a level
competitive with solar-system tests -- currently the most constraining tests of
the theory. For the standard coupling case, the constraint on the symmetron
Compton wavelength is $\lambda_{\rm C} \lesssim 2.5 \, \mathrm{Mpc}$. Thus,
distance ladder data constitutes a novel and powerful way of testing this, and
similar, types of theories.
