2026 ranking

Best small towns to live in New Hampshire

The 25 New Hampshire small towns with the best mix of affordability, safety, schools and jobs, picked from 40 real small towns of 1,000 to 15,000 people — not suburbs.

1
Bristol, NH Score 69/100
2,098 people · typical home $237k · household income $74k · 83 violent crimes per 100k · schools in the top 42% of NH · 2.0% unemployment · 9 mi to a hospital
2
Enfield, NH Score 68/100
1,994 people · typical home $278k · household income $99k · 83 violent crimes per 100k · schools in the top 66% of NH · 1.0% unemployment · 4 mi to a hospital
3
Contoocook, NH Score 67/100
1,376 people · typical home $421k · household income $98k · 73 violent crimes per 100k · schools in the top 16% of NH · 2.0% unemployment · 15 mi to a hospital
4
Ashland, NH Score 66/100
1,404 people · typical home $174k · household income $44k · 85 violent crimes per 100k · schools in the top 32% of NH · 3.0% unemployment · 5 mi to a hospital
5
Plymouth, NH Score 65/100
4,969 people · typical home $294k · household income $90k · 86 violent crimes per 100k · schools in the top 32% of NH · 7.0% unemployment · 0 mi to a hospital
6
Troy, NH Score 63/100
1,081 people · typical home $205k · household income $96k · 42 violent crimes per 100k · schools in the top 87% of NH · 2.0% unemployment · 12 mi to a hospital
7
Bethlehem, NH Score 63/100
1,058 people · typical home $262k · household income $65k · 74 violent crimes per 100k · schools in the top 36% of NH · 4.0% unemployment · 7 mi to a hospital
8
Lebanon, NH Score 63/100
14,999 people · typical home $385k · household income $98k · 127 violent crimes per 100k · schools in the top 27% of NH · 1.0% unemployment · 1 mi to a hospital
9
Gorham, NH Score 62/100
2,092 people · typical home $168k · household income $63k · 132 violent crimes per 100k · schools in the top 56% of NH · 1.0% unemployment · 8 mi to a hospital
10
Henniker, NH Score 62/100
2,993 people · typical home $296k · household income $87k · 78 violent crimes per 100k · schools in the top 50% of NH · 3.0% unemployment · 18 mi to a hospital
11
Sanbornville, NH Score 61/100
1,317 people · typical home $251k · household income $126k · 48 violent crimes per 100k · schools in the top 94% of NH · 1.0% unemployment · 8 mi to a hospital
12
North Conway, NH Score 61/100
2,041 people · typical home $412k · household income $71k · 48 violent crimes per 100k · schools in the top 52% of NH · 1.0% unemployment · 1 mi to a hospital
13
Exeter, NH Score 61/100
9,964 people · typical home $358k · household income $87k · 61 violent crimes per 100k · schools in the top 35% of NH · 5.0% unemployment · 2 mi to a hospital
14
Hanover, NH Score 59/100
8,479 people · typical home $843k · household income $153k · 24 violent crimes per 100k · schools in the top 18% of NH · 8.0% unemployment · 6 mi to a hospital
15
Epping, NH Score 57/100
2,796 people · typical home $385k · household income $95k · 92 violent crimes per 100k · schools in the top 48% of NH · 1.0% unemployment · 7 mi to a hospital
16
New London, NH Score 57/100
1,278 people · typical home $481k · household income $97k · 53 violent crimes per 100k · schools in the top 44% of NH · 6.0% unemployment · 0 mi to a hospital
17
Woodsville, NH Score 56/100
1,422 people · typical home $228k · household income $58k · 68 violent crimes per 100k · schools in the top 66% of NH · 3.0% unemployment · 12 mi to a hospital
18
Peterborough, NH Score 52/100
2,539 people · typical home $379k · household income $86k · 101 violent crimes per 100k · schools in the top 64% of NH · 1.0% unemployment · 1 mi to a hospital
19
West Swanzey, NH Score 51/100
1,188 people · typical home $193k · household income $65k · 89 violent crimes per 100k · schools in the top 81% of NH · 5.0% unemployment · 7 mi to a hospital
20
Lancaster, NH Score 50/100
2,230 people · typical home $201k · household income $67k · 156 violent crimes per 100k · schools in the top 86% of NH · 2.0% unemployment · 1 mi to a hospital
21
Durham, NH Score 50/100
10,681 people · typical home $498k · household income $112k · 90 violent crimes per 100k · schools in the top 34% of NH · 5.0% unemployment · 4 mi to a hospital
22
Newport, NH Score 49/100
4,758 people · typical home $211k · household income $78k · 164 violent crimes per 100k · schools in the top 69% of NH · 3.0% unemployment · 8 mi to a hospital
23
Jaffrey, NH Score 47/100
3,277 people · typical home $218k · household income $100k · 181 violent crimes per 100k · schools in the top 63% of NH · 5.0% unemployment · 6 mi to a hospital
24
Antrim, NH Score 47/100
1,265 people · typical home $282k · household income $73k · 96 violent crimes per 100k · schools in the top 64% of NH · 3.0% unemployment · 12 mi to a hospital
25
Tilton Northfield, NH Score 45/100
3,101 people · typical home $250k · household income $67k · 87 violent crimes per 100k · schools in the top 89% of NH · 3.0% unemployment · 4 mi to a hospital

How we ranked them

Every small town in New Hampshire with 1,000–15,000 people that stands on its own (not part of a big metro core, by USDA rural-urban codes) and has solid Census data. Each town is scored against the others in New Hampshire on: affordability (household income vs. home prices), safety (violent crime, FBI), schools (reading proficiency vs. other New Hampshire districts), jobs (unemployment, half weight) and everyday access (distance to a hospital and a grocery store, quarter weight each). Missing numbers count as average.

The "best" town is different for everyone — weather, size, politics, things to do and more all matter too.

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