Best Places to Live in New Hampshire (2011)

This article, the thirty-fourth in a 50-state series, ranks the best places to live in New Hampshire based on three criteria: (1) median household income (adjusted for cost of living); (2) educational attainment (% of residents 25 years and over who have earned a bachelor's degree or higher); and (3) property crime rates per 1,000 residents (burglary and automobile thefts). For purposes of these rankings, "places" are incorporated municipalities with populations greater than 2,000.

Among the twenty best places to live in New Hampshire, seven are suburbs of Manchester, seven are suburbs of Nashua, three are suburbs of Concord, and three comprise Hanover and its suburbs. By county, eight of the best places to live in New Hampshire are located in Hillsborough County, five in Rockingham County, three in Merrimack County, two in Strafford County, and one each in Grafton and Sullivan counties.

After reading "Best Places to Live in New Hampshire (2011)," return to this link to read "Largest Cities in New Hampshire (2011)." A collection of similar articles for the remaining 49 states can be found at these links: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

For the culmination of the 50-state series, read "Best Places to Live in America (2011)."

1. Best Places to Live in New Hampshire (2011) - Hanover, NH (Grafton County)

Population: 11,098

Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $96,826
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 85.0%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 1.62

Distance to Familiar Cities:

Concord, NH: 62 miles SE
Manchester, NH: 75 miles SE

2. Best Places to Live in New Hampshire (2011) - Hollis, NH (Hillsborough County)

Population: 7,739

Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $101,016
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 64.9%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 2.45*

Distance to Familiar Cities:

Concord, NH: 41 miles N
Nashua, NH: 7 miles ENE
Boston, MA: 50 miles SE

3. Best Places to Live in New Hampshire (2011) - Stratham, NH (Rockingham County)

Population: 7,214

Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $89,801
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 59.9%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 0.81

Distance to Familiar Cities:

Concord, NH: 45 miles NW
Manchester, NH: 32 miles W
Boston, MA: 54 miles SSW

4. Best Places to Live in New Hampshire (2011) - Amherst, NH (Hillsborough County)

Population: 11,727

Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $87,215
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 61.8%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 2.35

Distance to Familiar Cities:

Concord, NH: 33 miles N
Manchester, NH: 14 miles NE
Nashua, NH: 11 miles SE
Boston, MA: 55 miles SE

5. Best Places to Live in New Hampshire (2011) - Bedford, NH (Hillsborough County)

Population: 21,044

Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $98,873
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 55.6%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 3.27

Distance to Familiar Cities:

Concord, NH: 25 miles N
Manchester, NH: 5 miles NE
Nashua, NH: 17 miles S
Boston, MA: 55 miles SE

6. Best Places to Live in New Hampshire (2011) - Grantham, NH (Sullivan County)

Population: 2,516

Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $77,009
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 54.7%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 0.39

Distance to Familiar Cities:

Concord, NH: 45 miles SE
Hanover, NH: 19 miles NNW

7. Best Places to Live in New Hampshire (2011) - Durham, NH (Strafford County)

Population: 13,991

Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $46,845
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 74.3%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 1.89

Distance to Familiar Cities:

Concord, NH: 37 miles WNW
Manchester, NH: 38 miles SW

8. Best Places to Live in New Hampshire (2011) - Bow, NH (Merrimack County)

Population: 8,053

Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $85,865
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 54.2%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 2.81

Distance to Familiar Cities:

Concord, NH: 6 miles N
Manchester, NH: 12 miles SSE

9. Best Places to Live in New Hampshire (2011) - Brookline, NH (Hillsborough County)

Population: 4,822

Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $85,906
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 48.1%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 2.45*

Distance to Familiar Cities:

Concord, NH: 45 miles NNE
Manchester, NH: 25 miles NNE
Nashua, NH: 12 miles ENE
Boston, MA: 55 miles SE

10. Best Places to Live in New Hampshire (2011) - Windham, NH (Rockingham County)

Population: 13,097

Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $84,912
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 47.4%
Property crime rateper 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 2.81

Distance to Familiar Cities:

Concord, NH: 36 miles NNW
Manchester, NH: 18 miles NNW
Nashua, NH: 10 miles WSW
Boston, MA: 37 miles SSE

11. Best Places to Live in New Hampshire (2011) - Hampton Falls, NH (Rockingham County)

Population: 2,342

Median householdincome (adjusted for cost of living): $84,901
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 53.6%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 5.9

Distance to Familiar Cities:

Concord, NH: 53 miles NW
Manchester, NH: 38 miles W
Boston, MA: 44 miles SSW

12. Best Places to Live in New Hampshire (2011) - Hopkinton, NH (Merrimack County)

Population: 5,603

Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $72,992
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 50.9%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 1.96

Distance to Familiar Cities:

Concord, NH: 8 miles E
Manchester, NH: 22 miles SE

13. Best Places to Live in New Hampshire (2011) - Mont Vernon, NH (Hillsborough County)

Population: 2,728

Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $82,396
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 44.9%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 1.66

Distance to Familiar Cities:

Concord, NH: 30 miles NNE
Manchester, NH: 17 miles NE
Nashua, NH: 16 miles SE
Boston, MA: 59 miles SE

14. Best Places to Live in New Hampshire (2011) - Rye, NH (Rockingham County)

Population: 5,177

Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $54,850
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 56.2%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 0.78

Distance to Familiar Cities:

Concord, NH: 50 miles NW
Manchester, NH: 40 miles W
Boston, MA: 58 miles SSW

15. Best Places to Live in New Hampshire (2011) - New London, NH (Merrimack County)

Population: 4,447

Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $65,083
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 52.3%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 1.55

Distance to Familiar Cities:

Concord, NH: 35 miles SE
Hanover, NH: 29 miles NW

16. Best Places to Live in New Hampshire (2011) - Lee, NH (Strafford County)

Population: 4,446

Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $57,680
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 49.0%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 1.11

Distance to Familiar Cities:

Concord, NH: 33 miles WNW
Manchester, NH: 29 miles SW

17. Best Places to Live in New Hampshire (2011) - Merrimack, NH (Hillsborough County)

Population: 26,579

Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $70,296
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 39.6%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 1.8

Distance to Familiar Cities:

Concord, NH: 29 miles N
Manchester, NH: 11 miles N
Nashua, NH: 8 miles S
Boston, MA: 52 miles SE

18. Best Places to Live in New Hampshire (2011) - New Boston, NH (Hillsborough County)

Population: 5,023

Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $73,093
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 41.0%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 3.09

Distance to Familiar Cities:

Concord, NH: 23 miles NNE
Manchester, NH: 15 miles E
Nashua, NH: 22 miles SE

19. Best Places to Live in New Hampshire (2011) - Greenland, NH (Rockingham County)

Population: 3,406

Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $60,453
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 43.5%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 1.45

Distance to Familiar Cities:

Concord, NH: 49 miles WNW
Manchester, NH: 39 miles W
Boston, MA: 55 miles SSW

20. Best Places to Live in New Hampshire (2011) - Litchfield, NH (Hillsborough County)

Population: 8,593

Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $82,774
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 31.4%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 2.48

Distance to Familiar Cities:

Concord, NH: 31 miles N
Manchester, NH: 12 miles N
Nashua, NH: 8 miles S
Boston, MA: 50 mile SSE

*In some cases, municipalities do not report their crime statistics to the FBI or they contract for services with the state or a county law enforcement agency. For those towns, crime rates are extrapolated from municipal, county, state, or contiguous municipality data.

The sources used in support of this article include the latest 1, 3, and 5-year estimates from the U.S. Census and the most recent FBI Uniform Crime Report.

More Articles from J.C. Grant

"Average ACT Scores by State (2010)"
"Average SAT Scores by State (2010)"
"Largest U.S. Cities: Population Size (2011)"
"Most_Dangerous_Cities_in_America - Murder Rates"
"State Education Rankings: Graduation Rates for High School, College, and Grad/Professional School"
"State Education Rankings: SAT Scores"

Source(s):

"All Cities in New Hampshire," City-Data.com
"2009 ACS 1-year Estimates," U.S. Census Bureau
"2007-2009 ACS 3-year Estimates," U.S. Census Bureau
"2006-2008 ACS 3-year Estimates," U.S. Census Bureau
"2005-2009 ACS 5-Year Estimates," U.S. Census Bureau
"Uniform Crime Report," Federal Bureau of Investigation