You’ve seen these lists before. Best places to live in New Hampshire. Best suburbs in New Hampshire. Best counties in New Hampshire.
Etc., etc., etc.
But they all focus on major cities and towns in the Granite State, and no one pays attention to the little guy.
Well, that’s all about to change as we put together a list of the superb small towns in New Hampshire based on numbers–not opinions or hearsay.
We’ll dive right into our methodology in the next section, but first, we thought you might want to know which places in New Hampshire ranked the best based on Saturday Night Science.
$85,833 median income · 0.0% unemployment
$97,928 median income · 2.1% unemployment
$95,273 median income · 0.6% unemployment
$132,997 median income · 0.4% unemployment
Data | Movers
$96,250 median income · 1.2% unemployment
$93,571 median income · 9.8% unemployment
$89,500 median income · 7.2% unemployment
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$79,340 median income · 1.2% unemployment
Pinardville is a census-designated place in the town of Goffstown in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 4,780 at the 2010 census. Pinardville has existed since 1906.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$76,326 median income · 2.6% unemployment
$82,557 median income · 9.5% unemployment
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is New Hampshire’s statewide median.
New Hampshire statewide median: $99,031
New Hampshire statewide median: $507,347
New Hampshire statewide median: 3.3%
On the map
Where New Hampshire’s best small towns are
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How We Determined The Coolest Towns In New Hampshire
We threw a lot of criteria at this report to get the best, most complete results of the best small towns in New Hampshire possible.
Using the most recent data from the Census’s 2020-2024 American Community Survey, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and Saturday Night Science, this is the criteria we used:
- Population Density (Higher is better)
- Lowest Unemployment Rates
- Housing costs (Higher is better. More demand.)
- Adjusted Median Income (Higher is better)
- Highly Educated Adults (Higher is better)
- Insurance Rates (Higher is better)
- Commute Times (Lower is better)
We looked at places with populations lower than 5,000 people and greater than 1,000, of which there were many – 39 to be exact.
We then ranked each place in each category with scores from 1 to 39, averaged them out, and the lowest scores went to our Best Small Towns in New Hampshire. Top of that list — Peterborough.
This is our eleventh time ranking the best small places to live in New Hampshire.
The full plate
Best Small Towns In New Hampshire
Click any column to sort. Search by town name.
| Rank | Town | Population | Median Income | Median Home Value | Unemployment Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Peterborough | 2,539 | $85,833 | $472,042 | 0.0% |
| 2 | Contoocook | 1,376 | $97,928 | $531,045 | 2.1% |
| 3 | Epping | 2,796 | $95,273 | $555,365 | 0.6% |
| 4 | Goffstown | 3,490 | $132,997 | $493,971 | 0.4% |
| 5 | Troy | 1,081 | $96,250 | $332,969 | 1.2% |
| 6 | Seabrook Beach | 1,001 | $93,571 | $1,160,785 | 9.8% |
| 7 | Plymouth | 4,969 | $89,500 | $364,177 | 7.2% |
| 8 | Pinardville | 4,418 | $79,340 | $360,878 | 1.2% |
| 9 | Henniker | 2,993 | $76,326 | $489,036 | 2.6% |
| 10 | Hampton Beach | 2,605 | $82,557 | $641,463 | 9.5% |
| 11 | Marlborough | 1,048 | $67,356 | $366,202 | 0.9% |
| 12 | Jaffrey | 3,277 | $99,667 | $397,897 | 5.7% |
| 13 | Enfield | 1,994 | $99,330 | $453,752 | 0.0% |
| 14 | Gorham | 2,092 | $62,679 | $249,338 | 0.0% |
| 15 | Conway | 3,879 | $59,167 | $446,669 | 17.2% |
| 16 | Belmont | 1,378 | $52,594 | $458,351 | 0.0% |
| 17 | North Conway | 2,041 | $71,198 | $548,313 | 0.0% |
| 18 | Meredith | 2,617 | $59,375 | $667,790 | 5.6% |
| 19 | Wilton | 1,038 | $84,342 | $500,338 | 2.5% |
| 20 | Tilton Northfield | 3,101 | $66,705 | $315,123 | 3.0% |
| 21 | Bethlehem | 1,058 | $64,625 | $352,292 | 3.9% |
| 22 | Raymond | 3,645 | $73,066 | $484,908 | 5.3% |
| 23 | Sanbornville | 1,317 | $126,359 | $316,509 | 0.0% |
| 24 | Pittsfield | 1,744 | $60,144 | $412,537 | 0.5% |
| 25 | Wolfeboro | 2,531 | $51,839 | $613,026 | 1.4% |
| 26 | Winchester | 1,306 | $81,250 | $289,529 | 1.7% |
| 27 | Bristol | 2,098 | $73,993 | $394,730 | 2.2% |
| 28 | Lancaster | 2,230 | $66,765 | $298,858 | 1.9% |
| 29 | Woodsville | 1,422 | $57,946 | $287,392 | 2.5% |
| 30 | Antrim | 1,265 | $72,738 | $419,259 | 2.5% |
| 31 | Hillsborough | 1,616 | $49,205 | $371,927 | 0.0% |
| 32 | Hinsdale | 1,580 | $72,292 | $283,556 | 7.1% |
| 33 | Whitefield | 1,512 | $61,429 | $322,540 | 4.6% |
| 34 | Ashland | 1,404 | $44,188 | $358,689 | 2.8% |
| 35 | West Swanzey | 1,188 | $47,090 | $243,779 | 5.1% |
| 36 | Newport | 4,758 | $78,174 | $320,217 | 2.7% |
| 37 | Littleton | 4,114 | $53,082 | $355,437 | 5.0% |
| 38 | Farmington | 3,924 | $55,029 | $416,913 | 4.7% |
| 39 | Colebrook | 1,268 | $46,833 | $225,138 | 3.9% |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024 via Saturday Night Science. 39 New Hampshire towns between 1,000 and 5,000 residents.
Summary
Summary: Science Can Tackle Any Issue, Even Small Ones
We said it once, and we’ll say it again — this list: it’s just science. We did the research, crunched the numbers, and it turns out these small towns in New Hampshire are the best in which to live.
And who can argue with that?
The best small towns in New Hampshire are Peterborough, Contoocook, Epping, Goffstown, Troy, Seabrook Beach, Plymouth, Pinardville, Henniker, and Hampton Beach. Not sold on New Hampshire? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
Questions and answers
Best Small Towns In New Hampshire FAQs
What is the best small town to live in New Hampshire?
Peterborough is the best small town in New Hampshire for 2026. The median household income there is $85,833 and the median home costs $472,042. Contoocook and Epping round out the top three.
What are the best small towns in New Hampshire?
The best small towns in New Hampshire are Peterborough, Contoocook, Epping, Goffstown, Troy, Seabrook Beach, Plymouth, Pinardville, Henniker, and Hampton Beach. We ranked all 39 New Hampshire towns with between 1,000 and 5,000 residents.
What counts as a small town?
For this ranking, a small town is any New Hampshire place with between 1,000 and 5,000 residents. 39 towns fit that window this year.
How do you rank the best small towns in New Hampshire?
Each town is scored on density, unemployment, housing costs, income, education, insurance coverage, and commute times, using Census American Community Survey data. The town with the best average across all of it, Peterborough, takes the top spot.
How much does a home cost in Peterborough?
The median home in Peterborough runs $472,042, against $507,347 across New Hampshire as a whole. Pair that with a $85,833 median household income, and you can see why it ranks so well.
