The 10 Safest Cities In New Hampshire For 2023
The safest cities in New Hampshire are Atkinson and Litchfield for 2023.
New Hampshire is both one of the best states and safest states to live in America. The residents of the safest places in New Hampshire know how to live life right.
We set out to determine the safest places in New Hampshire for 2023. How did we do it? We consulted the numbers and analyzed important factors like property and violent crimes per capita for every place with over 5,000 residents. In total, we analyzed 73 New Hampshire cities.
We discovered that there are safe places like Durham for college kids, super safe family-friendly places like Hudson, and safe places like Berlin for people on a budget.
There's a reason notables have been singing the praises of places like Manchester, Nashua for years. These are not just some of America's best places to live, but some of the country's safest.
So, where are these amazing places in Rhode Island where crime is low and neighborhoods are safe? Read on.
Here are the 10 safest cities to live in New Hampshire for 2023:
- Atkinson
- Litchfield
- Hollis
- Stratham
- Newton
- Nottingham
- Brookline
- Kingston
- Windham
- Sandown
It's not breaking news that New Hampshire has happy, safe places to live.
Some might think it's because of the great tax breaks, but we think it's because the hard-working people of New Hampshire are always paying it forward to fund programs that keep their cities and communities safe.
So, where's the safest place to live in New Hampshire? The safest place in New Hampshire is Atkinson.
If you want to see how New Hampshire's other amazing safe places faired, take a look at the list below. And if you don't see your favorite there, head to the bottom.
For more reading on safe places to live in and around New Hampshire, check out:
- Safest States In America
- Safest Cities In America
- Best Places To Live In New Hampshire
- Cheapest Places To Live In New Hampshire
Table Of Contents
The 10 Safest Cities In New Hampshire For 2023
Population: 7,296
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 0 (second safest)
Property Crimes Per 100k: 137 (safest)
More on Atkinson:
Located just south of Sandown on the Massachusetts border, Atkinson ranks as the safest place in New Hampshire. Atkinson had the safest rate of property crime in 2021, with only 19 instances all year. That works out to a rate roughly nine times lower than the national average. So you can leave your valuables out while you play soccer or tennis at Woodlock Park without worrying if someone's going to snag them. Atkinson also had more seasons than violent crimes in the year, so the town hardly ever has to fire up its bat signal.
Population: 8,696
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 11 (fourth safest)
Property Crimes Per 100k: 195 (fifth safest)
More on Litchfield:
You will find Litchfield alongside the Merrimack River. With sites like the Litchfield State Forest, there is just as much natural beauty within this town as there is around it. The area's notably low crime numbers mean you can explore all it has to offer while knowing you are not surrounded by criminals waiting to pounce.
The town of 8,696 had just 1 reports of violent crime in 2021. An outstanding feat for a population of that size. When it came to property crime, Litchfield was not off the hook, but some numbers were still impressive. Those include the 0 burglaries and 2 car thefts that occurred - a low amount per capita.
Population: 8,166
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 0 (second safest)
Property Crimes Per 100k: 330 (11th safest)
More on Hollis:
Hollis is the third safest town in the Granite State with incredibly low levels of crime. How low are we talking? Well, you can't really get much lower than ZERO, which was how many violent crimes occurred in Hollis in the last year of available data.
And while Hollis may not rank in the top ten for New Hampshire in terms of property crime, the rate in Hollis is still nearly five times lower than the national average. Honestly, there are more Beavers at Beaver Brook than there are crimes in a given year in Hollis.
Hollis is located on New Hampshire's southern border with Massachusetts, 15 minutes west of Nashua.
Population: 7,707
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 12 (fifth safest)
Property Crimes Per 100k: 298 (tenth safest)
More on Stratham:
Population: 5,030
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 19 (ninth safest)
Property Crimes Per 100k: 198 (sixth safest)
More on Newton:
Population: 5,281
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 0 (second safest)
Property Crimes Per 100k: 359 (15th safest)
More on Nottingham:
It is only a theory but being able to spend alone time in places like the Pawtuckaway State Park must help the people of Nottingham stay rational. That, or something is in the water. Whatever it is, it is working. The town had unbelievably low violent crime numbers in 2021. Citizens only reported 0 incidents that year.
As if that were not enough to make someone happy to reside here, members of this community barely faced issues with property crime either. Only 19 were committed. So clearly, your possessions are as safe as you are here.
Population: 5,547
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 36 (16th safest)
Property Crimes Per 100k: 162 (third safest)
More on Brookline:
The Talbot-Taylor Wildlife Sanctuary is a haven in New Hampshire, but the city it is in, Brookline, could easily be called another. Brookline ranks as the seventh safest place to live in New Hampshire for 2023.
Limited criminal activity is an accomplishment for any area, but the fact that this one had 2 violent crimes in 2021 is awe-inspiring. Whatever the Brookline Police Department and the community's citizens are doing, they need to keep it up.
As if a lack of murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault were not enough, the figures for certain property crimes were also staggeringly low here. People reported just 2 burglaries and 1 car thefts in 2021. Given those numbers, something tells us a lot more people are going to consider moving to Brookline in the future.
Population: 6,549
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 45 (21st safest)
Property Crimes Per 100k: 183 (fourth safest)
More on Kingston:
Population: 15,191
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 32 (13th safest)
Property Crimes Per 100k: 355 (14th safest)
More on Windham:
Located 20 minutes east of Nashua, Windham is the ninth safest place in New Hampshire overall. Windham had about 11 times less violent crime than the average American city and averaged just one property crime a week for the last year of available data.
So while we can't guarantee that you won't get nauseous on the Corkscrew Coaster at Windham's Canobie Lake Park, we can promise that you won't get beaten up there.
Population: 6,693
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 44 (20th safest)
Property Crimes Per 100k: 283 (ninth safest)
More on Sandown:
While Sandown wasn't ranked #1 in either violent or property crime, solid rankings in each category helped the town achieve its #10 safety ranking overall. With only two violent crimes committed in 2021, Sandown had a violent crime rate about 12 times lower than the national average. Additionally, residents only had a 1 in 352 chance of being the victim of a property crime, which is far better than most places in New Hampshire.
Wine lovers will also be delighted to hear than Sandown is the home of Zorvino Vineyards, so you won't have to go far for some local vino. Sandown is about a half hour east of Manchester.
Methodology: How we calculated the safest cities in New Hampshire for 2023
While there are surveys and public polls on what cities in New Hampshire are the safest, we wanted to rely on something other than speculation and opinion. Instead, we looked at the hard numbers from the FBI's most recent crime report in New Hampshire.
Specifically, we analyzed the FBI's Uniform Crime Report, which summarizes the number of property and violent crimes in each city annually. We used two criteria:
- Violent crimes per capita (murders, assaults, rapes, armed robberies)
- Property crimes per capita (thefts, burglaries, motor vehicle thefts)
For example, there were 10 crimes committed in Atkinson, with a reported population of 7,296. That means the number of crimes per capita is 0.0014, which translates into a 1 in 729 chance of being the victim of a crime.
We only looked at New Hampshire cities that have populations of more than 5,000. This filter left us with 73 of the biggest cities in New Hampshire to rank.
We ranked each city for each criterion from 1 to 73 where 1 in any particular category is the safest.
Next, we averaged each place's two criteria to create a Safety Index. We crowned the place with the lowest overall Safety Score "The Safest Place In New Hampshire," with any ties going to the bigger city.
The safest city in New Hampshire, based on our criteria, is Atkinson. The most dangerous city in New Hampshire? Manchester, where residents had a 1 in 36 chance of being the victim of a crime.
This article has been update for 2023. This report marks our sixth time ranking the safest places to live in New Hampshire. All the data comes from the FBI's Crime In The USA 2021 report.
Summary: The Safest Cities In The Granite State
Looking at the data, you can tell that Atkinson is as safe as they come in New Hampshire, according to science and data.
But as most New Hampshire residents would agree, almost every place here has its safe and not safe parts. So just make sure you're informed ahead of time.
Here's a look at the most dangerous cities in New Hampshire according to the data:
- Manchester
- Rochester
- Laconia
- Best Places To Raise A Family In New Hampshire
- Best Places To Retire In New Hampshire
- Richest Cities In New Hampshire
Where Are The 10 Safest Cities In New Hampshire For 2023?
| Rank | City | Population | Violent Crimes Per 100k | Property Crimes Per 100k |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Atkinson, NH | 7,296 | 0 | 137 |
| 2 | Litchfield, NH | 8,696 | 11 | 195 |
| 3 | Hollis, NH | 8,166 | 0 | 330 |
| 4 | Stratham, NH | 7,707 | 12 | 298 |
| 5 | Newton, NH | 5,030 | 19 | 198 |
| 6 | Nottingham, NH | 5,281 | 0 | 359 |
| 7 | Brookline, NH | 5,547 | 36 | 162 |
| 8 | Kingston, NH | 6,549 | 45 | 183 |
| 9 | Windham, NH | 15,191 | 32 | 355 |
| 10 | Sandown, NH | 6,693 | 44 | 283 |
| 11 | Charlestown, NH | 5,023 | 19 | 418 |
| 12 | New Boston, NH | 6,006 | 66 | 149 |
| 13 | Weare, NH | 9,130 | 54 | 230 |
| 14 | Rye, NH | 5,566 | 35 | 413 |
| 15 | Hanover, NH | 11,586 | 17 | 578 |
| 16 | Chester, NH | 5,399 | 18 | 574 |
| 17 | Merrimack, NH | 27,656 | 21 | 545 |
| 18 | Plaistow, NH | 7,847 | 38 | 458 |
| 19 | Bedford, NH | 23,137 | 17 | 661 |
| 20 | Swanzey, NH | 7,275 | 68 | 343 |
| 21 | New Ipswich, NH | 5,462 | 54 | 457 |
| 22 | Newmarket, NH | 9,349 | 85 | 331 |
| 23 | Pelham, NH | 14,453 | 41 | 595 |
| 24 | Durham, NH | 16,848 | 100 | 255 |
| 25 | Auburn, NH | 5,771 | 34 | 727 |
| 26 | Hampstead, NH | 8,733 | 80 | 400 |
| 27 | Bow, NH | 8,119 | 61 | 517 |
| 28 | Hopkinton, NH | 5,852 | 51 | 580 |
| 29 | Loudon, NH | 5,740 | 69 | 470 |
| 30 | Milford, NH | 16,662 | 90 | 408 |
| 31 | Londonderry, NH | 26,812 | 55 | 634 |
| 32 | Wolfeboro, NH | 6,467 | 77 | 525 |
| 33 | Rindge, NH | 6,100 | 49 | 770 |
| 34 | Amherst, NH | 11,440 | 43 | 961 |
| 35 | Henniker, NH | 5,024 | 99 | 477 |
| 36 | Epping, NH | 7,233 | 27 | 1,258 |
| 37 | Salem, NH | 31,231 | 51 | 1,075 |
| 38 | Wakefield, NH | 5,812 | 51 | 980 |
| 39 | Derry, NH | 33,892 | 82 | 758 |
| 40 | Raymond, NH | 10,752 | 74 | 799 |
| 41 | Pembroke, NH | 7,265 | 96 | 674 |
| 42 | Jaffrey, NH | 5,271 | 151 | 398 |
| 43 | Goffstown, NH | 18,184 | 98 | 681 |
| 44 | Barrington, NH | 9,423 | 106 | 636 |
| 45 | Dover, NH | 32,480 | 73 | 969 |
| 46 | Hudson, NH | 25,736 | 89 | 773 |
| 47 | Exeter, NH | 15,596 | 147 | 545 |
| 48 | Alton, NH | 5,445 | 330 | 367 |
| 49 | Peterborough, NH | 6,792 | 117 | 868 |
| 50 | Hooksett, NH | 14,834 | 114 | 1,051 |
| 51 | Meredith, NH | 6,579 | 136 | 820 |
| 52 | Belmont, NH | 7,406 | 108 | 1,282 |
| 53 | Hampton, NH | 16,206 | 222 | 765 |
| 54 | Gilford, NH | 7,391 | 135 | 1,244 |
| 55 | Hillsborough, NH | 6,001 | 183 | 933 |
| 56 | Berlin, NH | 10,140 | 138 | 1,272 |
| 57 | Nashua, NH | 89,431 | 150 | 1,091 |
| 58 | Claremont, NH | 12,887 | 108 | 2,017 |
| 59 | Keene, NH | 22,619 | 123 | 1,715 |
| 60 | Concord, NH | 44,053 | 136 | 1,679 |
| 61 | Franklin, NH | 8,782 | 159 | 1,207 |
| 62 | Seabrook, NH | 8,974 | 122 | 2,206 |
| 63 | Farmington, NH | 7,058 | 212 | 1,119 |
| 64 | Newport, NH | 6,342 | 141 | 1,624 |
| 65 | Plymouth, NH | 6,911 | 144 | 1,577 |
| 66 | Lebanon, NH | 13,877 | 144 | 1,888 |
| 67 | Somersworth, NH | 12,498 | 144 | 2,456 |
| 68 | Littleton, NH | 5,898 | 237 | 1,390 |
| 69 | Portsmouth, NH | 21,913 | 246 | 1,487 |
| 70 | Conway, NH | 10,364 | 231 | 1,746 |
| 71 | Laconia, NH | 16,929 | 212 | 2,410 |
| 72 | Rochester, NH | 31,762 | 226 | 2,748 |
| 73 | Manchester, NH | 112,844 | 451 | 2,290 |
Breaking Down Crime In The Safest And Most Dangerous Cities In New Hampshire
About Chris Kolmar
Chris Kolmar has been in the real estate business for almost ten years now. He originally worked for Movoto Real Estate as the director of marketing before founding HomeSnacks.
He believes the key to finding the right place to live comes down to looking at the data, reading about things to do, and, most importantly, checking it out yourself before you move.
If you've been looking for a place to live in the past several years, you've probably stumbled upon his writing already.
You can find out more about him on LinkedIn.
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