Hanover, Portsmouth, Durham: These cities aren’t just some of the best places to live in New Hampshire. They are also home to some of the richest people in the Granite State.
Hanover in particular houses the richest residents in the state thanks, in part, to a median household income of $153,281 and a ridiculously low poverty rate of 8.0%.
If you’re thinking of moving to one of these towns, you’ll probably need to start saving. The richest places in New Hampshire share common characteristics such as having a genius level populous, sky high home prices, and a Pleasantville level of married couples.
How did we come up with these mega wealthy cities? We analyzed Census data from the 2020-2024 American Community Survey for the 36 places in New Hampshire with more than 3,000 people.
$153,281 median income · 8.0% poverty · #1 income in New Hampshire
Located in
Grafton County, New Hampshire
Hanover is a town along the Connecticut River in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 11,260 at the 2010 census. CNN and Money magazine rated Hanover the sixth best place to live in America in 2011, and the second best in 2007. “This just might be the best college town,” read the headline of a story in the January-February 2017 issue of Yankee.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$106,219 median income · 6.8% poverty · #6 income in New Hampshire
Located in
Rockingham County, New Hampshire
Portsmouth is a city in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, in the United States. It is the only city in the county, but only the fourth-largest community, with a population of 21,233 at the 2010 census. As of 2016 the estimated population was 21,485. A historic seaport and popular summer tourist destination, Portsmouth was the home of the Strategic Air Command’s Pease Air Force Base, later converted to Portsmouth International Airport at Pease with limited commercial air service.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$112,070 median income · 12.4% poverty · #5 income in New Hampshire
Located in
Strafford County, New Hampshire
Durham is a town in Strafford County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 14,638 at the 2010 census. Durham is home to the University of New Hampshire.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$119,571 median income · 2.9% poverty · #4 income in New Hampshire
Located in
Rockingham County, New Hampshire
Londonderry is a town in western Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The town is bordered on the north by the city of Manchester and on the east by the town of Derry. The population was 24,129 at the 2010 census. Londonderry is known for its apple orchards and is home to the headquarters of Stonyfield Farm and partial home to Manchester-Boston Regional Airport.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$130,000 median income · 4.0% poverty · #3 income in New Hampshire
Located in
Merrimack County, New Hampshire
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$97,163 median income · 4.0% poverty · #10 income in New Hampshire
Located in
Rockingham County, New Hampshire
Hampton is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 14,976 at the 2010 census. Located beside the Atlantic Ocean, Hampton is home to Hampton Beach, a summer tourist destination.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$132,997 median income · 3.3% poverty · #2 income in New Hampshire
$101,053 median income · 4.0% poverty · #7 income in New Hampshire
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$95,842 median income · 5.1% poverty · #12 income in New Hampshire
Located in
Hillsborough County, New Hampshire
Hudson is a town in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, United States. It is located along the Massachusetts state line. The population was 24,467 at the 2010 census, with an estimated population of 24,645 in 2013. It is the ninth-largest municipality in the state, by population.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$87,346 median income · 5.9% poverty · #16 income in New Hampshire
Located in
Rockingham County, New Hampshire
Exeter is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The town’s population was 14,306 at the 2010 census. Exeter was the county seat until 1997, when county offices were moved to neighboring Brentwood. Home to the Phillips Exeter Academy, a private university-preparatory school, Exeter is situated where the Exeter River feeds the tidal Squamscott River.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
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: 7.2%
New Hampshire statewide median: 3.3%
On the map
Where the money lives in New Hampshire
Saturday Night Science
How we determined the richest places in New Hampshire for 2026
The first thing most people reach for is personal income. After all, rich people have really high salaries. But one statistic doesn’t capture what it means to be one of the “richest places,” so we applied Saturday Night Science to two measures from the 2020-2024 American Community Survey:
- Median household income
- Median home value
Median household income is the most digestible way to understand how rich a place is, and home values are a measure of accumulated wealth. The two combine to define a “Rich City.”
After collecting the data for all 36 places in New Hampshire with more than 3,000 people, we ranked each place from 1 to 36 on both criteria, then averaged the two ranks into a “Rich Score.” The place with the lowest Rich Score, Hanover, is crowned the richest city in New Hampshire for 2026.
The full plate
All 36 richest cities in New Hampshire, ranked
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Rich Score | Population | Median income | Median home value | Poverty | Unemployment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hanover | 1.00 | 8,479 | $153,281 | $959,517 | 8.0% | 8.2% |
| 2 | Portsmouth | 4.00 | 22,545 | $106,219 | $798,497 | 6.8% | 2.5% |
| 3 | Durham | 4.00 | 10,681 | $112,070 | $683,122 | 12.4% | 4.6% |
| 4 | Londonderry | 4.50 | 12,225 | $119,571 | $609,580 | 2.9% | 4.6% |
| 5 | South Hooksett | 5.50 | 5,902 | $130,000 | $546,044 | 4.0% | 1.3% |
| 6 | Hampton | 7.00 | 10,101 | $97,163 | $618,203 | 4.0% | 2.8% |
| 7 | Goffstown | 8.00 | 3,490 | $132,997 | $493,971 | 3.3% | 0.4% |
| 8 | Hooksett | 9.00 | 5,876 | $101,053 | $522,158 | 4.0% | 4.6% |
| 9 | Hudson | 11.00 | 7,469 | $95,842 | $534,266 | 5.1% | 3.1% |
| 10 | Exeter | 11.00 | 9,964 | $87,346 | $607,124 | 5.9% | 4.9% |
| 11 | Dover | 11.00 | 33,364 | $94,829 | $537,812 | 8.3% | 4.1% |
| 12 | Nashua | 12.00 | 91,294 | $96,326 | $502,529 | 7.8% | 4.2% |
| 13 | Newmarket | 12.50 | 5,679 | $87,196 | $553,162 | 6.9% | 1.1% |
| 14 | Lebanon | 13.50 | 14,999 | $98,147 | $453,644 | 7.0% | 0.8% |
| 15 | Derry | 14.50 | 21,339 | $91,673 | $493,914 | 4.4% | 3.2% |
| 16 | Jaffrey | 17.00 | 3,277 | $99,667 | $397,897 | 4.8% | 5.7% |
| 17 | Milford | 18.00 | 8,956 | $78,684 | $508,126 | 5.9% | 2.7% |
| 18 | Concord | 19.50 | 44,375 | $84,902 | $445,979 | 8.9% | 4.1% |
| 19 | Suncook | 19.50 | 5,432 | $79,836 | $455,163 | 12.9% | 0.4% |
| 20 | Manchester | 21.00 | 115,643 | $81,007 | $435,334 | 11.2% | 3.3% |
| 21 | Plymouth | 22.00 | 4,969 | $89,500 | $364,177 | 17.0% | 7.2% |
| 22 | East Merrimack | 22.50 | 5,081 | $87,311 | $367,433 | 3.4% | 0.1% |
| 23 | Raymond | 22.50 | 3,645 | $73,066 | $484,908 | 7.1% | 5.3% |
| 24 | Rochester | 23.00 | 33,144 | $80,836 | $398,492 | 8.3% | 2.7% |
| 25 | Somersworth | 24.00 | 12,111 | $74,504 | $439,895 | 11.2% | 2.8% |
| 26 | Laconia | 25.50 | 17,085 | $73,218 | $434,892 | 12.6% | 3.1% |
| 27 | Conway | 25.50 | 3,879 | $59,167 | $446,669 | 7.6% | 17.2% |
| 28 | Pinardville | 26.50 | 4,418 | $79,340 | $360,878 | 10.7% | 1.2% |
| 29 | Franklin | 28.50 | 8,799 | $71,648 | $376,959 | 7.0% | 2.8% |
| 30 | Keene | 28.50 | 22,939 | $78,445 | $341,420 | 10.1% | 2.0% |
| 31 | Farmington | 29.00 | 3,924 | $55,029 | $416,913 | 14.0% | 4.7% |
| 32 | Newport | 29.50 | 4,758 | $78,174 | $320,217 | 14.8% | 2.7% |
| 33 | Tilton Northfield | 32.50 | 3,101 | $66,705 | $315,123 | 11.2% | 3.0% |
| 34 | Littleton | 33.00 | 4,114 | $53,082 | $355,437 | 15.5% | 5.0% |
| 35 | Claremont | 34.00 | 13,078 | $59,096 | $274,193 | 13.5% | 4.2% |
| 36 | Berlin | 36.00 | 9,383 | $45,180 | $178,877 | 15.3% | 7.1% |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024, Zillow research. 36 cities with more than 3,000 residents.
Hanover is the richest place in New Hampshire for 2026
When we set out to identify the richest places in New Hampshire, we weren’t sure what we’d find, but it ended up being some of the best places to live in the state. The richest cities in New Hampshire are Hanover, Portsmouth, and Durham, and when you look at the data they sit at the very top of the income ladder for everyone who lives there.
Breaking into the top ten takes a median household income of at least $87,346. If you’re curious about the other end of the ledger, the poorest places are listed to the right.
