The 10 Most Dangerous Cities In New Hampshire For 2022

The 10 Most Dangerous Places To Live In New Hampshire For 2022

Compared to the other safe cities in New Hampshire, Manchester is the most dangerous. It is one of the most populous cities in the state, with 113,018 current residents. In 2020, there were 2,096 cases and 2,560, making it a place where your residence or stuff are in danger.

In the state of New Hampshire, Manchester is highest in violent crimes. Its central location along the Merrimack River puts it within an hour or so of Boston, Massachusetts. While it might also have a reputation for small business and successes with new retailers in downtown, its nickname of Queen City underplays the danger of living there.

Rochester is the second dangerous city in New Hampshire. Although its overall murder rate is low, it has a significant number of property crimes, violent crimes and aggravated assaults. You have a 1 in 33 chance of being involved in a violent or property crime here.

It is so dangerous that it outranks both larger cities and smaller towns in its overall crime rate. In reporting year 2020, Rochester had 72 crimes and 873 crimes in. Not all of this crime is centered downtown.

Located in the southeast part of the state, the Lilac City is one of the largest in New Hampshire. It is located close to the White Mountains.

Despite New Hampshire's reputation for being a safe place to live with your family, Conway might be an exception. Its large tourism industry and seasonal resident population contribute to its growing crime rate, as many of the crimes are committed against out of town visitors. In 2020, Conway ranked number 1 for rapes, 6 for property crimes, and as fifth highest for overall crimes.

It is the most populous community in Carroll County, with around 20% of the county's population living there. It is located near the White Mountain National Forest and the popular Echo Lake State Park. Visiting climbers like to visit Cathedral Ledge.

While Littleton, New Hampshire has a population of just 5,862, it is ranked number 38 for murders and 2 for violent crimes. It continues to be in our fourth spot with little hope of becoming a safer place to live. In fact, it has more murders each year than cities three times its size.

It is a popular travel destination for outdoor enthusiasts that want to ski, hike, or bike. But if you want to visit Littleton's historic Opera House or the world's longest candy counter, it might be safest to do so during the day while traveling through town on your way to a safer destination in New Hampshire.

In Somersworth, New Hampshire, you are more likely to be the victim of property crime or larceny than to get struck by lightning or to face a tax audit. In data year 2020, the residents of Somersworth suffered from 396 property crimes and 366 cases of larceny. For a population of 12,005 residents, this makes Somersworth highest for total crime.

While it is not the safest place to live, it is one of the most affordable places to live. This might explain some of the crimes against property that are prevalent in this area.

It is conveniently located about an hour north of Boston and within close proximity to historic Portsmouth. It shares a border with Maine along the Salmon Falls River.

In the Lakes Region in southern New Hampshire lies Belmont, a small town of 7,342 with a history as a small mill community. Despite feeling like a quiet community, it ranks seventh highest in violent crimes and number 7 in burglaries. In Belmont, you have a 1 in 51 chance of being involved in a crime.

The situation in Belmont does not appear to be getting any better, as both violent and property crimes have consistently increased since 2016. Prior to this, Belmont actually had a lower rate of crime than in many other parts of New Hampshire. Its crime rate is still lower than the national average.

Farmington sounds rural. Like, if you were creating a video game for little kids and needed a name for your farming town, you'd probably call it "Farmington." And yes, the community has a small-town charm today -- sporting a population of just 7,003.

But, despite the name, the community actually has something of an industrial past, at one time selling itself as "The Shoe Capital of New Hampshire." It's even the birthplace of a vice president of the United States -- Henry Wilson, who served under Ulysses S. Grant in the 1870s.

These days? Well, shoe production has mostly moved overseas and the town's reputation has shifted somewhat. Today, it's known as the number 7 most dangerous spot in New Hampshire. This comes with a high rate of burglaries and violent crime.

Concord ranks 3rd in population and tenth highest in total crime, which makes it one of the most dangerous cities in the state of New Hampshire. In the last ranking, it was tenth lowest. The local government and law enforcement professionals have worked to reduce the amount of crime in the city.

Residents love to shop on Loudon Road and downtown, where the crime levels might be slightly higher. Most of the crimes in the area are property crimes and larceny, with 727 property crimes and 626 instances of larceny in 2020.

Concord is the capital city of New Hampshire and the location of the University of New Hampshire School of Law.

Keene, New Hampshire is known for repeating its world record for setting the most jack o lanterns on display at once during New Hampshire's annual pumpkin festival. However, the city is also known as one of the most dangerous. At the time of this writing, Keene ranks eighth highest for total crime in all of New Hampshire.

Overall, Keene is more dangerous than most of the other cities in New Hampshire, although not that dangerous for the country overall. This college town will still feel safe for the students of the two colleges located there: Keene State College and Antioch University New England. Despite the relative safety risk, there are a lot of things to do in Keene that keep tourists visiting the area, such as Mount Monadnock and the unique Hannah Grimes Marketplace.

Located near lakes and mountains, the picturesque beauty of Laconia, New Hampshire hides the fact that it is the tenth most dangerous city in the state. With a whopping 495 per year, there is a very large number of property crimes for its relatively small population of 16,669. This makes Laconia #2 in property crimes and #2 in overall crimes for 2022.

While most of the crime is centered in the downtown area and its surroundings, this doesn't make the other parts of town particularly safe. The town continues to try to clean up its crime rate but it hasn't been successful. Combined with an overall lack of employment opportunities, you probably won't find Laconia on our best places to live in New Hampshire list.

Most Dangerous Places To Live In New Hampshire FAQs

Is New Hampshire a dangerous state?

No, New Hampshire is not a dangerous state as it ranks as the #1 safest state in the United States based on our analysis of the latest FBI Crime Data. The violent crime rate in new hampshire ranks 49th highest in the United States -- 62.25% better than US average violent crime rate. The property crime rate in the Granite State ranks 49th highest in the United States -- 43.88% better than US average property crime rate. The latest reporting year from the FBI was 2020.

Is Manchester, NH a dangerous city?

No, Manchester is not a dangerous city. Manchester ranks as the #155 safest out of 320 major cities over 100,000 people in the United States based on our analysis of the latest FBI Crime Data. Keep in mind that are always safe and dangerous parts of any city, so even though Manchester might be considered safe you still need to be aware of where you are.

Compared to other big cities, the violent crime rate in Manchester ranks 116th highest in America -- 8.0% worse than US average violent crime rate. The property crime rate in the ranks 178th highest in the United States -- 14.71% better than US average property crime rate. Note the latest reporting year from the FBI was 2020 and that no city in America is 'dangerous'. Despite the uptick in murders, it's nothing like you'd see in Tijuana or Caracas where the murder rate is 2x any American city.