Do you live in one of the most dangerous cities in New Hampshire?
We all watch the news and see reports on Facebook of the latest crimes that happen in our hometowns. But it can be hard to tell at a big picture level how dangerous our town actually is.
No one wants to feel unsafe, and statistically speaking, odds are that where you live is most likely relatively safe. In order to help the good people of New Hampshire — and anyone looking to move to New Hampshire — know just how close they are to danger, we took data from the annual FBI report and did some serious analysis.
The data shows that these ten cities are currently the most dangerous in the Granite State:
- Laconia (Photos)
- Rochester (Photos)
- Somersworth (Photos)
- Manchester (Photos)
- Lebanon (Photos)
- Plymouth (Photos)
- Keene (Photos)
- Belmont (Photos)
- Seabrook
- Claremont (Photos)
Why did Laconia take the top spot? For the answer to this question and a detailed explanation of the data and analysis we used in creating this ranking, read on. Or learn more about the safest places in New Hampshire.
If you’re looking for something more national, check out the most dangerous cities in America or the most dangerous states in America.
For more New Hampshire reading, check out:
- 10 Cheapest Places To Live In New Hampshire
- 10 Best Places To Raise A Family In New Hampshire
- These Are The 10 Richest Cities In New Hampshire
How we determined the most dangerous cities in New Hampshire for 2018?
Every year the FBI release two crime datasets, a preliminary dataset limited to the biggest cities in the country, followed by a more detailed release at the end of the year.
For our analysis, we focused on the JUST released 2016 data, specifically the 2016 Crime In The United States Report. We will update the results when data becomes available for 2017 in October 2018.
So what criteria did we use? Have a look:
- Violent Crimes Per Capita
- Property Crimes Per Capita
In order to make the analysis as apples to apples as possible, we only considered cities over 5,000 in population. That left us with 66 cities in New Hampshire.
We then ranked each city from 1 to 66 for the two criteria with a #1 ranking being the most dangerous for the particular criteria.
Next, we averaged the two rankings into one “Dangerous Index”.
Finally, we ranked every city on the “Dangerous Index” with the lowest index being the most dangerous in New Hampshire — Laconia. Read on for a detailed look at the 10 most dangerous cities in New Hampshire.
Here’s a visualization of the criteria:
Read on for a detailed look at the 10 most dangerous cities in New Hampshire.
1. Laconia
Population: 16,300Rank Last Year: 1 (No Change)
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 472
Property Crimes Per 100k: 4,079
More on Laconia: Data | Photos | Rankings
Laconia takes 1st because of its 2nd place finish for violence.
Located in central New Hampshire, 30 miles north of Concord, Laconia experienced rise in violent crime between 2014-16.
This left residents with a 1 in 211 chance of being the victim of violence and a 1 in 24.5 chance of being the victim of theft or arson in 2016.
2. Rochester
Population: 30,096Rank Last Year: N/A
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 358
Property Crimes Per 100k: 3,332
More on Rochester: Data | Photos | Rankings
A city on the eastern edge of the state, Rochester is the 2nd most dangerous city in New Hampshire overall.
While violent crime dropped, the improvement was completely nullified when 2016’s proeprty crime statistics were even higher than recent years.
3. Somersworth
Population: 11,757Rank Last Year: 6 (Up 3)
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 289
Property Crimes Per 100k: 3,053
More on Somersworth: Data | Photos | Rankings
Population: 11,757Rank Last Year: 6 (Up 3)
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 289
Property Crimes Per 100k: 3,053
Located on the eastern edge of New Hampshire, bordering Maine, Somersworth has the smallest area of any city in the state.
The 10 sq. mile Somersworth saw a total of 359 property crimes in 2016, which calculates out to a 1 in 32.7 chance of being a victim of theft.
Somersworth ranked 5th for violent crime.
4. Manchester
Population: 110,353Rank Last Year: 2 (Down 2)
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 672
Property Crimes Per 100k: 2,727
More on Manchester: Data | Photos | Rankings
Located in south-central New Hampshire, Manchester is the largest city in the state, as well as the largest city in northern New England.
While the city has been named one of the most affordable in the region by several sources, its status as the 4th most violent city in the state might mar that fact.
Between 2014-16, violent crime went up, leaving residents with a 1 in 148 chance of being the victim of violence in 2016; that’s considerably higher than most places on the list.
5. Lebanon
Population: 13,668Rank Last Year: 5 (No Change)
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 278
Property Crimes Per 100k: 2,985
More on Lebanon: Data | Photos | Rankings
From 2014-16, Lebanon experienced an enormous jump in instances of violent crime, leaving residents with a 1 in 359 chance of being the victim of violence in 2016.
Property crime also went up during this period, meaning that, if trends continue, Lebanon will climb this list in no time.
6. Plymouth
Population: 6,639Rank Last Year: 7 (Up 1)
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 451
Property Crimes Per 100k: 2,635
More on Plymouth: Data | Photos | Rankings
For a relatively small town, Plymouth has had an extensive amount of industrialization over the past 100 years.
This level of industrialization may contribute to the higher occurrences of crime within the city, good for a 1 in 37.9 chance of being the victim of a property crime.
7. Keene
Population: 23,244Rank Last Year: 4 (Down 3)
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 232
Property Crimes Per 100k: 2,903
More on Keene: Data | Photos | Rankings
Located in the southwestern corner of the state in Cheshire County, Keene has the 5th worst rate of property crime in New Hampshire.
Instances of property crime went up between 2014-16, with 2016’s rate being 1 in 34.4.
Violent crime also went up during this time period to 15th worst overall, which didn’t quite get Keene into the top ten most violent cities in the state.
8. Belmont
Population: 7,315Rank Last Year: 8 (No Change)
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 287
Property Crimes Per 100k: 1,886
More on Belmont: Data | Photos | Rankings
Belmont is the least populated city on this list, as well as the least violent.
Residents of Belmont faced a 1 in 53.0 chance of being the victim of a property crime in 2016.
Belmont has been improving a lot lately too, with reductions in both violent and property crime between 2014-16.
9. Seabrook
Population: 8,804Rank Last Year: 16 (Up 7)
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 249
Property Crimes Per 100k: 2,726
Located in the southeastern corner of the state, on the Atlantic coast, Seabrook ranks 9th for its danger.
In 2011, Seabrook wouldn’t have made this list, but a whopping increase in violent crime between 2014-16 changed that.
In 2016, residents faced a 1 in 400 chance of being the victim of violence, which would put Seabrook at 14th for the year in New Hampshire.
10. Claremont
Population: 12,913Rank Last Year: 12 (Up 2)
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 224
Property Crimes Per 100k: 2,276
More on Claremont: Data | Photos | Rankings
Located on the western edge of New Hampshire in Sullivan County, Claremont hasn’t experienced much of a change in its crime statistics recently.
Its relatively poor violent crime statistics went up between 2014-16, while property crime fell by a very small amount to 294 occurrences.
Locking It All Up In New Hampshire
The latest FBI crime data shows that Laconia ranks as the most dangerous city in New Hampshire for 2018.
However, there will be new data coming out later this year. At that point we can revisit Laconia’s status — that is if they haven’t beaten us all up already.
If you’re curious enough, here are the safest cities in New Hampshire:
- Sandown
- Brookline
- Litchfield
For more New Hampshire reading, check out:
Detailed List Of The Most Dangeroues Cities In New Hampshire
| Rank | City | Population |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Laconia | 16,300 |
| 2 | Rochester | 30,096 |
| 3 | Somersworth | 11,757 |
| 4 | Manchester | 110,353 |
| 5 | Lebanon | 13,668 |
| 6 | Plymouth | 6,639 |
| 7 | Keene | 23,244 |
| 8 | Belmont | 7,315 |
| 9 | Seabrook | 8,804 |
| 10 | Claremont | 12,913 |
| 11 | Concord | 42,610 |
| 12 | Berlin | 9,241 |
| 13 | Epping | 6,927 |
| 14 | Farmington | 6,841 |
| 15 | Hillsborough | 5,974 |
| 16 | Conway | 9,915 |
| 17 | Newport | 6,337 |
| 18 | Salem | 28,949 |
| 19 | Gilford | 7,182 |
| 20 | Portsmouth | 21,612 |
| 21 | Nashua | 88,252 |
| 22 | Littleton | 5,905 |
| 23 | Pembroke | 7,118 |
| 24 | Meredith | 6,396 |
| 25 | Wakefield | 5,629 |
| 26 | Goffstown | 18,000 |
| 27 | Raymond | 10,324 |
| 28 | Dover | 31,054 |
| 29 | Hudson | 24,997 |
| 30 | Hampton | 15,358 |
| 31 | Hooksett | 14,232 |
| 32 | Derry | 33,249 |
| 33 | Jaffrey | 5,270 |
| 34 | Loudon | 5,455 |
| 35 | Bedford | 22,407 |
| 36 | Hanover | 11,430 |
| 37 | Rindge | 5,822 |
| 38 | Peterborough | 6,469 |
| 39 | Alton | 5,338 |
| 40 | Auburn | 5,368 |
| 41 | Wolfeboro | 6,198 |
| 42 | Weare | 8,937 |
| 43 | Plaistow | 7,612 |
| 44 | New Ipswich | 5,212 |
| 45 | Barrington | 8,894 |
| 46 | Milford | 15,317 |
| 47 | Newmarket | 8,911 |
| 48 | Rye | 5,396 |
| 49 | Londonderry | 25,439 |
| 50 | Pelham | 13,384 |
| 51 | Durham | 17,078 |
| 52 | Amherst | 11,272 |
| 53 | Stratham | 7,403 |
| 54 | Exeter | 14,635 |
| 55 | New Boston | 5,524 |
| 56 | Hollis | 7,814 |
| 57 | Kingston | 6,144 |
| 58 | Hampstead | 8,588 |
| 59 | Hopkinton | 5,614 |
| 60 | Merrimack | 25,675 |
| 61 | Atkinson | 6,817 |
| 62 | Windham | 14,625 |
| 63 | Bow | 7,779 |
| 64 | Litchfield | 8,482 |
| 65 | Brookline | 5,256 |
| 66 | Sandown | 6,348 |
No Mention of any relations to drugs, which is the reason for the rankings being so high
The only reason my hometown of laconia even registers on this list is the fact that bike week is held here every year. Our population doubles from tourists and everyone gets drunk and stupid.
The biggest reason laconia is on here is because of the drug problem, along with unemployment and lazy people on disability that dont need it. Dont blame bike when most of the crime happens the rest of the year not during bike week.