These Are The 10 Most Miserable Cities In New Hampshire

Do you live in one of the most miserable places in New Hampshire?

According to a Harris Poll taken in October of 2015, only a third of Americans say they are truly happy. That’s too bad, considering that Americans – especially folks in New Hampshire – don’t really have it too bad, in the grand scheme of things.

But, we were curious – which New Hampshire cities might be the most miserable? We’re about to find out, using science and data.

After analyzing the largest cities, we sadly present the most miserable cities in the Granite State:

1. Newmarket (Photos)
2. Hillsborough
3. Farmington
4. Franklin (Photos)
5. Durham
6. Claremont (Photos)
7. Manchester (Photos)
8. Laconia (Photos)
9. Suncook (Photos)
10. Plymouth

Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers and how your town ranked. If you have a smile on your face, you probably don’t live in one of these cities.

Oh, and by the way, Hampton is the happiest place in New Hampshire.

Or check out the Most Miserable Cities In America.

If you’re looking for something more positive, check out the best states in America or the best places to live in America.

How We Measured The Most Miserable Cities In New Hampshire

In order to rank the unhappiest places in New Hampshire, we had to determine what criteria makes people happy. It isn’t a stretch to assume that happy people earn great salaries, are relatively stress free, and have a stable home life.

So we went to the Census’s American Community Survey 2010-2014 report for the criteria, flipped the list, and it spit out the answer. Like magic.

We threw a lot of criteria at this one in order to get the best, most complete results possible:

• Percentage of residents with a college degree
• Average commute times
• Unemployment rates
• Cost of living
• % of married couples
• % of home owners
• Poverty rate

After we decided on the criteria, we gathered the data for the 108 places in New Hampshire with over 2,000 people.

We then ranked each place from one to 31 for each of the seven criteria with a score of one being the most miserable (Any ties were given to the larger place).

Next, we averaged the seven rankings into a Miserable Index for each place with the lowest overall Miserable Index ‘earning’ the title ‘Most Miserable City In New Hampshire’.

If you’d like to see the complete list of states, most miserable to happiest, scroll to the bottom of this post to see the unabridged chart.

1. Newmarket

Population: 5,589
People Who Own Their Home: 36.3%
Married Adults: 31.64%

2. Hillsborough

Population: 2,058
People Who Own Their Home: 51.35%
Married Adults: 51.74%

3. Farmington

Population: 3,562
People Who Own Their Home: 60.59%
Married Adults: 43.21%

4. Franklin

Population: 8,462
People Who Own Their Home: 49.8%
Married Adults: 44.29%

5. Durham

Population: 10,288
People Who Own Their Home: 38.96%
Married Adults: 12.62%

6. Claremont

Population: 13,169
People Who Own Their Home: 56.33%
Married Adults: 45.55%

7. Manchester

Population: 110,065
People Who Own Their Home: 44.29%
Married Adults: 42.21%

8. Laconia

Population: 16,007
People Who Own Their Home: 39.65%
Married Adults: 47.19%

9. Suncook

Population: 5,017
People Who Own Their Home: 51.2%
Married Adults: 48.52%

10. Plymouth

Population: 3,807
People Who Own Their Home: 31.1%
Married Adults: 15.33%

There You Have It

Like we said earlier, trying to determine the most miserable cities in {state} is usually a subjective matter. But if you’re analyzing cities where people are not stable, where you’re stuck in traffic, and no one spent the time to go to college, then this is an accurate list.

If you’re curious enough, here are the happiest cities in {state}, according to science:
For more New Hampshire reading , check out:

• These Are The 10 Safest Places In New Hampshire
• These Are The 10 Snobbiest Places In New Hampshire
• These Are The 10 Most Dangerous Cities In New Hampshire

Detailed List Of Miserable Places In New Hampshire

City	Rank	People Who Own Their Home
Newmarket	1	36.3%
Hillsborough	2	51.35%
Farmington	3	60.59%
Franklin	4	49.8%
Durham	5	38.96%
Claremont	6	56.33%
Manchester	7	44.29%
Laconia	8	39.65%
Suncook	9	51.2%
Plymouth	10	31.1%
Berlin	11	52.2%
Concord	12	51.31%
Littleton	13	44.92%
Keene	14	51.33%
Rochester	15	58.23%
Somersworth	16	51.94%
Dover	17	47.41%
Hanover	18	39.85%
Milford	19	48.02%
Derry	20	53.35%
Belmont	21	68.85%
Nashua	22	53.21%
Londonderry	23	79.8%
Portsmouth	24	49.24%
Hudson	25	70.86%
Lebanon	26	46.57%
Exeter	27	61.58%
Newport	28	57.26%
Goffstown	29	59.72%
South Hooksett	30	84.8%
Hampton	31	67.53%