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Most Americans have never been to New Hampshire. However, as the people who live there know, New Hampshire is an awesome state.
But is it all roses? Definitely not. Just like any other state, New Hampshire has its trouble spots. This article aims to determine, using science, the absolute worst small towns to live in the Granite State. Don't shoot the messenger, this is all using data.
After analyzing more than 41 of New Hampshire's smallest cities, we came up with this list as the 10 worst small towns in New Hampshire where you'd never want to live:
These are the worst small towns in New Hampshire for 2022:
So what is the worst small town to call home in New Hampshire for 2022? According to the most recent census data, Winchester is the worst small town to live in New Hampshire.
Of course, many of these cities would rank highly if they were in other states, since New Hampshire has its stuff figured out.
Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers, or scroll to the bottom to see how your town ranked.
And if you already know about the small towns, check out the best places to live in New Hampshire or the worst places to live in New Hampshire.
If you're looking for something more national, check out the worst cities in America or the worst states in America.
The 10 Worst Small Towns In New Hampshire For 2022
1. Winchester
/10
Population: 1,939
Rank Last Year: 1 (No Change)
Median Home Value: $129,500 (6th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 5.3% (8th worst)
More on Winchester: Data
2. Littleton
/10
3. Colebrook
/10
Population: 1,037
Rank Last Year: -
Median Home Value: $93,300 (worst)
Unemployment Rate: 3.1% (19th worst)
More on Colebrook: Data
4. Greenville
/10
Population: 1,011
Rank Last Year: -
Median Home Value: $179,600 (20th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 10.0% (2nd worst)
More on Greenville: Data
5. Belmont
/10
6. Pittsfield
/10
Population: 1,464
Rank Last Year: 4 (Down 2)
Median Home Value: $162,500 (11th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 9.3% (3rd worst)
More on Pittsfield: Data
7. Conway
/10
8. Bristol
/10
Population: 1,970
Rank Last Year: 6 (Down 2)
Median Home Value: $161,700 (10th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 2.4% (25th worst)
More on Bristol: Data
9. Farmington
/10
Population: 4,140
Rank Last Year: 11 (Up 2)
Median Home Value: $180,300 (2worst)
Unemployment Rate: 5.0% (9th worst)
More on Farmington: Data
10. Ashland
/10
Population: 1,630
Rank Last Year: 8 (Down 2)
Median Home Value: $148,600 (8th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 1.5% (3worst)
More on Ashland: Data
How do you decide if a place is lousy or not?
In order to rank the worst small towns to live in New Hampshire, we had to determine what criteria people like or dislike about a place. It isn't a stretch to assume that people like low crime, solid education, things to do and a stable economy.
So we scraped the internet for those criteria, and it spit out the answer. Like magic.
How we determined the worst small towns to live in New Hampshire for 2022
We threw a lot of criteria at this one in order to get the best, most complete results possible. Using FBI crime data and the Census's 2016-2020 American Community Survey, this is the criteria we used:
- Population Density (The lower the worse)
- Highest Unemployment Rates
- Low housing costs (meaning there's no demand)
- Adjusted Median Income (Median income adjusted for the cost of living)
- Education (Number of high school dropouts)
- High Crime
We looked at cities with populations between 1,000 and 5,000 people, of which, there were a lot - 41 to be exact.
Additional note: We get the crime numbers from the FBI, which gets its crime numbers from the cities themselves. Dropout numbers are based on the adult population, not just the current graduation rates of teenagers.
This list is a scientific analysis based on real data and is completely unbiased.
There You Have It - The Worst Small Towns In New Hampshire
If you're analyzing teeny places in the Granite State with the worst economic situations, where there's high crime and there's not a lot to do, this is an accurate list.
If you're curious enough, here are the best small towns to live in New Hampshire, according to science:
- New London (Pop. 1,364)
- Contoocook (Pop. 1,353)
- Goffstown (Pop. 2,848)
For more New Hampshire reading, check out:
Detailed List Of The Worst Small Towns In New Hampshire
Rank | Town | Population |
---|---|---|
1 | Winchester | 1,939 |
2 | Littleton | 4,294 |
3 | Colebrook | 1,037 |
4 | Greenville | 1,011 |
5 | Belmont | 1,272 |
6 | Pittsfield | 1,464 |
7 | Conway | 3,965 |
8 | Bristol | 1,970 |
9 | Farmington | 4,140 |
10 | Ashland | 1,630 |
11 | Meredith | 2,651 |
12 | Woodsville | 1,152 |
13 | Lincoln | 1,086 |
14 | Bethlehem | 1,061 |
15 | Hinsdale | 1,470 |
16 | Whitefield | 1,202 |
17 | Antrim | 1,364 |
18 | Tilton Northfield | 2,795 |
19 | North Conway | 2,410 |
20 | Plymouth | 4,281 |
21 | Wolfeboro | 3,352 |
22 | Enfield | 2,059 |
23 | Epping | 3,001 |
24 | Lancaster | 1,892 |
25 | Raymond | 3,807 |
26 | Wilton | 1,203 |
27 | Pinardville | 4,764 |
28 | Gorham | 1,948 |
29 | Marlborough | 1,093 |
30 | Jaffrey | 2,750 |
31 | Peterborough | 2,704 |
32 | Suncook | 4,975 |
33 | North Haverhill | 1,155 |
34 | East Merrimack | 4,786 |
35 | Hillsborough | 1,421 |
36 | Hampton Beach | 2,485 |
37 | Henniker | 2,566 |
38 | West Swanzey | 1,180 |
39 | New London | 1,364 |
40 | Contoocook | 1,353 |
41 | Goffstown | 2,848 |