Most Americans have never been to small town New Hampshire. However, as the New Hampshirite who live there know, small town New Hampshire is an awesome place to call home.
But is it all roses? Definitely not. Just like any other state, New Hampshire has its trouble spots. This article aims to determine, using Saturday Night Science, the absolute worst small towns to live in the Granite State. Don’t freak out, we will use data to show which places have high crime, poverty, and unemployment.
After analyzing more than 37 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:
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
These are the worst small towns in New Hampshire for 2024:
- Winchester
- Littleton
- Colebrook
- Greenville
- Farmington
- Ashland
- Lincoln
- Conway
- Whitefield
- Bristol
So what is the worst small town to call home in New Hampshire for 2024? According to the most recent census data, Winchester is the worst small town to live in New Hampshire.
While many of these small towns have seen better days, they have wonderful communities and people. This report in no way means to knock the folks that call towns like Winchester home. Everyone
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 2024
1. Winchester
/10
Population: 1,369
Median Home Value: $269,726
Median Income: $45,298
Unemployment Rate: 6.0%
2. Littleton
/10
Population: 4,587
Median Home Value: $323,869
Median Income: $40,873
Unemployment Rate: 5.1%
3. Colebrook
/10
Population: 1,100
Median Home Value: $215,289
Median Income: $42,500
Unemployment Rate: 0.2%
4. Greenville
/10
Population: 1,061
Median Home Value: $341,498
Median Income: $67,321
Unemployment Rate: 12.1%
5. Farmington
/10
Population: 3,722
Median Home Value: $355,237
Median Income: $44,664
Unemployment Rate: 4.3%
6. Ashland
/10
Population: 1,520
Median Home Value: $308,801
Median Income: $40,559
Unemployment Rate: 2.6%
7. Lincoln
/10
Population: 1,017
Median Home Value: $400,068
Median Income: $58,125
Unemployment Rate: 2.4%
8. Conway
/10
Population: 3,847
Median Home Value: $403,610
Median Income: $46,771
Unemployment Rate: 15.3%
9. Whitefield
/10
Population: 1,332
Median Home Value: $301,029
Median Income: $53,750
Unemployment Rate: 5.1%
10. Bristol
/10
Population: 2,095
Median Home Value: $378,652
Median Income: $69,306
Unemployment Rate: 2.0%
Methodology: How do you decide if a small place in New Hampshire is lousy or not?
To rank the worst small towns to live in New Hampshire, we had to determine what criteria people like or dislike about a place. Assuming that people like low crime, solid education, things to do, and a stable economy isn’t a stretch.
We then analyzed the criteria using Saturday Night Science, the thinking you’d use at a bar. It seems like even your crazy Uncle would agree that a town with high crime is worse than a town with low crime; all else the same.
Using FBI crime data and the Census’s 2018-2022 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 many – 37 to be exact.
We get the crime numbers from the FBI, which gets them from the cities. Dropout numbers are based on the adult population, not just the current graduation rates of teenagers.
We base all our research on facts, which is meant as infotainment. We updated this article for 2024, which is our tenth time ranking the worst small places to live in New Hampshire.
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.
The worst small towns in New Hampshire are Winchester, Littleton, Colebrook, Greenville, Farmington, Ashland, Lincoln, Conway, Whitefield, and Bristol.
If you’re curious enough, here are the best small towns to live in New Hampshire, according to science:
- Goffstown (Pop. 3,028)
- Contoocook (Pop. 1,295)
- New London (Pop. 1,340)
For more New Hampshire reading, check out:
Worst Small Towns In New Hampshire
| Rank | Town | Population | Unemployment Rate | Home Value | Median Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Winchester | 1,369 | 6.0% | $269,726 | $45,298 |
| 2 | Littleton | 4,587 | 5.1% | $323,869 | $40,873 |
| 3 | Colebrook | 1,100 | 0.2% | $215,289 | $42,500 |
| 4 | Greenville | 1,061 | 12.1% | $341,498 | $67,321 |
| 5 | Farmington | 3,722 | 4.3% | $355,237 | $44,664 |
| 6 | Ashland | 1,520 | 2.6% | $308,801 | $40,559 |
| 7 | Lincoln | 1,017 | 2.4% | $400,068 | $58,125 |
| 8 | Conway | 3,847 | 15.3% | $403,610 | $46,771 |
| 9 | Whitefield | 1,332 | 5.1% | $301,029 | $53,750 |
| 10 | Bristol | 2,095 | 2.0% | $378,652 | $69,306 |
| 11 | West Swanzey | 1,200 | 5.4% | $244,403 | $57,762 |
| 12 | Meredith | 2,758 | 6.5% | $647,723 | $46,850 |
| 13 | Woodsville | 1,329 | 2.8% | $238,021 | $53,578 |
| 14 | Wolfeboro | 2,813 | 0.2% | $571,965 | $47,990 |
| 15 | Plymouth | 4,428 | 6.6% | $325,690 | $62,172 |
| 16 | Antrim | 1,320 | 2.2% | $351,569 | $83,542 |
| 17 | Pittsfield | 1,784 | 4.9% | $366,125 | $46,154 |
| 18 | North Conway | 2,079 | 5.2% | $455,697 | $59,041 |
| 19 | Wilton | 1,333 | 5.2% | $435,303 | $59,556 |
| 20 | Lancaster | 2,260 | 2.6% | $272,735 | $67,331 |
| 21 | Belmont | 1,252 | 0.0% | $383,767 | $1,000 |
| 22 | Raymond | 4,006 | 6.5% | $428,699 | $69,912 |
| 23 | Jaffrey | 3,036 | 7.4% | $365,172 | $86,384 |
| 24 | Pinardville | 4,851 | 0.8% | $322,192 | $71,690 |
| 25 | Epping | 2,754 | 1.7% | $470,761 | $74,798 |
| 26 | Gorham | 2,043 | 1.0% | $227,174 | $55,845 |
| 27 | Tilton Northfield | 3,035 | 1.8% | $248,392 | $63,553 |
| 28 | Enfield | 2,079 | 0.0% | $397,219 | $54,493 |
| 29 | Hillsborough | 1,567 | 0.0% | $334,936 | $63,854 |
| 30 | Peterborough | 2,247 | 2.9% | $406,820 | $83,906 |
| 31 | Hampton Beach | 2,650 | 6.7% | $579,361 | $73,269 |
| 32 | East Merrimack | 4,643 | 0.0% | $343,468 | $80,234 |
| 33 | Hinsdale | 1,432 | 1.8% | $256,290 | $96,161 |
| 34 | Henniker | 2,741 | 0.0% | $418,789 | $70,839 |
| 35 | Goffstown | 3,028 | 0.0% | $437,915 | $131,146 |
| 36 | Contoocook | 1,295 | 2.2% | $387,615 | $103,317 |
| 37 | New London | 1,340 | 0.8% | $604,767 | $83,796 |
Milton has about 4000 year round residents.
Lisbon is a great town.Statistics don’t reflect the actual quality of life here.