10 Safest Cities in New Hampshire (2024 Update)

Note: This article’s statistics come from third-party sources and do not represent the opinions of this website.

If you are thinking about moving to New Hampshire, you are in luck! This state is considered the second safest state to live in. The only state that ranks higher in terms of safety is Maine. In other words, it’s tough to find another state with so many safe living conditions.

Because New Hampshire is such a safe state overall, there are plenty of safe cities in the area, but some are safer than others.

In this article, you will learn about the 10 safest cities in New Hampshire. We determined these cities based on crime ratings and the crime indexing scale. In the end, you will also learn some tips for staying safe in New Hampshire.

Let’s get started.

The 10 Safest Cities in New Hampshire

1. Hill, NH

The safest New Hampshire city is Hill. This small town is located in the middle of New Hampshire in Merrimack County. Hill is known for having one of the best public school districts in the area.

Hill is considered in the 79th percentile in terms of US safety, meaning that Hill is safer than 79% of other cities in the United States. This percentile is so high because the property crime rate in Hill is only 7.8 per 1000 residents.

The safest part of Hill is in the western part of the city. Still, the most dangerous part, the southern area, only has a few more crimes reported, but not many. This means that the town of Hill is incredibly safe.

The downside of Hill is that it is very small. If you live here, you will at least know that you are safe and that your children are attending great schools, but it is definitely a small-town environment.

2. Atkinson, NH

The second safest city in New Hampshire is Atkinson. On average, a crime occurs in Atkinson only once every four days and 11 hours. Especially if you compare Atkinson to other cities of the same size, it is one of the safest cities in the country.

With a crime rate of only 10 per 1000 residents, Atkinson is safer than 95% of other cities. The safest areas of the city are in the north, where the chances of being a victim of a crime are only 1 in 123..

Like other areas of the country, property crime is much more common than violent crime. The most common type of property crime is regular theft. Although violent crimes can happen, it’s statistically more likely that property crime will happen in this city.

3. Canterbury, NH

Canterbury is another super safe New Hampshire city. It lands in the 94th percentile for US city safety. As a result, only 6% of US cities are safer than Canterbury, New Hampshire. In a standard year, the crime rate is only 10.76 per 1000 residents.

Something unique about Canterbury crime is that it is relatively evenly spread throughout the entire city. You can move about the city fairly easily without worrying about stumbling into a dangerous part of town.

The most dangerous part of the city is in the northwest neighborhoods. There, your chances of being a victim of a crime are 1 in 91. In comparison, the safest part of the city is the western part. Your chances of being a victim there are only 1 in 94. Since these chances are so low in both areas, the entire city is safe.

4. New London, NH

New London is close to the middle of the state. This community is safe and home to more affluent families. New London falls into the 83rd percentile in terms of safety. So, only 17% of other US cities are safer than New London.

Unlike Canterbury, not all parts of New London are equal in terms of safety. The safest part of New London is in the east. Your chances of being a victim of a crime are 1 in 84. The most dangerous part of New London is in the northeast neighborhoods. There, your chances are 1 in 51.

Although certain parts of New London are safer than others, luckily, there is not much of an issue concerning violent crime. Most crimes that occur in New London are property crimes. This includes theft, burglary, and arson.

5. Orford, NH

Smack dab in the middle of our list is Orford, New Hampshire. Orford experiences 15.51 crimes per 1000 residents. The west part of the city is considered the safest, though the city is pretty safe.

In fact, even though Orford is only ranked number 5 on our list, violent crime across the city is just 7.4. To put that in perspective, the national average for violent crime is 22.7. Property crime is also relatively low here. Its rating is 8.1, in comparison to the national average of 35.4.

These super-low crime ratings just go to show how safe New Hampshire is. If this is the fifth ranking city, it just proves how safe this city is, as well as the above-mentioned four New Hampshire cities.

6. Hancock, NH

Hancock is located in the southern part of the state in Hillsborough County. Hancock is very small. It only has 0.36 square miles in land and 0.06 square miles in water. The rest of the Hancock area belongs to the county.

Because of how small Hancock is, it makes sense that the poverty rate is 0% and that the crime rate is very low. On average, the crime rate here is only 12.05 per 1000 residents.

Of the few crimes that do occur in Hancock, most are related to property, such as vehicle theft, break-ins, and arson. There are very few violent crimes reported, resulting in a super safe small town.

7. Sunapee, NH

Sunapee, New Hampshire, is part of Sullivan County, which is close to the middle of this state. The school systems here are superior to others in the state, and Sunapee has very few crimes reported.

On average, the crime rate in this town is 21.41 per 1000 residents. Obviously, this is a higher crime rate than in the other cities we have looked at so far, but it is still much lower than the crime rate in the rest of the nation.

In comparison to other US cities, Sunapee is in the 64th percentile in terms of safety. In other words, Sunapee is safer than 64% of the other cities in the state and nation. That is a pretty great feat, given that this city is further down on our list.

8. Bradford, NH

Bradford, New Hampshire, is very close to top-ranking Hill, New Hampshire. These two cities are within the same county, proving that Merrimack County is one of the safest counties in the state.

In Bradford, the crime rate is 14.15 per 1000 residents in a standard year. The safest residents of this city tend to live in the northeast areas. There, you only have a 1 in 76 chance of being a victim of a crime.

The more dangerous part of Bradford is the central neighborhoods. Even there, the chances of being a victim of a crime are low. Your chances are 1 in 68. Most crimes reported are property crimes, not violent crimes.

9. Strafford, NH

Just like many of the other cities we have covered so far, Strafford, New Hampshire, is located in the middle of the state. As you would expect, the city of Strafford is part of New Hampshire’s Strafford County.

The crime rate of Strafford is only 12.04 per 1000 residents. Most crimes reported are property crimes, including theft and auto theft. There aren’t many violent crimes reported.

Strafford has some areas that are notably more dangerous than others. The safest area is in the northeastern part of the city. Your chances of being a victim of a crime are 1 in 117 there. The most dangerous part of the city is in the southwestern areas, where your chances of being a victim of a crime are 1 in 71.

Related Read: 8 Safest Cities in Vermont

10. Warner, NH

Finally, the last city on our list is Warner, New Hampshire. Even though Warner is the last city on our list, it is still much safer than many other cities in the United States. For comparison, there are 4.5 times more crimes in the US average than in Warner.

There are very few violent crimes reported, and only two registered sex offenders live in the entire area. On average, a crime only occurs in Warner once every 10 days and seven hours, proving how safe this city is.

How to Stay Safe in New Hampshire

Because New Hampshire is considered the second most safe state in the United States, you don’t have to go to as extensive lengths to keep yourself safe. However, it’s still important to consider your safety and do what you can to remain safe. After all, even though crime is low in New Hampshire, it is not nonexistent.

The best way to stay safe in New Hampshire is to be smart about your home and yourself. Always make sure to lock your doors and windows whenever you’re home alone or leaving your house. Likewise, be cautious whenever out and about and avoid being in dangerous parts of the city alone at night.

Something else to do to keep safe in New Hampshire is to invest in goods security. Because property crime is much higher than violent crime in the state, it’s much more likely that your home will be broken into than you become a victim of a violent crime.

Investing in good security can decrease your chances of being a victim of a break-in by nearly 300%. So, be sure to invest in good security to protect your home and family to the best of your abilities.

Related Read: 10 Safest Cities in Maine

Conclusion

As you can see from the cities above, New Hampshire is a super safe state, which explains why it often ranks second in terms of the safest states in the country. Any one of the 10 cities mentioned above is safe and has low crime rates.

Even though crime rates are low in these cities, it does not mean that you should be careless. Crime still does happen, and it can happen to you. Invest in security and be smart to protect yourself from crimes to the best of your ability.

You might also be interested in: 10 Most Dangerous Cities In Connecticut

Featured Image Credit: NH Route 103 eastbound, Warner NH, John Phelan, Wikimedia Commons CC SA 3.0 Unported