How Epsom compares across New Hampshire
Epsom is ranked on 38 lists against the 126 New Hampshire towns with 2,500+ residents.
More year-round than 94% of New Hampshire
Not better or worse, just Epsom’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
Epsom out-ranks 4 of its 5 ranked neighbors
Head to head on the lists where both towns are ranked: a point for each list where one town places higher. Tap a town for its own rankings.
Epsom lands in the top half on 13 of 24 lists
Each dot is Epsom’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in NH, the right end is last. Areas where Epsom does best come first.
The lists Epsom does best on
Each list ranks every NH town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Epsom marked.
Where Epsom lands in every NH ranking
41 lists from Census, school, health, library, crime, climate and land data. Tap any list to see every town on it.
Cost of living
Most affordable#1 Berlin · 1.3 yrs
#36
Cheapest rent#1 New Hampton · $749/mo
#39
Lowest property tax#1 Bartlett · $2,512/yr
#58
Rent easiest to afford#1 Peterborough · 29.2%
Health
Healthiest#1 Hanover · 99 / 100
#65
Lowest obesity#1 Hanover · 21%
#69
Fewest smokers#1 New London · 6%
#51
Most active#1 Hanover · 14%
#54
Fewest uninsured#1 Stratham · 4%
#34
Lowest depression#1 Bedford · 20%
#44
Closest to a top hospital#1 Nashua · 0.5 mi
#86 
Housing
Vacation-home towns#1 Bartlett · 62%
#118
Most new homes#1 Tuftonboro · 15.3 per 1,000
#55
Fastest-rising home prices#1 Walpole · +101.6%
#59
Housing hasn't kept up#1 Grantham · 8.6 per home
#24 People
Most educated#1 Hanover · 88.2%
#57
Youngest#1 Durham · 20.8
#85
Oldest#1 Moultonborough · 58.3
#42
Most residents 65+#1 New London · 37.5%
#58
Most kids#1 New Ipswich · 29.9%
#66 Libraries
Most-used libraries#1 Gilford · 11.3 per resident
#69
Most library borrowing#1 Hanover · 18.8 per resident
#61
Best libraries for kids#1 Sunapee · 45.4 per child
#49 Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Bartlett · 66.5%
#105
Most trails#1 Exeter · 3.1 mi / sq mi
#50
Most walkable#1 Nashua · 91.8 / sq mi
#88 Safety
Safest#1 Deerfield · 2.1
#53 
Getting around
Shortest commute#1 Lebanon · 14 min
#92 
The number on the right is Epsom’s spot. All of New Hampshire’s rankings, with the map → · National lists and other states: all rankings.
Do the numbers ring true?
The lists count what can be counted. Neighbors know the rest.
Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
- 2,500+ residents. Census estimates for smaller towns carry margins of error too wide to rank fairly, so they sit out every NH list.
- One town, one row. A city that is both a city and a town in Census data, or a village inside a town, is counted once.
- Ties share a rank. Towns on one weather station, one school district or one CDC estimate share a figure, so they share a spot (T).
- No “worst” lists. Lists rank toward the good end, and share cards are made only for the top half. Age, snow and the like are character, not grades.
U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-year, 2010 and 2020 censuses, Building Permits Survey), U.S. Department of Education, FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, CDC PLACES, Medicare Care Compare, IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FHFA House Price Index, NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020, USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. Each list explains its own method.