Lancaster makes New Hampshire’s top 10 on 2 lists
Lancaster is ranked on 38 lists against the 126 New Hampshire towns with 2,500+ residents. It makes the top 10 on 2 and the top quarter on 6.
Colder winters than 100% of New Hampshire
Not better or worse, just Lancaster’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
The lists Lancaster does best on
Each list ranks every NH town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Lancaster marked.
1 spot from the top 25 for short commutes
Lists where Lancaster sits just outside a milestone, and what it would take to get in.
Lancaster lands in the top half on 8 of 24 lists
Each dot is Lancaster’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in NH, the right end is last. Areas where Lancaster does best come first.
Where Lancaster 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
#5
Cheapest rent#1 New Hampton · $749/mo
#9
Lowest property tax#1 Bartlett · $2,512/yr
#12
Rent easiest to afford#1 Peterborough · 29.2%
Libraries
Most-used libraries#1 Gilford · 11.3 per resident
#12
Most library borrowing#1 Hanover · 18.8 per resident
#30
Best libraries for kids#1 Sunapee · 45.4 per child
#32 Getting around
Shortest commute#1 Lebanon · 14 min
#26 Housing
Vacation-home towns#1 Bartlett · 62%
#61
Most new homes#1 Tuftonboro · 15.3 per 1,000
#67
Fastest-rising home prices#1 Walpole · +101.6%
#2
Housing hasn't kept up#1 Grantham · 8.6 per home
Health
Healthiest#1 Hanover · 99 / 100
#120
Lowest obesity#1 Hanover · 21%
#119
Fewest smokers#1 New London · 6%
#106
Most active#1 Hanover · 14%
#122
Fewest uninsured#1 Stratham · 4%
#103
Lowest depression#1 Bedford · 20%
#44
Closest to a top hospital#1 Nashua · 0.5 mi
#126 
Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Bartlett · 66.5%
#80
Most trails#1 Exeter · 3.1 mi / sq mi
#120
Most walkable#1 Nashua · 91.8 / sq mi
#113 People
Most educated#1 Hanover · 88.2%
#98
Youngest#1 Durham · 20.8
#70
Oldest#1 Moultonborough · 58.3
#57
Most residents 65+#1 New London · 37.5%
#18
Most kids#1 New Ipswich · 29.9%
#35 
Climate
Snowiest#1 Bartlett · 136 in
#12
Least snow#1 Dover · 39 in
#115
Mildest winters#1 Seabrook · 17.6°
#126
Hottest summers#1 Litchfield · 84.0°
#114
Coolest summers#1 Bartlett · 76.8°
#15
Longest growing season#1 Laconia · 170 days
#119
Wettest#1 Bartlett · 60 in
#124 Safety
Safest#1 Deerfield · 2.1
The number on the right is Lancaster’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.