Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Boscawen grades B− overall, 83rd among New Hampshire's 125 graded towns, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. Crime is low: it reports less per resident than 86% of U.S. towns and it is healthier than 80% of U.S. towns. Its lowest everyday mark is in cost of living: homes are expensive, about $447K for a typical one and 4.6 times the Concord area’s $97K median household income. Boscawen’s density of trails is 1.6 miles per square mile, where New Hampshire’s towns sit at 1.2 and U.S. towns at 0.4. On civic life, just 13 of New Hampshire’s 187 towns do worse. Boscawen has 4 places on the National Register.
Where Boscawen beats most towns.
Boscawen Academy and Much-I-Do-Hose House
Census counts: 1,108 in 1790, a low of 1,108 in 1790, 3,998 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1905 and 3 maps from 1927 on.
4 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New Hampshire), ordered by how far Boscawen is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Boscawen, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 19, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Boscawen.
Boscawen reports less crime than Northfield or any other graded neighbor and has cooler summers than most of the country, though not than most of New Hampshire; it also has poverty well above the New Hampshire rate.
40 miles of trail wind through 12 parks and preserves. Boscawen Town Forest, at 422 acres with 4.5 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. Parks and preserves in the town: 12, covering 1,586 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Boscawen Town Forest | 4.5 mi | 422 |
| 2. Boscawen Village Town Forest | 1.6 mi | 347 |
| 3. State Forest Nursery | 0.6 mi | 422 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its one school is below. The Merrimack Valley School District runs its public schools. Also worth knowing: 240 students attend Boscawen’s public school.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boscawen Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 240 | B |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NH on state tests and graduation
That grade tops all 3 graded towns on its borders; Northfield (B+) comes closest.
New Hampshire has less reported crime than most states, so among its own towns Boscawen sits closer to the middle. The town’s property offense rate is 2.6 per 1,000 residents. Its level of violent crime is 1.4 per 1,000 residents, above New Hampshire’s towns (0.7) but below U.S. towns (1.6).
| Boscawen | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.6 per 1,000 residents | 4.5 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.4 per 1,000 residents | 0.7 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Within New Hampshire it is less healthy than 68% of the 126 graded towns: New Hampshire sets a high bar.
Boscawen: 15% of adults say their health is fair or poor. 9.3% of adults locally have diabetes; 30% feel lonely.
| Boscawen | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 34% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 9.3% | 9.5% | 12% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 30% | 33% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 14% | 19% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
In Boscawen, the income of the median household is $77,000. Employers in Boscawen shed 273 jobs between 2013 and 2023, to 1,486. Only 6% of working residents stay in Boscawen for work; the rest commute out. The top destinations are Concord (30%), Manchester (9%) and Nashua (3%).
| Boscawen | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 17% | 6.7% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $77,000 | $103,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 28 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 6% | 10% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
July afternoons average 81.9°: cooler than most of the country, but hotter than 76% of New Hampshire places with climate records; January nights average 12°.
Boscawen’s January low comes in at 12°F. About 68 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Boscawen | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 12°F | 13°F | 22°F |
| July high | 82°F | 81°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Values rose 1.9% in the 12 months to September 2026. In Boscawen, the median rent is $1,265 a month. The share of households in Boscawen who own their home: 75%.
| Boscawen | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 75% | 82% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,265 a month | $1,393 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Of the losses FEMA expects in Boscawen, 72% come from inland flooding and 8% from hurricanes. On expected storm and flood damage, Boscawen sits above 56% of U.S. communities. Federal disaster aid has reached households in Boscawen after 2 declared disasters, most recently in 2007.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Boscawen. Close and well known come first.
26 mi LakeLake Winnipesaukee
38 mi MountainMount Monadnock
40 mi Ancient siteAmerica's Stonehenge
9 mi MuseumCanterbury Shaker Village
25 mi Stadium & arenaSNHU Arena
21 mi Ski areaMount Sunapee77 runs · 1,469 ft verticalLake Winnipesaukee: No machine-readable author provided. JohnJHenderson~commonswiki assumed (based o, Public domain · Mount Monadnock: Jonwmcinenrey, CC BY-SA 4.0 · America's Stonehenge: User:Stan Shebs, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Canterbury Shaker Village: SayCheeeeeese, Public domain · SNHU Arena: Quintin Soloviev, CC BY 4.0 · Mount Sunapee: User:Josephbrophy, Public domain
3 within 15 miles of the center of Boscawen
About 2 of every 100 Boscawen residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across New Hampshire.
Where Boscawen’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
4 places in Boscawen on the National Register of Historic Places.
11 notable people were born in Boscawen.
Town in New Hampshire, United States
Boscawen is a town in Merrimack County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 3,998 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
6 towns share a border with Boscawen.
It grades higher overall than all 3 graded towns on its borders; Northfield (B−) comes closest.
| Town | NH rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boscawen | #83 | B− | C | A | B− | A− |
| Webster | — | — | C | — | B− | A− |
| Canterbury | — | — | C− | — | C | A |
| Northfield | #86 | B− | B | B+ | C | B+ |
| Concord | #98 | C+ | C− | B− | C− | A− |
| Salisbury | — | — | C− | — | B− | A− |
| Franklin | #102 | C | B− | B | D− | B+ |
Webster, Canterbury and Salisbury have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Webster, Canterbury and Salisbury report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Boscawen with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Boscawen grades B− overall, better than 50% of U.S. towns and #83 of 125 in New Hampshire. It grades A− for health, A for safety and B− for schools.
Yes, by national standards. Boscawen reports less crime per resident than 86% of U.S. towns, an A Safety Grade: 6 violent and 11 property crimes in 2025. New Hampshire has less crime than most states, so among its own towns Boscawen sits nearer the middle.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.
11 notable people were born here, including John Adams Dix and William P. Fessenden.
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