Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Brentwood’s strongest is health: residents are healthier than 95% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. Incomes are a strength too: the median household earns $166K. The trade-off is cost of living: the typical home is worth about $709K, 6.1 years of the Boston metro’s $116K median household income. All told, that adds up to an A overall and a rank of 19th of 125 in New Hampshire. Set against the rest, it does better than 90% of U.S. towns. The biggest park or preserve is DeYoung-Fralic Conservation Area, at 101 acres. 30% of the land locally is conserved, above both the New Hampshire town median (18%) and the median of U.S. towns (4.3%). The town’s median rent is $2,217 a month, against $1,382 a month in New Hampshire’s towns and $1,185 a month across U.S. towns.
Figures: health, CDC PLACES · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · home values, Zillow · OpenStreetMap · USGS PAD-US.
Where Brentwood beats most towns.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Swasey Central School | PK–5 | 282 |
Census counts: 976 in 1790, a low of 685 in 1920, 4,490 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1884 and 3 maps from 1935 on.
Brentwood takes its name from Brentwood in Essex, England, 3,260 miles across the Atlantic.
UKUK editionBrentwood, settled in 1742, takes its name from Brentwood, a large town in Essex, England.
2 more U.S. towns are named after Brentwood:Brentwood, CA66,607Brentwood, NY0
Named after: each U.S. town’s Wikipedia article. Grades compare each town with towns in its own country, so they aren’t a head-to-head.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New Hampshire), ordered by how far Brentwood is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Brentwood. Close and well known come first.
12 mi Ancient siteAmerica's Stonehenge
16 mi Theme parkCanobie Lake Park
33 mi MuseumPeabody Essex Museum
27 mi LighthouseCape Neddick Light
16 mi MuseumStrawbery Banke
21 mi Stadium & arenaSNHU ArenaAmerica's Stonehenge: User:Stan Shebs, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Canobie Lake Park: Alex1961, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Peabody Essex Museum: Fletcher6, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Cape Neddick Light: Stefan Hillebrand, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Strawbery Banke: Ken Gallager (Ken Gallager from en.wikipedia), Public domain · SNHU Arena: Quintin Soloviev, CC BY 4.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Brentwood, 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 Brentwood.
Brentwood trades workers with Exeter and other neighbors and gets more snow than most of the country, though not than most of New Hampshire; it also has homes that cost more against local pay than most of New Hampshire.
Against the 1,857 U.S. towns with household incomes like Brentwood’s, it is healthier than 66%, a smaller edge than it has nationally: part of it comes with its incomes.
31% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Brentwood. Of 32 CDC measures, Brentwood beats the New Hampshire average on 14 and trails it on 1. Among adults in the town, 14% report frequent mental distress and 8.6% smoke cigarettes.
| Brentwood | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 30% | 33% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 16% | 17% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 8.6% | 11% | 14% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 33% | 36% |
| What stands out | Brentwood | NH |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 4.9% | 6.8% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 7.1% | 9.5% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 11% | 9.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its one school is below. The Brentwood School District runs its public schools. Also worth knowing: the town’s only public school teaches 282 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Swasey Central SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 282 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NH on state tests and graduation
Brentwood’s property offense rate comes in at 3.1 per 1,000 residents. New Hampshire has less reported crime than most states, so among its own towns Brentwood sits closer to the middle.
| Brentwood | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.1 per 1,000 residents | 4.5 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.8 per 1,000 residents | 0.7 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Brentwood’s trail density stands at 0.9 miles per square mile. Trails run 14 miles in 10 parks and preserves. Parks and preserves in the town: 10, covering 486 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Brentwood Recreation Area | 1.5 mi | 89 |
| 2. Goun & Kaufman Conservation Easement | 1.3 mi | 39 |
| 3. Split Rock Conservation Area | 1.2 mi | 75 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
At 6.1 years of the Boston metro’s $116K median household income, the typical home (about $709K) costs more against local pay than in 81% of New Hampshire towns; that ratio is one input to that grade. Its typical home is the priciest on its borders; Exeter is next at $610K.
The share of households in Brentwood who live in a home they own: 96%. Among 120 New Hampshire towns, just 6 have a higher median rent than Brentwood. Home values are up 2.1% over the year to September 2026.
| Brentwood | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,217 a month | $1,382 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 96% | 82% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
The Epping weather station records that 57 inches of snow fall in a normal winter: more than most of the country, but less than 87% of New Hampshire places with climate records. January nights average 15.1°: colder than most of the country, but milder than 88% of New Hampshire places with climate records; July afternoons average 82.6°.
In Brentwood, the January low is 15°F. The peak summer temperature for Brentwood comes to 83°F.
| Brentwood | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 15°F | 13°F | 22°F |
| July high | 83°F | 81°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Since 1987, Brentwood has seen 9 flood insurance claims paid out. Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in nearly two thirds of U.S. communities. Of the losses FEMA expects in the town, 72% come from inland flooding and 7% from earthquakes. Federal disaster aid has reached households in Brentwood after 13 declared disasters, most recently in 2023.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The median household earns $165,509, against $99,031 across New Hampshire, one input to its A for jobs and income.
A bachelor’s degree or higher: 49% of adults 25 and older, vs 41% across New Hampshire. Adults 18 to 34 are 14% of residents (21% statewide). Brentwood has grown 9.8% since 2020, to 4,923 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. Just over a fifth of Brentwood residents are 65 or older.
| Brentwood | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 49% | 39% | 29% |
| Aged 65 or older | 22% | 20% | 18% |
| Under 18 | 21% | 18% | 22% |
| Median age | 43.8 years | 45 years | 40.5 years |
47% women, 53% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±4.2 points. Across New Hampshire, 50.1% of residents are women.
| Brentwood | NH | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 10.8% | 9.3% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 10.6% | 8.9% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 6.3% | 8.7% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 8.1% | 12.7% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 15.3% | 12.4% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 8.2% | 12.4% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 18.8% | 15.5% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 12.1% | 12.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 9.8% | 7.9% | 7% |
| No diploma | 3.9% | 5.6% | 10.4% |
| High school | 24.6% | 26.8% | 26% |
| Some college | 14.6% | 17.2% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 7.8% | 9.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 32.9% | 24.5% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 16.2% | 16.1% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 4,900, single groups can be off by several points
Brentwood has about as many jobs (2,022) as working residents, but only 119 people both live and work here.
The median commute is under 15 miles. Among residents in Brentwood, 3.3% live below the poverty line. Just 5% of the town’s working residents have a job in town. The top destinations are Exeter (14%), Portsmouth (11%) and Manchester (4%).
| Brentwood | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $166,000 | $103,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 3.3% | 6.8% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 5.4% | 10% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 28 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
3 within 15 miles of the center of Brentwood
About 4 of every 100 Brentwood residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across New Hampshire.
4 notable people were born in Brentwood.
Place in New Hampshire, United States
Brentwood is a town in, and the county seat of, Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. At the 2020 census, its population was 4,490.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
3 towns share a border with Brentwood.
It grades higher overall than all 3 graded towns on its borders; Exeter (A−) comes closest.
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Brentwood grades A overall, better than 90% of U.S. towns and #19 of 125 in New Hampshire. It grades A for health, A for safety and A− for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D.
Yes, by national standards. New Hampshire has less crime than most states, so among its own towns Brentwood sits nearer the middle.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D.
4 notable people were born here, including Francis Ormand Jonathan Smith and Wheelock G. Veazey.
