Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
2.4 times the library visits per person than the typical New Hampshire town.
Bristol grades C overall, ranked 106th of 125 in New Hampshire, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. On the other side, FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 78% of U.S. communities, with inland flooding at the top. It also does better than most on health: residents are healthier than 73% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. Its lowest everyday mark is in schools: its schools rank behind 76% of the state's. A typical home there costs about $405K, 4.9 years of the Lebanon area’s $83K median household income. On civic life, just 11 of New Hampshire’s 187 towns do better. Bristol has 3 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Central Square Historic District and Minot-Sleeper Library. Bristol’s January low is 10°F, against 13°F in New Hampshire’s towns and 22°F across U.S. towns.
Where Bristol beats most towns.
Central Square Historic District
Census counts: 675 in 1820, 3,244 in 2020. The archive holds 21 old photos and papers going back to 1849 and 4 maps from 1925 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New Hampshire), ordered by how far Bristol is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Bristol, 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 Bristol.
Bristol trades workers with Concord and other neighbors and is healthy by national standards but behind most towns in New Hampshire.
Its public schools are run by the Newfound Area School District. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Newfound Regional High School, with 357 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Newfound Memorial Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 296 | C |
| Newfound Regional High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 357 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NH on state tests and graduation
Since 1981, 9 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Bristol.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Within New Hampshire it is less healthy than 74% of the 126 graded towns: New Hampshire sets a high bar.
28% of adults have obesity in Bristol. Bristol beats the New Hampshire average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 10. 32% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Bristol.
| Bristol | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 32% | 35% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 33% | 36% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 16% | 16% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 23% | 23% |
| What stands out | Bristol | NH |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 8.2% | 6.2% |
| More smokers | 13.5% | 10.8% |
| More adults with heart disease | 7.4% | 6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Bristol has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. Bristol’s July high is 81°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The typical Bristol home is worth about $405,000, up 1.1% in a year, 21% below the New Hampshire typical home. 70% of Bristol households own their home.
| Bristol | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 70% | 82% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,310 a month | $1,393 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Adults 18 to 34 are 15% of residents (21% statewide); children under 18 are 24% of residents (18% statewide). 36% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 41% across New Hampshire.
| Bristol | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 23% | 20% | 18% |
| Median age | 42.7 years | 45 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 36% | 39% | 29% |
50% women, 50% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±4.5 points. Across New Hampshire, 50.1% of residents are women.
| Bristol | NH | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 15.8% | 9.3% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 8.5% | 8.9% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 5.1% | 8.7% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 9.4% | 12.7% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 14% | 12.4% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 9.4% | 12.4% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 14.7% | 15.5% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 12.3% | 12.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 10.8% | 7.9% | 7% |
| No diploma | 5.1% | 5.6% | 10.4% |
| High school | 28.9% | 26.8% | 26% |
| Some college | 21.9% | 17.2% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 8.6% | 9.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 19.8% | 24.5% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 15.7% | 16.1% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 3,300, single groups can be off by several points
Bristol has about as many jobs (1,430) as working residents, but only 244 people both live and work here.
Most working residents leave Bristol for work: only 16% work in town. Since 2013, Bristol has added 187 jobs, to 1,430 in 2023. The median household income in Bristol is $78,000.
| Bristol | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 16% | 9.8% | 8% |
| Median household income | $78,000 | $103,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 10% | 6.7% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 28 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
11 miles of trail in 8 parks and preserves. Among 126 New Hampshire towns, just 7 have a lower share of conserved land than Bristol. The biggest park or preserve is Franklin Falls Reservoir, at 210 acres.
| Bristol | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 6.4% | 18% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.5 miles per square mile | 1.2 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Wellington State Park | 1.5 mi | 111 |
| 2. Franklin Falls Reservoir | 0.8 mi | 210 |
| 3. Sugar Hill State Forest | 0.4 mi | 67 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
New Hampshire has less reported crime than most states, so among its own towns Bristol sits closer to the middle.
| Bristol | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 10.1 per 1,000 residents | 4.4 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.9 per 1,000 residents | 0.7 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Bristol. Close and well known come first.
20 mi LakeLake Winnipesaukee
36 mi National forestWhite Mountain National Forest
38 mi Ski areaCannon Mountain104 runs · 2,201 ft vertical
25 mi Ski areaWaterville Valley Resort84 runs · 1,990 ft vertical
33 mi WaterfallFlume Gorge
36 mi State parkFranconia Notch State ParkLake Winnipesaukee: No machine-readable author provided. JohnJHenderson~commonswiki assumed (based o, Public domain · White Mountain National Forest: Ken Gallager at English Wikipedia, Public domain · Cannon Mountain: Mikespenard at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Waterville Valley Resort: MConradWard, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Flume Gorge: MyCatIsAChonk, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Franconia Notch State Park: Stephen Sokolowski, CC BY-SA 3.0
2 within 15 miles of the center of Bristol
About 4 of every 100 Bristol residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across New Hampshire.
3 places in Bristol on the National Register of Historic Places.
4 notable people were born in Bristol.
Town in New Hampshire, United States
Bristol is a town in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 3,244 at the 2020 census. It is home to Wellington State Park, Sugar Hill State Forest, and Profile Falls on the Smith River. Surrounded by hills and lakes, Bristol includes the lower two-thirds of Newfound Lake, a resort area. The primary settlement in town, where 1,911 people resided at the 2020 census, is defined by the U.S. Census Bureau as the Bristol census-designated place (CDP) and is located at the intersection of New Hampshire routes 3A and 104.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Bristol.
| Town | NH rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bristol | #106 | C | C | B− | C− | B+ |
| Bridgewater | — | — | C+ | — | C− | A− |
| New Hampton | — | — | B− | B+ | C− | A− |
| Hill | — | — | C | — | — | B+ |
| Alexandria | — | — | C+ | A− | C− | B+ |
Bridgewater, New Hampton, Hill and Alexandria have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Bridgewater and Hill report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Bristol with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Bristol grades C overall, better than 32% of U.S. towns and #106 of 125 in New Hampshire. It grades B+ for health, B− for safety and C− for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D.
Yes, by national standards. New Hampshire has less crime than most states, so among its own towns Bristol 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.
4 notable people were born here, including Benjamin Flanders and Fred Lewis Pattee.
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