Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Brookline is one of the best-graded places in America: an A+, 4th among New Hampshire's 125 graded towns. The median household earns $171K, it reports less crime per resident than 96% of U.S. towns, and residents are healthier than 96% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. Its lowest mark, a C, is in cost of living. Brookline’s median rent is $2,500 a month, where New Hampshire’s towns sit at $1,382 a month and U.S. towns at $1,185 a month. No town among the 126 in New Hampshire we compare has a lower share of residents 65 or older than Brookline. The biggest place to walk is Palmer-Bartell Forest, 1,110 acres with 14.8 miles of trail.
Where Brookline beats most towns.
Census counts: 338 in 1790, a low of 338 in 1790, 5,639 in 2020. The archive holds 16 old photos and papers going back to 1906 and 7 maps from 1893 on.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New Hampshire), ordered by how far Brookline is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Brookline. Close and well known come first.
27 mi LakeWalden Pond
23 mi MountainMount Monadnock
39 mi Stadium & arenaHarvard Stadium
25 mi Ancient siteAmerica's Stonehenge
39 mi Stadium & arenaAlumni Stadium
22 mi Theme parkCanobie Lake ParkWalden Pond: Victorgrigas, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Mount Monadnock: Jonwmcinenrey, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Harvard Stadium: Nick Allen, CC BY-SA 4.0 · America's Stonehenge: User:Stan Shebs, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Alumni Stadium: Quintinsoloviev, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Canobie Lake Park: Alex1961, CC BY-SA 2.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Brookline, 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 Brookline.
Brookline has schools in the top 5% of New Hampshire, reports less crime than Hollis or any other graded neighbor and has less tooth loss than most of New Hampshire.
44 miles of trail in 13 parks and preserves. Brookline’s trail density is 2.2 miles per square mile.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Palmer-Bartell Forest | 14.8 mi | 1,110 |
| 2. Hobart-Fessenden Woods | 5 mi | 471 |
| 3. Andres Institute of Art Sculpture Park | 4.4 mi | 126 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its A ranks #5 of the 126 New Hampshire towns we grade for schools.
Its public schools are run by the Brookline School District. Its two schools are below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Richard Maghakian Memorial SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–3 | Grades PK–3 | 309 | B+ |
| Captain Samuel Douglass AcademyTop results in townGrades 4–6 | Grades 4–6 | 242 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NH on state tests and graduation
Its A+ tops all 3 graded towns on its borders; Hollis (A+) comes closest. Violent crime is rare: 1 reported in 2025, 0.2 per 1,000 residents.
The property crime rate in Brookline is 2 per 1,000 residents.
| Brookline | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2 per 1,000 residents | 4.5 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.2 per 1,000 residents | 0.7 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Its widest gap with New Hampshire is tooth loss: 2.9% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 8.9% statewide. Against the 1,650 U.S. towns with household incomes like Brookline’s, it is healthier than 66%, a smaller edge than it has nationally: part of it comes with its incomes.
9.7% of Brookline adults report frequent physical distress. Brookline beats the New Hampshire average on 17 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 0. 28% of Brookline adults have high blood pressure.
| Brookline | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 9.7% | 12% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 34% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 7.3% | 9.5% | 12% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 14% | 19% |
| What stands out | Brookline | NH |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 2.9% | 8.9% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 6.5% | 9.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Brookline has 831 jobs for its 2,835 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out. Jobs based here grew from 515 in 2013 to 831.
0.6% of residents live below the poverty line in Brookline. Only 2 of the 126 New Hampshire towns we compare have a higher median household income than Brookline. 25% of workers work from home in Brookline.
| Brookline | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $171,000 | $103,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 25% | 16% | 11% |
| Average trip to work | 33 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 0.6% | 6.8% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
At 6.5 years of the Manchester metro’s $104K median household income, the typical home (about $669K) costs more against local pay than in 87% of New Hampshire towns; that ratio is one input to its C for cost of living.
The typical Brookline home is worth about $669,000, up 2.1% in a year, 31% above the New Hampshire typical home.
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
The Milford weather station, 6 miles away, records that 57 inches of snow fall in a normal winter: more than most of the country, but less than 84% of New Hampshire places with climate records. The Milford weather station, 6 miles away, records that the frost-free season runs about 156 days: shorter than most of the country, but longer than 77% of New Hampshire places with climate records.
Brookline has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with plenty of rain. Only 9 of the 126 New Hampshire towns we compare have a higher July high than Brookline.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 54% of U.S. communities. Since 1986, 6 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Brookline.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
5 within 15 miles of the center of Brookline
About 6 of every 100 Brookline residents are enrolled in college, about the same as New Hampshire.
4,991 counted in 2010 and 5,639 in 2020; an estimated 5,858 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Town in New Hampshire, United States
Brookline is a town in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 5,639 at the 2020 census, up from 4,991 at the 2010 census. Brookline is home to the Talbot-Taylor Wildlife Sanctuary, Potanipo Pond, and the Brookline Covered Bridge.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Brookline.
| Town | NH rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brookline | #4 | A+ | C | A+ | A | A+ |
| Hollis | #1 | A+ | C | A+ | A | A |
| Milford | #50 | B+ | D | A | B− | A |
| Mason | — | — | C− | A | A+ | B+ |
Mason has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Compare Brookline with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes, by almost any measure. Brookline grades A+ overall, better than 97% of U.S. towns and #4 of 125 in New Hampshire. It grades A+ for health, A+ for safety and A for schools.
That is 6.5 years of the area's median household income ($103,545 across the Manchester-Nashua, NH metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.
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