Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Gilmanton is a solid, middle-of-the-road choice. It grades A overall, ranked 22nd of 125 in New Hampshire, with no subject far below average. Its best mark is health: it is healthier than 91% of U.S. towns. It also does better than most on safety: it reports less crime per resident than 88% of U.S. towns. A typical home there costs about $473K, 5.1 years of the Laconia area’s $93K median household income. On walkability, just 12 of New Hampshire’s 187 towns do worse. 18% of the land in Gilmanton is conserved, close to New Hampshire’s towns (18%) and above U.S. towns (4.3%). Griswold Scout Reservation, at 2,302 acres with 15.1 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
Where Gilmanton beats most towns.
Census counts: 2,613 in 1790, a low of 676 in 1930, 3,945 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1868 and 4 maps from 1919 on.
5 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New Hampshire), ordered by how far Gilmanton is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Gilmanton, 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 Gilmanton.
Gilmanton pairs an A overall with homes cheaper than the New Hampshire norm, has a longer frost-free season than almost anywhere else in New Hampshire and has better schools than Gilford or any other neighbor.
29% of adults feel lonely in Gilmanton, where New Hampshire’s towns sit at 30% and U.S. towns at 33%. 15% of Gilmanton adults report frequent mental distress. Gilmanton tracks New Hampshire closely on all 32 CDC measures.
| Gilmanton | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 30% | 33% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 16% | 17% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 32% | 35% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 14% | 19% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its A− is the best School Grade on its borders; Gilford (B+) is next.
Its public schools are run by the Gilmanton School District. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gilmanton Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–8 | Grades K–8 | 335 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NH on state tests
Gilmanton’s property crime rate is 2 per 1,000 residents. New Hampshire has less reported crime than most states, so among its own towns Gilmanton sits closer to the middle.
| Gilmanton | 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) | 0.7 per 1,000 residents | 0.7 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Gilmanton has 287 jobs for its 1,604 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out.
Most working residents leave Gilmanton for work: only 6% work in town. The average trip to work in Gilmanton is 33 minutes. Jobs based in Gilmanton grew to 287 in 2023, 43 more than in 2013.
| Gilmanton | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 33 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $117,000 | $103,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 4% | 6.8% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 5.7% | 10% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
54 miles of trail in 25 parks and preserves.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Griswold Scout Reservation | 15.1 mi | 2,302 |
| 2. Charles G. Kelley Memorial Forest | 0.7 mi | 150 |
| 3. Cogswell Mountain Conservation Area | 0.6 mi | 514 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The Lakeport 2 weather station, 10 miles away, records that the frost-free season runs about 170 days, the #2 highest of 321 New Hampshire places with climate records.
Gilmanton has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 80°, January nights drop to 12° and about 62 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Adults 35 to 64 are 47% of residents (40% statewide). Gilmanton has grown 2.8% since 2020, to 4,060 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 38% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 41% across New Hampshire.
| Gilmanton | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 45 years | 44.6 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 17% | 20% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 38% | 39% | 29% |
49% women, 51% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±4.9 points. Across New Hampshire, 50.1% of residents are women. Among residents 75 and older, 65% are men (NH 43%).
| Gilmanton | NH | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 6.8% | 9.3% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 10.7% | 8.9% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 3.9% | 8.7% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 14.4% | 12.7% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 14.2% | 12.4% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 10.8% | 12.4% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 21.9% | 15.5% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 12% | 12.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 5.2% | 7.9% | 7% |
| No diploma | 3.9% | 5.6% | 10.4% |
| High school | 22.4% | 26.8% | 26% |
| Some college | 25.2% | 17.2% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 10.7% | 9.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 18.7% | 24.5% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 19.2% | 16.1% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 4,100, single groups can be off by several points
Gilmanton grades A overall with a typical home of about $473K, below the New Hampshire typical value; only 7 of the 46 New Hampshire towns graded A− or better can say that.
99% of households own their home in Gilmanton. Typical home values rose 6.9% in the year to September 2026.
| Gilmanton | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 99% | 82% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,125 a month | $1,393 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 50% of U.S. communities. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Gilmanton since 1978.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Gilmanton. Close and well known come first.
12 mi LakeLake Winnipesaukee
8 mi MuseumCanterbury Shaker Village7 mi Ski areaGunstock Recreation Area73 runs · 1,305 ft vertical
31 mi Stadium & arenaSNHU Arena
38 mi Ski areaWaterville Valley Resort84 runs · 1,990 ft vertical
39 mi MuseumStrawbery BankeLake Winnipesaukee: No machine-readable author provided. JohnJHenderson~commonswiki assumed (based o, Public domain · Canterbury Shaker Village: SayCheeeeeese, Public domain · SNHU Arena: Quintin Soloviev, CC BY 4.0 · Waterville Valley Resort: MConradWard, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Strawbery Banke: Ken Gallager (Ken Gallager from en.wikipedia), Public domain
1 within 15 miles of the center of Gilmanton
About 4 of every 100 Gilmanton residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across New Hampshire.
Where Gilmanton’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
5 places in Gilmanton on the National Register of Historic Places.
Town in New Hampshire, United States
Gilmanton is a town in Belknap County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 3,945 at the 2020 census, and an estimated 4,060 in 2025. Gilmanton includes the villages of Gilmanton Corners and Gilmanton Ironworks. The town became well known in the 1950s after it was rumored that the popular novel Peyton Place, written by resident Grace Metalious, was based on the town.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Gilmanton.
It grades higher overall than all 5 graded towns on its borders; Gilford (A−) comes closest.
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Gilmanton grades A overall, better than 89% of U.S. towns and #22 of 125 in New Hampshire. It grades A for health, A for safety and A− for schools. Walkability is its weak spot, with a D.
Yes, by national standards. New Hampshire has less crime than most states, so among its own towns Gilmanton 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 B−.
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