Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Home to 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Hinsdale grades D overall, ranked 122nd of 125 in New Hampshire, mostly because of schools and safety. Its schools rank behind 90% of the state's. It reports more crime per resident than 84% of U.S. towns, including 11 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. One bright spot: it has 23 miles of trail. On cost of living, just 11 of New Hampshire’s 187 towns do better. Its National Register listings include Todd Block. Only 9 of New Hampshire’s 187 towns score lower on civic life.
Where Hinsdale beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Todd Block| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Hinsdale Elementary School | PK–5 | 242 |
| Hinsdale Middle High School | 6–8 | 121 |
| Hinsdale High School | 9–12 | 155 |
Census counts: 522 in 1790, a low of 522 in 1790, 3,948 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1886 and 5 maps from 1898 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New Hampshire), ordered by how far Hinsdale is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Hinsdale, 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 Hinsdale.
Hinsdale has hotter summers than almost anywhere else in New Hampshire and sends many workers across the state line to Greenfield, but it reports violent crime at about twice the New Hampshire rate.
Its public schools are run by the Hinsdale School District. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hinsdale Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 242 | D |
| Hinsdale High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 155 | C− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NH on state tests and graduation
Violent crime runs at 2.7 per 1,000 residents, about twice the New Hampshire rate; the Safety Grade counts each violent crime four times, so this weighs most on its C−. At 40.7 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 99% of New Hampshire’s graded towns.
Hinsdale’s property crime rate is 23.5 per 1,000 residents, where New Hampshire’s towns sit at 4.4 and U.S. towns at 9.9. The violent crime rate in Hinsdale is 2.7 per 1,000 residents. Hinsdale reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 84% report less.
| Hinsdale | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 23.5 per 1,000 residents | 4.4 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.7 per 1,000 residents | 0.7 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
63.8% of renter households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, against 48.2% across New Hampshire.
The typical Hinsdale home is worth about $293,000, up 2.9% in a year, 43% below the New Hampshire typical home. Hinsdale’s median rent is $1,050 a month, below New Hampshire’s towns ($1,393 a month) and close to U.S. towns ($1,185 a month).
| Hinsdale | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,050 a month | $1,393 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 80% | 82% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
48% of working residents cross a state line to work, Greenfield among the top destinations. Jobs based here grew from 551 in 2013 to 786.
Most working residents leave Hinsdale for work: only 13% work in town. Since 2013, Hinsdale has added 235 jobs, to 786 in 2023. Hinsdale’s median household income is $69,000.
| Hinsdale | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $69,000 | $103,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 24 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 13% | 9.8% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 7.8% | 6.7% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Pisgah State Park, at 659 acres with 3.5 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Hinsdale | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 13% | 18% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.0 miles per square mile | 1.2 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Pisgah State Park | 3.5 mi | 659 |
| 2. Wantastiquet Mountain Natural Area | 2.8 mi | 530 |
| 3. Bear Mountain State Forest | 0.8 mi | 153 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Against the 10,462 U.S. towns with household incomes like Hinsdale’s, it is healthier than 83%, so its B+ isn’t only a matter of income. Within New Hampshire it is less healthy than 89% of the 126 graded towns: New Hampshire sets a high bar.
Hinsdale beats the New Hampshire average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 13. 74% of adults had a checkup this year in Hinsdale. Among 126 New Hampshire towns, just 7 have a higher share of adults who smoke cigarettes than Hinsdale.
| Hinsdale | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 74% | 78% | 79% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 11% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 12% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 16% | 17% |
| What stands out | Hinsdale | NH |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 12.9% | 8.9% |
| More smokers | 14.7% | 10.8% |
| More adults with COPD | 7.9% | 6.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
July afternoons average 84°, the #2 highest of 321 New Hampshire places with climate records; January nights average 13.5°. The Keene weather station, 13 miles away, records that 60 inches of snow fall in a normal winter: more than most of the country, but less than 79% of New Hampshire places with climate records.
Hinsdale has cold, snowy winters and warm summers. Among 126 New Hampshire towns, just 1 have a higher July high than Hinsdale.
| Hinsdale | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 14°F | 13°F | 22°F |
| July high | 84°F | 81°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 63% of U.S. communities. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Hinsdale since 2005.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Hinsdale. Close and well known come first.
20 mi MountainMount Monadnock
36 mi MountainMount Greylock
33 mi LakeQuabbin Reservoir
37 mi MuseumClark Art Institute
23 mi Ski areaMount Snow119 runs · 1,648 ft vertical
29 mi Ski areaStratton Mountain Resort106 runs · 1,899 ft verticalMount Monadnock: Jonwmcinenrey, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Mount Greylock: Jstergis, CC BY 3.0 · Quabbin Reservoir: engineerchange, CC BY 2.0 · Clark Art Institute: Daderot, Public domain · Mount Snow: William J Sisti from Morristown, NJ, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Stratton Mountain Resort: Rudi Riet from Washington, DC, United States, CC BY-SA 2.0
4 within 15 miles of the center of Hinsdale
About 1 of every 100 Hinsdale residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across New Hampshire.
Where Hinsdale’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
2 places in Hinsdale on the National Register of Historic Places.
8 notable people were born in Hinsdale.
Town in New Hampshire, United States
Hinsdale is a town in Cheshire County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 3,948 at the 2020 census. Hinsdale is home to part of Pisgah State Park in the northeast, and part of Wantastiquet Mountain State Forest in the northwest. The main village in town, where 1,485 people resided at the 2020 census, is defined as the Hinsdale census-designated place (CDP) and is located at the junction of New Hampshire routes 119 and 63.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Hinsdale.
| Town | NH rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hinsdale | #122 | D | B− | C− | D | B+ |
| Winchester | #125 | D− | C | B− | D− | C+ |
| Chesterfield | #80 | B | C | A− | C+ | A |
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Hinsdale grades D overall, better than 12% of U.S. towns and #122 of 125 in New Hampshire. It grades B+ for health, C− for safety and D for schools. Schools is its weak spot, with a D.
That is 3.5 years of the area's median household income ($83,329 across the Keene, NH area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B−.
8 notable people were born here, including Charles Anderson Dana and Elisha Andrews.
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