Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Keene's standout: it has 81 miles of trail. Overall it grades C, 103rd among New Hampshire's 125 graded towns. Residents are healthier than 86% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates and it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 87% of U.S. towns. Its weakest subject is cost of living: the typical home is worth about $353K, 4.2 years of the Keene area’s $83K median household income. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 95% of U.S. towns, with 17 places on the National Register. 45% of working residents work locally in Keene, where New Hampshire’s towns sit at 9.8% and U.S. towns at 8%. Only 5 of New Hampshire’s 149 towns score lower on safety. Its National Register listings include Dinsmoor-Hale House and Cheshire County Courthouse.
Where Keene beats most towns.
Wyman Tavern
Its 17 National Register listings are more than in 96% of New Hampshire towns with a listing.
Census counts: 1,314 in 1790, 23,047 in 2020. The archive holds 16 old photos and papers going back to 1795 and 5 maps from 1898 on.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New Hampshire), ordered by how far Keene is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Keene, 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 Keene.
Keene is one of New Hampshire’s best towns for the outdoors, is safe by national standards but not by New Hampshire’s and gets more snow than most of the country, though not than most of New Hampshire.
Its A+ for the outdoors ranks #4 of 126 in New Hampshire.
The trail density in Keene is 2.2 miles per square mile. Greater Goose Pond Forest, at 1,071 acres with 15.9 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Greater Goose Pond Forest | 15.9 mi | 1,071 |
| 2. Beech Hill Preserve | 3.9 mi | 187 |
| 3. Robin Hood Park | 3.9 mi | 116 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Keene School District.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Keene Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 626 | C− |
| Keene High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,288 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NH on state tests and graduation
Within New Hampshire it is less healthy than 53% of the 126 graded towns: New Hampshire sets a high bar.
73% of adults had a checkup this year in Keene. Keene beats the New Hampshire average on 2 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 4. 30% of adults have high blood pressure in Keene.
| Keene | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 73% | 78% | 79% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 34% | 35% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 32% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 8.2% | 9.5% | 12% |
| What stands out | Keene | NH |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults with high cholesterol | 30.4% | 35.2% |
| Fewer adults with high blood pressure | 29.6% | 33% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 11.5% | 8.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
55% of Keene households own their home. The typical Keene home is worth about $353,000, up 3.3% in a year, 31% below the New Hampshire typical home.
| Keene | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 55% | 82% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,342 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 32% of residents (21% statewide); adults 35 to 64 are 34% of residents (40% statewide). Keene’s median age is 37.6 years. 44% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 41% across New Hampshire.
| Keene | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 14% | 18% | 22% |
| Median age | 37.6 years | 45 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 44% | 39% | 29% |
| Aged 65 or older | 20% | 20% | 18% |
51% women, 49% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±1.6 points. Across New Hampshire, 50.1% of residents are women. Median age: women 39.8, men 35.9.
| Keene | NH | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 7.6% | 9.3% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 6.5% | 8.9% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 16.8% | 8.7% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 15.6% | 12.7% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 11.8% | 12.4% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 10.9% | 12.4% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 11.4% | 15.5% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 9.8% | 12.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 9.7% | 7.9% | 7% |
| No diploma | 5.7% | 5.6% | 10.4% |
| High school | 25.4% | 26.8% | 26% |
| Some college | 17.2% | 17.2% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 7.6% | 9.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 27.8% | 24.5% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 16.4% | 16.1% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
At 28.7 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 96% of New Hampshire’s graded towns. Property crime runs at 21 per 1,000 residents, about twice the New Hampshire rate, most of it theft.
Among 125 New Hampshire towns, just 4 have a higher property crime rate than Keene.
| Keene | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 21 per 1,000 residents | 4.4 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.4 per 1,000 residents | 0.7 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
122 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 15 properties have flooded more than once.
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 68% of U.S. communities. Since 1981, 122 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Keene.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The Keene weather station 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. July afternoons average 82.4°: cooler than most of the country, but hotter than 83% of New Hampshire places with climate records; January nights average 12°.
Keene has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers.
| Keene | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 12°F | 13°F | 22°F |
| July high | 82°F | 81°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The average commute for its 10,417 working residents takes 17.2 minutes, against 26.7 across New Hampshire.
Only 3 of the 126 New Hampshire towns we compare have a lower average trip to work than Keene. Jobs based in Keene fell to 15,358 in 2023, 1,442 fewer than in 2013. The top destinations are Swanzey (4%), Brattleboro (3%) and Lebanon (3%).
| Keene | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 17 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $78,000 | $103,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 10% | 6.7% | 9.6% |
| Work from home | 16% | 16% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
4 within 15 miles of the center of Keene
About 14 of every 100 Keene residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across New Hampshire.
21.6% of the town is conserved land, across 21 parks and preserves.
17 places in Keene on the National Register of Historic Places.
32 notable people were born in Keene.
City in New Hampshire, United States
Keene is a city in Cheshire County, New Hampshire, United States. Its population was 23,047 at the 2020 census, down from 23,409 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat and the only city in Cheshire County. Keene is home to Keene State College and Antioch University New England. It hosted the state's annual pumpkin festival from 1991 to 2014, several times setting a world record for most jack-o'-lanterns on display.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
7 towns share a border with Keene.
| Town | NH rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Keene | #103 | C | C− | C | C | A |
| Roxbury | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Swanzey | #114 | C− | C− | B | C− | B+ |
| Westmoreland | — | — | C− | — | B− | A |
| Sullivan | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Surry | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Gilsum | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Marlborough | — | — | C | A | D | A− |
Westmoreland and Marlborough have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Westmoreland reports no FBI crime data of its own. Roxbury, Sullivan, Surry and Gilsum aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Keene with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Keene grades C overall, better than 33% of U.S. towns and #103 of 125 in New Hampshire. It grades A for health, C for safety and C for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a C−.
New Hampshire has less crime than most states, so among its own towns Keene 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 C−.
32 notable people were born here, including Heather Wilson and Robert Rodat.
