Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Laconia earns a D, 121st of 125 graded towns in New Hampshire, mostly because of schools and safety. Its public schools trail 88% of New Hampshire towns on state tests and graduation. It reports more crime per resident than 76% of U.S. towns, including 32 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. One bright spot: it has 22 miles of trail. Laconia’s property crime rate is 24.5 per 1,000 residents, above both New Hampshire’s towns (4.4) and U.S. towns (9.9). Its National Register listings include Belknap-Sulloway Mill and Busiel-Seeburg Mill. Only 2 of the 126 New Hampshire towns we compare have a lower average trip to work than Laconia.
Where Laconia beats most towns.
Belknap-Sulloway Mill
Its 14 National Register listings are more than in 95% of New Hampshire towns with a listing.
Census counts: 1,806 in 1860, 16,871 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1869 and 3 maps from 1909 on.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New Hampshire), ordered by how far Laconia is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Laconia, 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 Laconia.
Laconia has a longer frost-free season than almost anywhere else in New Hampshire, is healthier than towns with similar incomes and is safe by national standards but not by New Hampshire’s.
Each of its 4 graded neighbors has a higher School Grade than its D, Gilford highest at B+.
Its public schools are run by the Laconia School District. Two of its 7 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Laconia High School, with 562 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Laconia Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 414 | C− |
| Laconia High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 562 | C |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NH on state tests and graduation
At 32.3 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 98% of New Hampshire’s graded towns. Each of the 4 graded towns on its borders reports less crime per resident, from Belmont (B) to Sanbornton (A).
Laconia reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 76% report less. Laconia’s violent crime rate is 1.8 per 1,000 residents.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Against the 10,762 U.S. towns with household incomes like Laconia’s, it is healthier than 86%, so its B+ isn’t only a matter of income. Within New Hampshire it is less healthy than 78% of the 126 graded towns: New Hampshire sets a high bar.
Laconia beats the New Hampshire average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 10. 31% of Laconia adults have obesity.
| Laconia | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 32% | 35% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 30% | 33% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 14% | 19% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 20% | 25% |
| What stands out | Laconia | NH |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 12.8% | 8.9% |
| More adults with COPD | 8.1% | 6.2% |
| More smokers | 13.3% | 10.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The Lakeport 2 weather station records that the frost-free season runs about 170 days, the #2 highest of 321 New Hampshire places with climate records.
Laconia has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 82°, January nights drop to 12° and about 62 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The biggest park or preserve is Paugus Bay State Forest, at 252 acres. The trail density in Laconia is 0.8 miles per square mile.
| Laconia | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 7.9% | 18% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.8 miles per square mile | 1.2 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Ahern State Park | 5.2 mi | 129 |
| 2. Opechee Bay State Forest | 0.3 mi | 47 |
| 3. Bond Beach Park | 0.3 mi | 29 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Laconia has about as many jobs (8,389) as working residents, but only 2,153 people both live and work here. The average commute takes 17 minutes, against 26.7 across New Hampshire.
About one in 4 of Laconia’s working residents works in town. 13% of residents live below the poverty line in Laconia. The top destinations are Concord (9%), Gilford (7%) and Meredith (4%).
| Laconia | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 28% | 9.8% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 13% | 6.7% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $73,000 | $103,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 14% | 16% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The typical Laconia home is worth about $438,000, up 2.3% in a year, 14% below the New Hampshire typical home.
| Laconia | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 64% | 82% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,224 a month | $1,393 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 51% of U.S. communities. Since 1984, 26 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Laconia.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Laconia. Close and well known come first.
8 mi LakeLake Winnipesaukee
36 mi National forestWhite Mountain National Forest
37 mi Scenic railwayConway Scenic Railroad
27 mi Ski areaWaterville Valley Resort84 runs · 1,990 ft vertical7 mi Ski areaGunstock Recreation Area73 runs · 1,305 ft vertical
37 mi WaterfallFlume GorgeLake Winnipesaukee: No machine-readable author provided. JohnJHenderson~commonswiki assumed (based o, Public domain · White Mountain National Forest: Ken Gallager at English Wikipedia, Public domain · Conway Scenic Railroad: Pi.1415926535, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Waterville Valley Resort: MConradWard, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Flume Gorge: MyCatIsAChonk, CC BY-SA 4.0
1 within 15 miles of the center of Laconia
About 3 of every 100 Laconia residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across New Hampshire.
14 places in Laconia on the National Register of Historic Places.
18 notable people were born in Laconia.
City in New Hampshire, United States
Laconia ( lə-KOHN-ee-ə) is a city in Belknap County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 16,871 at the 2020 census, and an estimated 17,246 in 2025, up from 15,951 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Belknap County. Laconia, situated between Lake Winnipesaukee and Lake Winnisquam, includes the villages of Lakeport and Weirs Beach. Each June, the city hosts Laconia Motorcycle Week, also known as "Bike Week," one of the country's largest motorcycle rallies.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Laconia.
All 4 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its D; Belmont (C) is closest.
| Town | NH rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laconia | #121 | D | C | C− | D | B+ |
| Meredith | #71 | B | C | B+ | C+ | A− |
| Gilford | #41 | A− | C+ | B+ | B+ | A |
| Belmont | #107 | C | C+ | B | C | B− |
| Sanbornton | #73 | B | C | A | C | A |
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Laconia grades D overall, better than 14% of U.S. towns and #121 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.
New Hampshire has less crime than most states, so among its own towns Laconia sits nearer the middle.
That is 4.7 years of the area's median household income ($92,783 across the Laconia, 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 C.
18 notable people were born here, including Connie Converse and Doris Haddock.
.jpg){kind=link}
