Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Lancaster grades C overall, ranked 105th of 125 in New Hampshire, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. Crime is low: it reports less per resident than 88% of U.S. towns and it has 25 miles of trail. On the other side, FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 86% of U.S. communities, with avalanches at the top. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 97% of U.S. towns, with 7 places on the National Register. On health, just 9 of New Hampshire’s 187 towns do worse. Its National Register listings include Mount Orne Covered Bridge and Weeks Estate. Only 16 of New Hampshire’s 187 towns score higher on walkability.
Where Lancaster beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Census counts: 161 in 1790, 3,218 in 2020. The archive holds 24 old photos and papers going back to 1838 and 3 maps from 1900 on.
7 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Lancaster takes its name from Lancaster in Lancashire, England, 3,040 miles across the Atlantic.
UKUK editionLancaster, settled in 1763, takes its name from Lancaster, a large town in Lancashire, England.
1 more U.S. town is named after Lancaster:Lancaster, PA58,366
Named after: each U.S. town’s Wikipedia article. Grades compare each town with towns in its own country, so they aren’t a head-to-head.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New Hampshire), ordered by how far Lancaster is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Lancaster, 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 Lancaster.
Lancaster is healthier than towns with similar incomes and trades workers with Littleton and other neighbors, but it carries more natural-hazard risk than most of New Hampshire (mostly avalanches).
Lancaster’s property crime rate is 1.6 per 1,000 residents, where New Hampshire’s towns sit at 4.5 and U.S. towns at 9.9. New Hampshire has less reported crime than most states, so among its own towns Lancaster sits closer to the middle.
| Lancaster | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.6 per 1,000 residents | 4.5 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.2 per 1,000 residents | 0.7 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Its public schools are run by the White Mountains Regional School District. One of its 3 schools is below, with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lancaster Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–8 | Grades PK–8 | 310 | C− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NH on state tests and graduation
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 98% of New Hampshire towns, with expected losses of about $2,342 per resident a year; that rating is what its D for hazard risk is built on.
Among 126 New Hampshire towns, just 3 have a higher FEMA risk score than Lancaster. Since 1981, 11 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Lancaster.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The typical Lancaster home is worth about $303,000, about the same as a year ago, 41% below the New Hampshire typical home. Lancaster’s median rent is $1,019 a month, below both New Hampshire’s towns ($1,393 a month) and U.S. towns ($1,185 a month).
| Lancaster | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,019 a month | $1,393 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 75% | 82% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Lancaster has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. The July high in Lancaster is 80°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Only 6 of the 126 New Hampshire towns we compare have a lower trail density than Lancaster. The biggest place to walk is Weeks State Park, 436 acres with 3.6 miles of trail.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Weeks State Park | 3.6 mi | 436 |
| 2. Lancaster Town Forest | 0.3 mi | 263 |
| 3. Colonel Town Recreation Park | 0.2 mi | 12 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Lancaster has about as many jobs (1,468) as working residents, but only 394 people both live and work here.
17% of Lancaster residents live below the poverty line. About one in 4 of Lancaster’s working residents works in town. Lancaster’s median household income is $69,000.
| Lancaster | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 26% | 9.8% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 17% | 6.7% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $69,000 | $103,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Against the 10,456 U.S. towns with household incomes like Lancaster’s, it is healthier than 67%, so its B− isn’t only a matter of income. Within New Hampshire it is less healthy than 95% of the 126 graded towns: New Hampshire sets a high bar.
Lancaster beats the New Hampshire average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 15. 31% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Lancaster. Among 126 New Hampshire towns, just 3 have a higher share of adults who have diabetes than Lancaster.
| Lancaster | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 33% | 36% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 20% | 25% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 9.5% | 12% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 16% | 16% |
| What stands out | Lancaster | NH |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 80% | 76.8% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 14.8% | 8.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Lancaster. Close and well known come first.
Big draw18 mi MountainMount Washington
4 mi Theme parkSanta's Village
32 mi LakeLake Willoughby
22 mi Ski areaCannon Mountain104 runs · 2,201 ft vertical
27 mi National forestWhite Mountain National Forest
36 mi Scenic railwayConway Scenic RailroadMount Washington: wwoods, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Santa's Village: Alex McLeod, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Lake Willoughby: King of Hearts, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Cannon Mountain: Mikespenard at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · White Mountain National Forest: Ken Gallager at English Wikipedia, Public domain · Conway Scenic Railroad: Pi.1415926535, CC BY-SA 3.0
None within 15 miles of Lancaster; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 Lancaster residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across New Hampshire.
7 places in Lancaster on the National Register of Historic Places.
12 notable people were born in Lancaster.
Town in New Hampshire, United States
Lancaster is a town located along the Connecticut River in Coös County, New Hampshire, United States. The town is named after the city of Lancaster in England. As of the 2020 census, the town population was 3,218, the second largest in the county after Berlin. It is the county seat of Coös County and gateway to the Great North Woods Region of the state. Lancaster, which includes the villages of Grange and South Lancaster, is home to Weeks State Park and the Lancaster Fair. Part of the White Mountain National Forest is in the eastern portion. The town is part of the Berlin, NH−VT Micropolitan Statistical Area. The main village in town, where 1,941 people resided at the 2020 census, is define…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Lancaster.
| Town | NH rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lancaster | #105 | C | C− | A | C− | B− |
| Northumberland | — | — | C | — | C− | C |
| Jefferson | — | — | C | — | C− | A− |
| Dalton | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Northumberland and Jefferson have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Northumberland and Jefferson report no FBI crime data of their own. Dalton isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Lancaster with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Lancaster grades C overall, better than 32% of U.S. towns and #105 of 125 in New Hampshire. It grades B− for health, A for safety and C− for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D.
Yes, by national standards. New Hampshire has less crime than most states, so among its own towns Lancaster sits nearer the middle.
Yes. That is 5.2 years of the area's median household income ($57,677 across the county). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.
12 notable people were born here, including William Stokoe and John W. Weeks.
