Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Littleton is a solid, middle-of-the-road choice. It grades C− overall, 113th among New Hampshire's 125 graded towns, with no subject far below average. Its best mark is safety: crime is low: it reports less per resident than 53% of U.S. towns. Expect to pay for it: homes are expensive, about $355K for a typical one and 4.3 times the Lebanon area’s $83K median household income. 40% of working residents work locally in Littleton, above both New Hampshire’s towns (9.8%) and U.S. towns (8%). Only 2 of New Hampshire’s 187 towns score higher on walkability. Its National Register listings include Edward H. Lane House and Thayer's Hotel.
Where Littleton beats most towns.
Littleton Town Building
Census counts: 96 in 1790, 6,005 in 2020. The archive holds 29 old photos and papers going back to 1883 and 2 maps from 1971 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 Littleton is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Littleton, 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 Littleton.
Littleton is healthier than towns with similar incomes and has commutes shorter than most of New Hampshire, but it has poverty well above the New Hampshire rate.
90 miles of trail in 5 parks and preserves. Littleton’s trail density is 1.7 miles per square mile. The biggest park or preserve is Ilacqua Wildlife Conservation Area, at 85 acres.
| Littleton | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.7 miles per square mile | 1.2 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 8.3% | 18% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Pine Hill Park | 1.4 mi | 36 |
| 2. Littleton Riverfront Commons | 0.4 mi | 8 |
| 3. Ilacqua Wildlife Conservation Area | — | 85 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Littleton School District. Two of its 5 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mildred C. Lakeway SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–6 | Grades K–6 | 309 | B− |
| Littleton High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 172 | C |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NH on state tests and graduation
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 80% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 9 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Littleton.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
51% of Littleton households own their home. Among 120 New Hampshire towns, just 3 have a lower median rent than Littleton. The typical Littleton home is worth about $355,000, down 0.5% in a year, 31% below the New Hampshire typical home.
| Littleton | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 51% | 82% | 73% |
| Median rent | $940 a month | $1,393 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Littleton has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. The July high in Littleton is 80°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The average commute for its 3,152 working residents takes 14.3 minutes, against 26.7 across New Hampshire.
14% of residents live below the poverty line in Littleton. Among 126 New Hampshire towns, just 2 have a lower median household income than Littleton. Since 2013, Littleton has added 400 jobs, to 4,557 in 2023.
| Littleton | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 14 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $57,000 | $103,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 14% | 6.7% | 9.6% |
| Work from home | 10% | 16% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Against the 7,942 U.S. towns with household incomes like Littleton’s, it is healthier than 67%, so its C+ isn’t only a matter of income.
Littleton beats the New Hampshire average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 22. Only 1 of the 126 New Hampshire towns we compare have a higher share of adults who say their health is fair or poor than Littleton.
| Littleton | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 11% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 12% | 14% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 74% | 78% | 79% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 14% | 19% |
| What stands out | Littleton | NH |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 18.6% | 8.9% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 16.1% | 9.5% |
| More adults with COPD | 10.3% | 6.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Only 7 of the 125 New Hampshire towns we compare have a higher violent crime rate than Littleton. New Hampshire has less reported crime than most states, so among its own towns Littleton sits closer to the middle.
| Littleton | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.2 per 1,000 residents | 0.7 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 10.4 per 1,000 residents | 4.4 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Littleton. Close and well known come first.
Big draw25 mi MountainMount Washington
13 mi Ski areaCannon Mountain104 runs · 2,201 ft vertical
31 mi LakeLake Willoughby
26 mi National forestWhite Mountain National Forest
15 mi State parkFranconia Notch State Park
18 mi WaterfallFlume GorgeMount Washington: wwoods, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Cannon Mountain: Mikespenard at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Lake Willoughby: King of Hearts, CC BY-SA 4.0 · White Mountain National Forest: Ken Gallager at English Wikipedia, Public domain · Franconia Notch State Park: Stephen Sokolowski, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Flume Gorge: MyCatIsAChonk, CC BY-SA 4.0
None within 15 miles of Littleton; the nearest are
About 2 of every 100 Littleton residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across New Hampshire.
5 places in Littleton on the National Register of Historic Places.
13 notable people were born in Littleton.
Town in New Hampshire, United States
Littleton is a town in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 6,005 at the 2020 census. Situated at the northern edge of the White Mountains, Littleton is bounded on the northwest by the Connecticut River. The main village in town, where 4,467 people lived at the 2020 census, is defined as the Littleton census-designated place (CDP) and is centered on the intersection of U.S. Route 302 with New Hampshire Route 116, along the Ammonoosuc River.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
7 towns share a border with Littleton.
| Town | NH rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Littleton | #113 | C− | C | B− | C+ | C+ |
| Dalton | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Bethlehem | #61 | B+ | C | A− | B+ | A |
| Lisbon | — | — | C | A+ | C− | B+ |
| Monroe | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Lisbon has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Dalton and Monroe aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Littleton with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Littleton grades C− overall, better than 23% of U.S. towns and #113 of 125 in New Hampshire. It grades C+ for health, B− 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 Littleton 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 C.
13 notable people were born here, including Eleanor H. Porter and Wayne Green.
