Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Nashua grades C+ overall, 91st of 125 graded towns in New Hampshire, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. Residents are healthier than 82% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates and the median household earns $96K. On the other side, the typical home is worth about $504K, 4.9 years of the Manchester metro’s $104K median household income. History is its standout character grade: an A, better than 93% of U.S. towns, with 8 places on the National Register. 29% of working residents work locally in Nashua, above both New Hampshire’s towns (9.8%) and U.S. towns (8%). Nashua is home to Rivier University. On civic life, just 15 of New Hampshire’s 187 towns do worse.
Where Nashua beats most towns.
Census counts: 632 in 1790, 91,322 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1799 and 6 maps from 1905 on.
8 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New Hampshire), ordered by how far Nashua is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Nashua. Close and well known come first.
Big draw34 mi Stadium & arenaFenway Park
Big draw35 mi MuseumIsabella Stewart Gardner Museum
23 mi LakeWalden Pond
35 mi AttractionFreedom Trail
16 mi Ancient siteAmerica's Stonehenge
32 mi Stadium & arenaHarvard StadiumFenway Park: Gatorfan252525, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum: Sean Dungan, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Walden Pond: Victorgrigas, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Freedom Trail: Ingfbruno, CC BY-SA 3.0 · America's Stonehenge: User:Stan Shebs, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Harvard Stadium: Nick Allen, CC BY-SA 4.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Nashua, 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 Nashua.
Nashua sends many workers across the state line to Boston and gets more snow than most of the country, though not than most of New Hampshire; it also reports more crime than Hudson and its other graded neighbors.
46 miles of trail in 44 parks and preserves. The trail density in Nashua is 1.5 miles per square mile. The biggest place to walk is Northwest Sanctuary, 417 acres with 1.7 miles of trail.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Mine Falls Park | 8.7 mi | 333 |
| 2. Southwest Park | 6.5 mi | 232 |
| 3. Terrell Homestead Conservation Area | 2.6 mi | 86 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Nashua School District. Three of its 31 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pennichuck Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 768 | D |
| Nashua High School SouthLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,686 | A− |
| Academy for Science and Design Charter (H)Top results in townGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 264 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NH on state tests and graduation
Within New Hampshire it is less healthy than 66% of the 126 graded towns: New Hampshire sets a high bar.
34% of Nashua adults feel lonely. Nashua beats the New Hampshire average on 2 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 7. 31% of Nashua adults have high blood pressure.
| Nashua | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 34% | 30% | 33% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 34% | 35% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 23% | 23% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 12% | 14% |
| What stands out | Nashua | NH |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 8.5% | 9.8% |
| Fewer adults with arthritis | 25% | 27.6% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 11.8% | 8.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The Nashua 2 Nnw weather station records that 53 inches of snow fall in a normal winter: more than most of the country, but less than 92% of New Hampshire places with climate records.
Nashua has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. Only 2 of the 126 New Hampshire towns we compare have a higher July high than Nashua.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
22% of working residents cross a state line to work, Boston among the top destinations. Nashua has about as many jobs (49,822) as working residents, but only 13,336 people both live and work here.
About one in 3 of Nashua’s working residents works in town. 17% of workers work from home in Nashua. The top destinations are Manchester (7%), Merrimack (6%) and Hudson (5%).
| Nashua | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 17% | 16% | 11% |
| Median household income | $96,000 | $103,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 26 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 7.8% | 6.7% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
No broad age group is more than 4 points off the New Hampshire average. 41% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 41% across New Hampshire. Nashua’s median age is 40 years.
| Nashua | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 41% | 39% | 29% |
| Median age | 40 years | 45 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 17% | 20% | 18% |
| Under 18 | 19% | 18% | 22% |
49% women, 51% men
About 105 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±1 point). Across New Hampshire, 50.1% of residents are women. Median age: women 42.2, men 38.1.
| Nashua | NH | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 10.2% | 9.3% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 8.4% | 8.9% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 7.8% | 8.7% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 17% | 12.7% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 12.8% | 12.4% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 12.4% | 12.4% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 14.4% | 15.5% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 10% | 12.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 6.9% | 7.9% | 7% |
| No diploma | 8.1% | 5.6% | 10.4% |
| High school | 24.7% | 26.8% | 26% |
| Some college | 17.4% | 17.2% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 8.6% | 9.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 25% | 24.5% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 16.2% | 16.1% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Nashua is safe by national standards, yet each of the 4 graded towns on its borders reports less crime per resident, from Hudson (B) to Litchfield (A+).
New Hampshire has less reported crime than most states, so among its own towns Nashua sits closer to the middle.
| Nashua | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 10.1 per 1,000 residents | 4.4 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.1 per 1,000 residents | 0.7 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Among 126 New Hampshire towns, just 7 have a lower share of households owning their home than Nashua. The typical Nashua home is worth about $504,000, up 3.2% in a year, close to the New Hampshire typical home.
| Nashua | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 56% | 82% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,737 a month | $1,382 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 46% | 48% | 48% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 50% of U.S. communities. Since 1982, 40 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Nashua.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
5 within 15 miles of the center of Nashua
About 5 of every 100 Nashua residents are enrolled in college, about the same as New Hampshire.
3 colleges in town.
8 places in Nashua on the National Register of Historic Places.
47 notable people were born in Nashua.
City in New Hampshire, United States
Nashua () is a city in southern New Hampshire, United States. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 91,322, the second-largest in northern New England after nearby Manchester. It is one of two county seats of New Hampshire's most populous county, Hillsborough; the other being Manchester. Built around the now-departed textile industry, in recent decades Nashua's economy has shifted to the financial and professional services, high tech, and defense industries as part of the economic recovery that started in the 1980s in the Greater Boston region. Major private employers in the city include Nashua Corporation, and BAE Systems. The city also hosts two major regional medical centers, Sou…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Nashua.
All 4 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its C+; Hudson (B−) is closest.
| Town | NH rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nashua | #91 | C+ | D | B | C | A− |
| Merrimack | #47 | B+ | D | A | B− | A |
| Hollis | #1 | A+ | C | A+ | A | A |
| Hudson | #84 | B− | C− | B | C | A |
| Litchfield | #32 | A− | D | A+ | B+ | A |
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Nashua grades C+ overall, better than 45% of U.S. towns and #91 of 125 in New Hampshire. It grades A− for health, B for safety and C for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D.
Yes, by national standards. New Hampshire has less crime than most states, so among its own towns Nashua 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 D.
47 notable people were born here, including Mandy Moore and Triple H.
