Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
61% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Nelson, above both New Hampshire’s towns (39%) and U.S. towns (29%). Among 127 New Hampshire towns, just 1 have a lower share of working residents who work in town than Nelson. 33% of the land in Nelson is conserved, against 18% in New Hampshire’s towns and 4.3% across U.S. towns. The biggest place to walk is Harris Center Conservation Land, 862 acres with 3.5 miles of trail. Nelson has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Where Nelson beats most towns.
Census counts: 721 in 1790, a low of 162 in 1930, 629 in 2020. The archive holds 13 old photos and papers going back to 1838 and 2 maps from 1984 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Nelson, 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 Nelson.
24 miles of trail in 7 parks and preserves. The trail density in Nelson is 1.0 miles per square mile.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Partridge Woods | 4.2 mi | 577 |
| 2. Harris Center Conservation Land | 3.5 mi | 862 |
| 3. Keene Watershed Land | 1 mi | 146 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Nelson School District. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nelson Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 58 | A |
NCES · EDFacts
Most working residents leave Nelson for work: only 3% work in town. 1.4% of residents live below the poverty line in Nelson. Jobs based in Nelson grew to 51 in 2023, 20 more than in 2013.
| Nelson | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 1.4% | 6.8% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 24 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $100,000 | $103,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Nelson’s July high is 77°F. Nelson has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with plenty of rain.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 61% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Nelson beats the New Hampshire average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2. 28% of Nelson adults feel lonely.
| Nelson | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 30% | 33% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 33% | 36% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 16% | 17% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 32% | 35% |
| What stands out | Nelson | NH |
|---|---|---|
| More adults seeing a dentist | 71.9% | 68.8% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 11.9% | 9.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The typical Nelson home is worth about $469,000, about the same as a year ago, 8% below the New Hampshire typical home.
| Nelson | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 90% | 82% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,203 a month | $1,388 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Nelson. Close and well known come first.
10 mi MountainMount Monadnock
40 mi Ski areaMount Snow119 runs · 1,648 ft vertical
23 mi Ski areaMount Sunapee77 runs · 1,469 ft vertical
33 mi Stadium & arenaSNHU Arena
36 mi National Historical ParkSaint-Gaudens National Historical Park28K visitors a year
24 mi MuseumFort at Number 4Mount Monadnock: Jonwmcinenrey, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Mount Snow: William J Sisti from Morristown, NJ, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Mount Sunapee: User:Josephbrophy, Public domain · SNHU Arena: Quintin Soloviev, CC BY 4.0 · Saint-Gaudens National Historical Park: Ser Amantio di Nicolao, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Fort at Number 4: John Phelan, CC BY-SA 4.0
2 within 15 miles of the center of Nelson
About 1 of every 100 Nelson residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across New Hampshire.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Town in New Hampshire, United States
Nelson is a town in Cheshire County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 629 at the 2020 census, down from 729 at the 2010 census. Nelson includes the village of Munsonville.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Nelson has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
.jpg){kind=link}
