Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 4,411, settled in 1779.
A good place to live, if you can afford it. Health is its strong suit: residents are healthier than 98% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. New London’s overall grade of A− puts it better than 85% of U.S. towns, 29th of 125 in New Hampshire. Safety is a strength too: it reports less crime per resident than 78% of U.S. towns. What holds it back is cost of living (D): the typical home is worth about $697K, 7.2 years of the Concord area’s $97K median household income. The town is home to Colby-Sawyer College. 38% of residents are 65 or older locally, above both New Hampshire’s towns (20%) and U.S. towns (18%). Only 5 of New Hampshire’s 187 towns score higher on hazard risk.
Figures: health, CDC PLACES · FBI crime data, 2025 · home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · FEMA National Risk Index.
Where New London beats most towns.
Census counts: 311 in 1790, a low of 311 in 1790, 4,400 in 2020. The archive holds 13 old photos and papers going back to 2010 and 5 maps from 1928 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New Hampshire), ordered by how far New London is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in New London, 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 New London.
New London is among the three healthiest towns in New Hampshire, carries less natural-hazard risk than nearly all of New Hampshire (mostly inland flooding) and is shaped by its college students.
It ranks #3 of the 126 New Hampshire towns we grade on the CDC estimates behind the Health Grade. Its widest gap with New Hampshire is tooth loss: 4.7% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 8.9% statewide.
The share of adults in New London who had a checkup this year: 83%. Only one of the 126 New Hampshire towns we compare has a lower share of adults who binge drink than New London. Also worth knowing: on the CDC’s 32 measures, New London is ahead of New Hampshire on 18 and behind on 1. Two figures for adults here: 28% sleep under 7 hours, 13% report frequent mental distress.
| New London | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 5.9% | 11% | 14% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 33% | 36% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 16% | 17% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 9.9% | 12% | 14% |
| What stands out | New London | NH |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 4.7% | 8.9% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 5.1% | 9.5% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 12.7% | 9.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Kearsarge Regional School District. One of its 2 schools is below, with the reason it’s listed. 2 public schools serve New London, with 352 students in all.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kearsarge Reg. Elem. School at New LondonLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 330 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NH on state tests and graduation
2,342 jobs are based in New London, 1.8 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
22% of working residents work locally in New London. The median commute is under 26 miles. Its typical household income comes in at $108,000. The top destinations are Concord (8%), Nashua (4%) and Manchester (4%).
| New London | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 22% | 9.8% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 0.9% | 6.8% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $108,000 | $103,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 25 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The trail density in New London is 1.4 miles per square mile. Trails total 35 miles in 23 parks and preserves. Webb Forest, at 1,023 acres with 7.2 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Webb Forest | 7.2 mi | 1,023 |
| 2. Messer Farm | 2.8 mi | 152 |
| 3. Clark Pond Natural Area | 1.5 mi | 89 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Reported crimes fell from 67 to 10 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings. Violent crime is rare: 2 reported in 2025, 0.4 per 1,000 residents.
New Hampshire has less reported crime than most states, so among its own towns New London sits closer to the middle. Its level of property crime comes in at 1.8 per 1,000 residents.
| New London | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.8 per 1,000 residents | 4.5 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.4 per 1,000 residents | 0.7 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk lower than 96% of New Hampshire towns, with expected losses of about $248 per resident a year; that rating is what its A− for hazard risk is built on.
Federal disaster aid has reached households in New London after 8 declared disasters, most recently in 2017. For New London, the risk rating from FEMA is 18 of 100. Of the losses FEMA expects locally, 64% come from inland flooding and 10% from hurricanes. Paid flood insurance claims here since 2007: one.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
At 7.2 years of the Concord area’s $97K median household income, the typical home (about $697K) costs more against local pay than in 91% of New Hampshire towns; that ratio is one input to that grade.
For New London, the median rent is $1,594 a month. A typical home here is worth about $697,000, up 2.1% in a year, 37% above the New Hampshire typical home. 91% of New London households are owner-occupiers.
| New London | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 91% | 82% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,594 a month | $1,382 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Among 126 New Hampshire towns, just 2 have a lower typical July afternoon high than New London. July afternoons reach 79°, January nights drop to 10° and about 66 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around New London. Close and well known come first.
36 mi LakeLake Winnipesaukee
39 mi MountainMount Monadnock
7 mi Ski areaMount Sunapee77 runs · 1,469 ft vertical
37 mi Ski areaOkemo Mountain119 runs · 2,165 ft vertical
20 mi National Historical ParkSaint-Gaudens National Historical Park28K visitors a year
9 mi Ski areaRagged Mountain Resort42 runs · 1,103 ft verticalLake Winnipesaukee: No machine-readable author provided. JohnJHenderson~commonswiki assumed (based o, Public domain · Mount Monadnock: Jonwmcinenrey, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Mount Sunapee: User:Josephbrophy, Public domain · Okemo Mountain: Jrclark (talk), CC BY-SA 3.0 · Saint-Gaudens National Historical Park: Ser Amantio di Nicolao, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Ragged Mountain Resort: Tom Morgan, Public domain
1 within 15 miles of the center of New London
College town 21 of every 100 New London residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across New Hampshire.
Where New London’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
2 places in New London on the National Register of Historic Places.
8 notable people were born in New London.
Town in New Hampshire, United States
New London is a town in Merrimack County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 4,400 at the 2020 census. The town is the home of Colby–Sawyer College, site of the Gordon Research Conferences since 1947. The town center, where 1,266 people resided at the 2020 census, is defined as the New London census-designated place (CDP), and is located on a hilltop along New Hampshire Route 114 north of Route 11 and Interstate 89.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with New London.
| Town | NH rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New London | #29 | A− | D | A− | B | A+ |
| Sunapee | #64 | B+ | C− | A− | A− | B+ |
| Wilmot | — | — | C | A+ | B | B+ |
| Sutton | — | — | C | A+ | B | A |
| Newbury | — | — | C | A− | B | A |
| Springfield | — | — | C | A | B | A |
Wilmot, Sutton, Newbury and Springfield have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Compare New London with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. New London grades A− overall, better than 85% of U.S. towns and #29 of 125 in New Hampshire. It grades A+ for health, A− for safety and B 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 New London 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.
8 notable people were born here, including Nicholas Fairall and Anthony Colby.
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