Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Peterborough grades A− overall, ranked 36th of 125 in New Hampshire, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. It is healthier than 92% of U.S. towns and it reports less crime per resident than 85% of U.S. towns. On the other side, FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 73% of U.S. communities, with inland flooding at the top. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 98% of U.S. towns, with 5 places on the National Register. 32% of the land in Peterborough is conserved, above both New Hampshire’s towns (18%) and U.S. towns (4.3%). Only 9 of New Hampshire’s 187 towns score higher on walkability. Peterborough's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 95% of U.S. towns.
Where Peterborough beats most towns.
MacDowell Colony is a National Historic Landmark, the National Register’s top tier.
Census counts: 861 in 1790, 6,418 in 2020. The archive holds 36 old photos and papers going back to 1865 and 4 maps from 1900 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 Peterborough is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Peterborough, 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 Peterborough.
Peterborough pairs an A− overall with homes cheaper than the New Hampshire norm, draws workers from Jaffrey and beyond and keeps more of its land conserved than most of New Hampshire.
4,623 jobs are based in Peterborough, 1.5 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
About one in 4 of Peterborough’s working residents works in town. At 23 minutes, Peterborough’s average trip to work is below both the New Hampshire town median (28 minutes) and the median of U.S. towns (25 minutes). 5.7% of Peterborough residents live below the poverty line.
| Peterborough | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 27% | 9.8% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 5.7% | 6.8% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $98,000 | $103,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its public schools are run by the Contoocook Valley School District.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Meadow SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 5–8 | Grades 5–8 | 332 | C |
| Conval Regional High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 645 | B |
| Peterborough Elementary SchoolTop results in townGrades PK–4 | Grades PK–4 | 254 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NH on state tests and graduation
13% of adults report frequent mental distress in Peterborough. Peterborough beats the New Hampshire average on 12 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2. 8.2% of adults smoke cigarettes in Peterborough.
| Peterborough | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 16% | 17% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 8.2% | 11% | 14% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 82% | 78% | 79% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 23% | 23% |
| What stands out | Peterborough | NH |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 6.6% | 9.5% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 4.9% | 6.8% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 12.3% | 9.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
New Hampshire has less reported crime than most states, so among its own towns Peterborough sits closer to the middle.
| Peterborough | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 4 per 1,000 residents | 4.5 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.9 per 1,000 residents | 0.7 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Its 7,734 conserved acres are a larger share of the town than in 93% of New Hampshire towns.
40 miles of trail in 17 parks and preserves. The biggest place to walk is Edward MacDowell Lake, 719 acres with 3.4 miles of trail. The trail density in Peterborough is 1.1 miles per square mile.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Edward MacDowell Lake | 3.4 mi | 719 |
| 2. Casalis State Forest | 2.8 mi | 243 |
| 3. Shieling Forest | 2.2 mi | 51 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Since 1978, 33 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Peterborough.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Peterborough has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. Peterborough’s July high is 81°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Peterborough grades A− overall with a typical home of about $472K, below the New Hampshire typical value; only 7 of the 46 New Hampshire towns graded A− or better can say that.
The typical Peterborough home is worth about $472,000, up 3.5% in a year, 8% below the New Hampshire typical home. Among 126 New Hampshire towns, just 9 have a lower share of households owning their home than Peterborough.
| Peterborough | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 56% | 82% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,395 a month | $1,382 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Peterborough. Close and well known come first.
9 mi MountainMount Monadnock
37 mi Ancient siteAmerica's Stonehenge
36 mi Theme parkCanobie Lake Park
25 mi Stadium & arenaSNHU Arena
31 mi Ski areaMount Sunapee77 runs · 1,469 ft vertical9 mi Ski areaCrotched Mountain Ski & Ride22 runs · 881 ft verticalMount Monadnock: Jonwmcinenrey, CC BY-SA 4.0 · America's Stonehenge: User:Stan Shebs, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Canobie Lake Park: Alex1961, CC BY-SA 2.0 · SNHU Arena: Quintin Soloviev, CC BY 4.0 · Mount Sunapee: User:Josephbrophy, Public domain
1 within 15 miles of the center of Peterborough
About 2 of every 100 Peterborough residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across New Hampshire.
Where Peterborough’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
5 places in Peterborough on the National Register of Historic Places.
15 notable people were born in Peterborough.
Town in New Hampshire, United States
Peterborough is a town in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 6,418 at the 2020 census. The main village, with 3,090 people at the 2020 census, is a census-designated place (CDP) and lies along the Contoocook River at the junction of U.S. Route 202 and New Hampshire Route 101. Peterborough is 38 miles (61 km) west of Manchester and 72 miles (116 km) northwest of Boston.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
6 towns share a border with Peterborough.
| Town | NH rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peterborough | #36 | A− | C | A | B− | A |
| Temple | — | — | C | — | B− | A− |
| Dublin | — | — | C− | — | B− | A |
| Greenfield | — | — | B− | — | B− | B+ |
| Sharon | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Hancock | — | — | C | — | B− | A |
| Harrisville | — | — | C− | — | B− | A |
Temple, Dublin, Greenfield, Hancock and Harrisville have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Temple, Dublin, Greenfield, Hancock and Harrisville report no FBI crime data of their own. Sharon isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Peterborough with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Peterborough grades A− overall, better than 81% of U.S. towns and #36 of 125 in New Hampshire. It grades A for health, A for safety and B− for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a C−.
Yes, by national standards. New Hampshire has less crime than most states, so among its own towns Peterborough sits nearer the middle.
That is 4.6 years of the area's median household income ($103,545 across the Manchester-Nashua, NH metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.
15 notable people were born here, including Sam Huntington and Jeremiah Smith.
