Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Pittsfield grades C+ overall, 101st of 125 graded towns in New Hampshire, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. Crime is low: it reports less per resident than 75% of U.S. towns and it has 37 miles of trail. On the other side, its public schools trail 77% of New Hampshire towns on state tests and graduation. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 99% of U.S. towns, with 1 place on the National Register. Pittsfield’s trail density is 1.5 miles per square mile, against 1.2 in New Hampshire’s towns and 0.4 across U.S. towns. On health, just 17 of New Hampshire’s 187 towns do worse. Pittsfield Center Historic District is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Where Pittsfield beats most towns.
Census counts: 888 in 1790, 4,075 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1906 and 4 maps from 1919 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New Hampshire), ordered by how far Pittsfield is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Pittsfield, 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 Pittsfield.
Pittsfield is healthy by national standards but behind most towns in New Hampshire; it also has many renters stretched by housing costs.
The biggest park or preserve is Rocky Ridge Town Forest, at 135 acres. Trails total 37 miles in 7 parks and preserves.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Dustin Barker Town Forest | 0.4 mi | 44 |
| 2. Rocky Ridge Town Forest | — | 135 |
| 3. Drake Field | 0.2 mi | 11 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Below: Two of its 3 schools, each with why it was picked. The Pittsfield School District runs its public schools. 3 public schools serve Pittsfield, with 479 students in all.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pittsfield Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 215 | C− |
| Pittsfield High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 161 | B |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NH on state tests and graduation
New Hampshire has less reported crime than most states, so among its own towns Pittsfield sits closer to the middle. In Pittsfield, the level of property crime is 5.3 per 1,000 residents. Its rate of reported violence stands at 1 per 1,000 residents, close to New Hampshire’s towns (0.7) and below U.S. towns (1.6).
| Pittsfield | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 5.3 per 1,000 residents | 4.4 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1 per 1,000 residents | 0.7 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
The top destinations are Concord (15%), Manchester (9%) and Hooksett (3%). Commuting out is the norm in Pittsfield: 13% of working residents work locally. Jobs based in Pittsfield grew to 1,181 in 2023, 96 more than in 2013. For Pittsfield, the typical household income is $74,000.
| Pittsfield | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $74,000 | $103,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 11% | 6.7% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 13% | 9.8% | 8% |
| Work from home | 12% | 16% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The midsummer high locally is 81°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
7 flood insurance claims have been paid in Pittsfield since 2006. FEMA expects more storm and flood damage locally than in 67% of U.S. communities. Federal aid has come to Pittsfield households in 12 declared disasters; the latest was in 2013. Expected losses in Pittsfield break down as 71% from inland flooding and 11% from hurricanes.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
67.5% of renter households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, against 48.2% across New Hampshire.
Typical home values rose 3.7% in the year to September 2026. 69% of Pittsfield households live in a home they own. Its rent at the middle of the market is $1,239 a month.
| Pittsfield | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 69% | 82% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,239 a month | $1,393 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Within New Hampshire it is less healthy than 90% of the 126 graded towns: New Hampshire sets a high bar. All 5 graded neighbors score healthier than its B, from Strafford (A−) to Chichester (A).
In Pittsfield, 36% of adults sleep under 7 hours. This New Hampshire town does better than the New Hampshire average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and worse on 12. Among 126 New Hampshire towns, just 7 have a higher share of adults who report frequent mental distress than Pittsfield. A quarter of adults in the town have been diagnosed with depression; 14% smoke cigarettes.
| Pittsfield | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 16% | 17% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 23% | 23% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 11% | 14% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 36% | 32% | 35% |
| What stands out | Pittsfield | NH |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 8.6% | 9.8% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 13.8% | 8.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Pittsfield. Close and well known come first.
22 mi LakeLake Winnipesaukee
31 mi Ancient siteAmerica's Stonehenge
34 mi Theme parkCanobie Lake Park
22 mi Stadium & arenaSNHU Arena
10 mi MuseumCanterbury Shaker Village
37 mi LighthouseCape Neddick LightLake Winnipesaukee: No machine-readable author provided. JohnJHenderson~commonswiki assumed (based o, Public domain · 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 · Canterbury Shaker Village: SayCheeeeeese, Public domain · Cape Neddick Light: Stefan Hillebrand, CC BY-SA 3.0
2 within 15 miles of the center of Pittsfield
About 5 of every 100 Pittsfield residents are enrolled in college, about the same as New Hampshire.
Where Pittsfield’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
9 notable people were born in Pittsfield.
Town in New Hampshire, United States
Pittsfield is a town in Merrimack County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 4,075 at the 2020 census. The main village in town, where 1,570 people resided at the 2020 census, is defined as the Pittsfield census-designated place (CDP), and is located on the Suncook River in the west-central portion of town. It consists of the built-up village centered on the intersections of Barnstead Road, Catamount Road, Carroll Street, and Depot Street. Since 1981, Pittsfield has hosted the annual Suncook Valley Rotary Hot Air Balloon Rally, the "Balloon Rally," in the first weekend of August.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Pittsfield.
All 5 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its C+; Barnstead (B−) is closest. Chichester next door grades higher for schools (B to Pittsfield’s C−) and lower for cost of living (D to C).
| Town | NH rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pittsfield | #101 | C+ | C | A− | C− | B |
| Chichester | #65 | B+ | D | B | B | A |
| Barnstead | #90 | B− | C+ | A− | D | A− |
| Epsom | #38 | A− | C | A− | B | A |
| Northwood | #9 | A+ | B | A | B | A |
| Strafford | #72 | B | B− | A+ | C− | A− |
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Pittsfield grades C+ overall, better than 35% of U.S. towns and #101 of 125 in New Hampshire. It grades B for health, A− for safety and C− for schools. Schools is its weak spot, with a C−.
Yes, by national standards. Pittsfield reports less crime per resident than 75% of U.S. towns, an A− Safety Grade: 4 violent and 22 property crimes in 2025. New Hampshire has less crime than most states, so among its own towns Pittsfield sits nearer the middle.
That is 4.3 years of the area's median household income ($97,004 across the Concord, NH 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.
9 notable people were born here, including Moses Norris Jr. and Samuel Gardner Drake.
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