Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Rye grades A overall, 17th of 125 graded towns in New Hampshire. It is healthier than 95% of U.S. towns. It reports less crime per resident than 95% of U.S. towns and its public schools beat 95% of New Hampshire towns on state tests and graduation. What holds it back is price: homes are expensive, about $1.3 million for a typical one and 11.1 times the Boston metro’s $116K median household income. Rye’s typical home value is $1,281,000, against $504,000 in New Hampshire’s towns and $332,000 across U.S. towns. Its National Register listings include Parsons Homestead and Pulpit Rock Base-End Station (N. 142). Rye's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 88% of U.S. towns.
Where Rye beats most towns.
Elijah Locke House| Widest gap | Rye | NH |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 4.1% | 6.8% |
Its founding year, 1623, comes before those of 99% of the New Hampshire towns we grade with a known year.
Census counts: 865 in 1790, 5,543 in 2020. The archive holds 24 old photos and papers going back to 1900 and 4 maps from 1916 on.
6 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New Hampshire), ordered by how far Rye is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Rye. Close and well known come first.
28 mi Ancient siteAmerica's Stonehenge
3 mi MuseumStrawbery Banke
11 mi LighthouseCape Neddick Light
3 mi LandmarkFort William and Mary
31 mi Theme parkCanobie Lake Park
36 mi MuseumPeabody Essex MuseumAmerica's Stonehenge: User:Stan Shebs, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Strawbery Banke: Ken Gallager (Ken Gallager from en.wikipedia), Public domain · Cape Neddick Light: Stefan Hillebrand, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Fort William and Mary: AlexiusHoratius, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Canobie Lake Park: Alex1961, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Peabody Essex Museum: Fletcher6, CC BY-SA 3.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Rye, 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 Rye.
Rye has schools in the top 5% of New Hampshire and reports less crime than North Hampton or any other graded neighbor, but it has homes that cost more against local pay than most of New Hampshire.
At 11.1 years of the Boston metro’s $116K median household income, the typical home (about $1.28M) costs more against local pay than in 99% of New Hampshire towns; that ratio is one input to its C− for cost of living.
Rye’s median rent is $1,781 a month. Typical home values rose 5.2% in the year to September 2026. The typical Rye home is worth about $1,281,000, up 5.2% in a year, more than twice the New Hampshire typical home.
| Rye | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,781 a month | $1,382 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 86% | 82% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its A+ ranks #3 of the 126 New Hampshire towns we grade for schools. Its A+ is the best School Grade on its borders; Portsmouth (A) is next.
Its public schools are run by the Rye School District. Three of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rye Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–4 | Grades PK–4 | 211 | A+ |
| Learning Skills Academy PrivateLargest high schoolGrades 5–12 | Grades 5–12 | 56 | – |
| Rye Junior High SchoolTop results in townGrades 5–8 | Grades 5–8 | 175 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NH on state tests
Its widest gap with New Hampshire is no health insurance: 4.1% of those 18–64 have no health insurance, against 6.8% statewide.
25% of adults feel lonely in Rye. No town among the 126 in New Hampshire we compare has a lower share of adults who report frequent mental distress than Rye. 12% of adults say their health is fair or poor in Rye.
| Rye | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 30% | 33% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 16% | 17% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 7.7% | 11% | 14% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 83% | 78% | 79% |
| What stands out | Rye | NH |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 4.1% | 6.8% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 4.9% | 8.1% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 12.9% | 9.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its A+ tops all 3 graded towns on its borders; North Hampton (A−) comes closest. Violent crime is rare: 2 reported in 2025, 0.4 per 1,000 residents.
The property crime rate in Rye is 2.6 per 1,000 residents.
| Rye | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.6 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
30.9% of workers work from home, against 16.8% across New Hampshire.
Most working residents leave Rye for work: only 7% work in town. Since 2013, Rye has added 216 jobs, to 1,250 in 2023. The top destinations are Portsmouth (25%), Manchester (5%) and Exeter (4%).
| Rye | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $141,000 | $103,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 29 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 6.7% | 10% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 6.9% | 6.7% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The Eliot weather station, 5 miles away, records that 56 inches of snow fall in a normal winter: more than most of the country, but less than 91% of New Hampshire places with climate records.
Rye has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 80° and January nights drop to 17°.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
215 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 17 properties have flooded more than once.
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 65% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 215 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Rye.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
14 miles of trail in 10 parks and preserves. Among 126 New Hampshire towns, just 1 have a lower trail density than Rye. The biggest place to walk is Odiorne Point State Park, 320 acres with 4.7 miles of trail.
| Rye | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 7.8% | 18% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.4 miles per square mile | 1.2 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Odiorne Point State Park | 4.7 mi | 320 |
| 2. Rye Town Forest | 1.1 mi | 223 |
| 3. Seavey Acres | 0.6 mi | 58 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
2 within 15 miles of the center of Rye
About 2 of every 100 Rye residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across New Hampshire.
Coastal flooding makes up 40% of the storm damage FEMA expects here.
18% of homes are seasonal or vacation homes, so the town is fuller in summer than its census count suggests.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA · OpenStreetMap
6 places in Rye on the National Register of Historic Places.
Town in New Hampshire, United States
Rye is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 5,543 at the 2020 census. The town is home to several state parks along the Atlantic coastline.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Rye.
It grades higher overall than all 3 graded towns on its borders; Greenland (A) comes closest.
| Town | NH rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rye | #17 | A | C− | A+ | A+ | A+ |
| New Castle | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| North Hampton | #31 | A− | D | A− | A− | A |
| Portsmouth | #33 | A− | D | B− | A | A+ |
| Greenland | #20 | A | D | B+ | A− | A+ |
New Castle isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Rye with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Rye grades A overall, better than 91% of U.S. towns and #17 of 125 in New Hampshire. It grades A+ for health, A+ for safety and A+ for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a C−.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.
2 notable people were born here, including Daniel Leavitt and Walt Woods.
