Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 4,338, settled in 1820.
Strafford's standout: it reports less crime per resident than 98% of U.S. towns. Overall it grades B, 72nd of 125 graded towns in New Hampshire. CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 78% of the country and it has 70 miles of trail and 28% conserved land. Its weakest subject is schools: its schools rank behind 81% of the state's. 28% of the land in Strafford is conserved, above both New Hampshire’s towns (18%) and U.S. towns (4.3%). Blue Hills Foundation Conservation Land, at 2,159 acres with 8.1 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 83% of U.S. towns.
Where Strafford beats most towns.
| Widest gap | Strafford | NH |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 6.1% | 8.9% |
Where Strafford’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New Hampshire), ordered by how far Strafford is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 2,144 in 1820, a low of 617 in 1930, 4,230 in 2020. The archive holds 5 old photos and papers going back to 2013 and 3 maps from 1919 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Strafford, 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 Strafford.
Strafford reports less crime than Barrington or any other graded neighbor, has more 90° days than almost anywhere else in New Hampshire and is healthy by national standards but behind most towns in New Hampshire.
Its A+ tops all 5 graded towns on its borders; Barrington (A) comes closest.
For Strafford, the level of violent crime is 0.7 per 1,000 residents.
| Strafford | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.7 per 1,000 residents | 4.5 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.7 per 1,000 residents | 0.7 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
The Strafford School District runs its public schools. Its one school is below. 376 students attend the town’s public school.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Strafford SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–8 | Grades PK–8 | 376 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NH on state tests
71 miles of trail wind through 15 parks and preserves. In Strafford, the density of trails is 1.4 miles per square mile, above both the New Hampshire town median (1.2) and the median of U.S. towns (0.4).
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Blue Hills Foundation Conservation Lands | 9.6 mi | 1,842 |
| 2. Blue Hills Foundation Conservation Land | 8.1 mi | 2,159 |
| 3. Strafford Town Forest | 7.3 mi | 1,246 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Within New Hampshire it is less healthy than 70% of the 126 graded towns: New Hampshire sets a high bar. Against the 5,432 U.S. towns with household incomes like Strafford’s, it is less healthy than 51%: its national edge comes with its incomes.
15% of Strafford adults binge drink. Among 126 New Hampshire towns, just 4 have a lower share of adults who sleep under 7 hours than Strafford. Two figures for adults in the town: 26% have been diagnosed with depression, 20% get no exercise outside work. The town beats the New Hampshire average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2.
| Strafford | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 33% | 36% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 23% | 23% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 20% | 25% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 30% | 33% |
| What stands out | Strafford | NH |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 6.1% | 8.9% |
| More adults with arthritis | 31% | 27.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Strafford has 383 jobs for its 1,861 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out. The average commute takes 35.9 minutes, against 26.7 across New Hampshire.
Jobs in Strafford grew by 30 from 2013 to 2023, reaching 383. For Strafford, the average trip to work is 36 minutes. The top destinations are Portsmouth (13%), Dover (9%) and Rochester (8%). Half the trips to work are shorter than 19 miles.
| Strafford | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 36 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $122,000 | $103,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 16% | 16% | 11% |
| Working residents who work in town | 6.7% | 10% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The Durham weather station, 14 miles away, records that about 15 days a year reach 90°, the #2 highest of 321 New Hampshire places with climate records.
Summer afternoons peak near 81° in July, and January nights bottom out around 13°; snowfall runs to about 39 inches a winter. Strafford has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with plenty of rain.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
On expected storm and flood damage, Strafford sits below 63% of U.S. communities. The town has had one paid flood insurance claim since 1996. Expected losses in Strafford break down as 72% from inland flooding and 6% from hurricanes. Households in the town have drawn federal disaster aid in 10 declared disasters, most recently in 2015.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Two in five adults 25 and older hold at least a bachelor’s degree, against 41% across New Hampshire. No age group stands out against New Hampshire: all are within 4 points. The age of the median resident for Strafford comes to 46.3 years. Since 2020, Strafford has grown 2.3%, to 4,338 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
| Strafford | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 46.3 years | 44.6 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 40% | 39% | 29% |
| Aged 65 or older | 19% | 20% | 18% |
49% women, 51% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±3.6 points. Across New Hampshire, 50.1% of residents are women.
| Strafford | NH | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 10.7% | 9.3% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 6.9% | 8.9% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 8.6% | 8.7% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 10.3% | 12.7% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 11.2% | 12.4% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 17.4% | 12.4% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 15.6% | 15.5% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 14.3% | 12.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 5.1% | 7.9% | 7% |
| No diploma | 7.7% | 5.6% | 10.4% |
| High school | 19% | 26.8% | 26% |
| Some college | 18.8% | 17.2% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 14.3% | 9.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 29.3% | 24.5% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 10.9% | 16.1% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 4,300, single groups can be off by several points
Home values are up 3% over the year to September 2026. Among households in Strafford, 94% own their home. The town’s going rate for rent is $1,635 a month.
| Strafford | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 94% | 82% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,635 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 Strafford. Close and well known come first.
24 mi LakeLake Winnipesaukee
30 mi Ancient siteAmerica's Stonehenge
34 mi Theme parkCanobie Lake Park
30 mi LighthouseCape Neddick Light
25 mi Stadium & arenaSNHU Arena
25 mi MuseumStrawbery BankeLake 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 · Cape Neddick Light: Stefan Hillebrand, CC BY-SA 3.0 · SNHU Arena: Quintin Soloviev, CC BY 4.0 · Strawbery Banke: Ken Gallager (Ken Gallager from en.wikipedia), Public domain
None within 15 miles of Strafford; the nearest are
About 5 of every 100 Strafford residents are enrolled in college, about the same as New Hampshire.
Town in New Hampshire, United States
Strafford is a town in Strafford County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 4,230 at the 2020 census. The two main settlements in town are Center Strafford and Bow Lake Village.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
6 towns share a border with Strafford.
| Town | NH rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strafford | #72 | B | B− | A+ | C− | A− |
| Farmington | #111 | C | B | B | C− | B− |
| Barnstead | #90 | B− | C+ | A− | D | A− |
| Barrington | #44 | A− | C | A | B | A |
| Northwood | #9 | A+ | B | A | B | A |
| Rochester | #95 | C+ | B− | — | D | B+ |
| Pittsfield | #101 | C+ | C | A− | C− | B |
Rochester reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Strafford with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Strafford grades B overall, better than 62% of U.S. towns and #72 of 125 in New Hampshire. It grades A− for health, A+ for safety and C− for schools. Walkability is its weak spot, with a C−.
That is 4.7 years of the area's median household income ($115,863 across the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-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 B−.
.jpg){kind=link}
