Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Tilton gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $421K, 4.5 years of the Laconia area’s $93K median household income. It grades C overall, 104th of 125 graded towns in New Hampshire. The low prices come with trade-offs. It reports more crime per resident than 86% of U.S. towns, including 12 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. On the plus side, it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 81% of U.S. towns. Tilton’s property crime rate is 39.8 per 1,000 residents, above both the New Hampshire town median (4.4) and the median of U.S. towns (9.9). Only 12 of New Hampshire’s 187 towns score lower on the outdoors. Tilton has 3 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Charles E. Tilton Mansion and Tilton Downtown Historic District.
Where Tilton beats most towns.
House by the Side of the Road3,567 counted in 2010 and 3,962 in 2020; an estimated 4,092 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New Hampshire), ordered by how far Tilton is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,147 in 1870, 3,962 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1884 and 3 maps from 1927 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Tilton, 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 Tilton.
Tilton has a longer frost-free season than almost anywhere else in New Hampshire and draws workers from Franklin and beyond, but it reports violent crime at about twice the New Hampshire rate.
4,432 jobs are based in Tilton, 2.4 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
Most working residents leave Tilton for work: only 15% work in town. Tilton’s median household income is $67,000. Since 2013, Tilton has added 214 jobs, to 4,432 in 2023.
| Tilton | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 7.8% | 16% | 11% |
| Median household income | $67,000 | $103,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 13% | 6.7% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 15% | 9.8% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its public schools are run by the Winnisquam Regional School District. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Winnisquam Regional High School, with 357 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winnisquam Regional Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 5–8 | Grades 5–8 | 361 | C |
| Winnisquam Regional High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 357 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NH on state tests and graduation
Violent crime runs at 2.9 per 1,000 residents, about twice the New Hampshire rate; the Safety Grade counts each violent crime four times, so this weighs most on its D. Each of the 4 graded towns on its borders reports less crime per resident, from Franklin (B) to Sanbornton (A).
The violent crime rate in Tilton is 2.9 per 1,000 residents. Tilton reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 86% report less.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Against the 10,155 U.S. towns with household incomes like Tilton’s, it is healthier than 88%, so its B+ isn’t only a matter of income. Within New Hampshire it is less healthy than 85% of the 126 graded towns: New Hampshire sets a high bar.
Tilton beats the New Hampshire average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 14. 25% of adults have been diagnosed with depression in Tilton.
| Tilton | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 23% | 23% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 30% | 33% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 14% | 19% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 20% | 25% |
| What stands out | Tilton | NH |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 12.2% | 8.9% |
| More smokers | 13.8% | 10.8% |
| More adults with COPD | 7.9% | 6.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
11 miles of trail in 4 parks and preserves. No town among the 126 in New Hampshire we compare has a lower share of conserved land than Tilton. Buffalo Park, at 56 acres with 1.2 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Tilton | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 1.3% | 18% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.9 miles per square mile | 1.2 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Buffalo Park | 1.2 mi | 56 |
| 2. Lochmere Dam Site | — | 10 |
| 3. Riverfront Park | 0.1 mi | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The Lakeport 2 weather station, 8 miles away, records that the frost-free season runs about 170 days, the #2 highest of 321 New Hampshire places with climate records.
Tilton has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 81°, January nights drop to 11° and about 62 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Typical home values rose 6.4% in the year to September 2026. Only 4 of the 120 New Hampshire towns we compare have a lower median rent than Tilton. 67% of Tilton households own their home.
| Tilton | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 67% | 82% | 73% |
| Median rent | $948 a month | $1,393 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
People 65 and older are 26% of residents (20% statewide); adults 18 to 34 are 16% of residents (21% statewide). Tilton has grown 3.3% since 2020, to 4,092 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 31% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 41% across New Hampshire.
| Tilton | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 50.3 years | 44.6 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 26% | 20% | 18% |
| Under 18 | 16% | 18% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 31% | 39% | 29% |
51% women, 49% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±5.1 points. Across New Hampshire, 50.1% of residents are women.
| Tilton | NH | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 5.7% | 9.3% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 10.2% | 8.9% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 3.9% | 8.7% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 12.5% | 12.7% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 11.5% | 12.4% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 11.2% | 12.4% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 19.2% | 15.5% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 12.9% | 12.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 12.9% | 7.9% | 7% |
| No diploma | 10.9% | 5.6% | 10.4% |
| High school | 31.5% | 26.8% | 26% |
| Some college | 16.3% | 17.2% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 10.4% | 9.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 17.4% | 24.5% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 13.4% | 16.1% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 4,100, single groups can be off by several points
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 58% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 11 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Tilton.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Tilton. Close and well known come first.
16 mi LakeLake Winnipesaukee
9 mi MuseumCanterbury Shaker Village
34 mi Ski areaWaterville Valley Resort84 runs · 1,990 ft vertical
34 mi Stadium & arenaSNHU Arena12 mi Ski areaGunstock Recreation Area73 runs · 1,305 ft vertical
27 mi Ski areaMount Sunapee77 runs · 1,469 ft verticalLake Winnipesaukee: No machine-readable author provided. JohnJHenderson~commonswiki assumed (based o, Public domain · Canterbury Shaker Village: SayCheeeeeese, Public domain · Waterville Valley Resort: MConradWard, CC BY-SA 4.0 · SNHU Arena: Quintin Soloviev, CC BY 4.0 · Mount Sunapee: User:Josephbrophy, Public domain
1 within 15 miles of the center of Tilton
About 3 of every 100 Tilton residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across New Hampshire.
Where Tilton’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
3 places in Tilton on the National Register of Historic Places.
3 notable people were born in Tilton.
Town in New Hampshire, United States
Tilton is a town on the Winnipesaukee River in Belknap County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 3,962 at the 2020 census, and an estimated 4,092 in 2025, up from 3,567 at the 2010 census. It includes the village of Tilton (which makes up part of the census-designated place of Tilton Northfield) and part of the villages of Winnisquam and Lochmere. Tilton is home to the Tilton School, a private preparatory school.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Tilton.
| Town | NH rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tilton | #104 | C | B | D | C | B+ |
| Northfield | #86 | B− | B | B+ | C | B+ |
| Belmont | #107 | C | C+ | B | C | B− |
| Tilton Northfield | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Franklin | #102 | C | B− | B | D− | B+ |
| Sanbornton | #73 | B | C | A | C | A |
Tilton Northfield isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Tilton with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Tilton grades C overall, better than 32% of U.S. towns and #104 of 125 in New Hampshire. It grades B+ for health, D for safety and C for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a D.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.
3 notable people were born here, including Irving Widmer Bailey and Harry Taylor.
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