Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Walpole grades C+ overall, 94th among New Hampshire's 125 graded towns, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. Crime is low: it reports less per resident than 92% of U.S. towns and it has 30 miles of trail. On the other side, homes are expensive, about $440K for a typical one and 5.3 times the Keene area’s $83K median household income. History is its standout character grade: an A, better than 95% of U.S. towns, with 4 places on the National Register. Its National Register listings include Stephen Rowe Bradley House and Walpole Academy. 26% of residents are 65 or older in Walpole, where New Hampshire’s towns sit at 20% and U.S. towns at 18%. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 81% of U.S. towns.
Where Walpole beats most towns.
Census counts: 1,245 in 1790, 3,633 in 2020. The archive holds 36 old photos and papers going back to 1905 and 5 maps from 1927 on.
4 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New Hampshire), ordered by how far Walpole is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Walpole, 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 Walpole.
Walpole is safe by national standards but not by New Hampshire’s, gets more snow than most of the country, though not than most of New Hampshire and is healthy by national standards but behind most towns in New Hampshire.
At 4.7 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 76% of New Hampshire’s graded towns. Violent crime is rare: 1 reported in 2025, 0.3 per 1,000 residents.
Walpole’s violent crime rate is 0.3 per 1,000 residents.
| Walpole | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.3 per 1,000 residents | 0.7 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.7 per 1,000 residents | 4.5 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Its public schools are run by the Fall Mountain Regional School District. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Walpole Elementary SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 5–8 | Grades 5–8 | 123 | B+ |
| North Walpole SchoolTop results in townGrades 2–4 | Grades 2–4 | 82 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NH on state tests and graduation
Within New Hampshire it is less healthy than 76% of the 126 graded towns: New Hampshire sets a high bar.
Walpole beats the New Hampshire average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 10. 14% of Walpole adults binge drink. Only 9 of the 126 New Hampshire towns we compare have a higher share of adults who have high blood pressure than Walpole.
| Walpole | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 16% | 16% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 30% | 33% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 34% | 35% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 12% | 14% |
| What stands out | Walpole | NH |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 80.1% | 76.8% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 12.5% | 8.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The Walpole 3 weather station records that 60 inches of snow fall in a normal winter: more than most of the country, but less than 77% of New Hampshire places with climate records.
Walpole has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. The July high in Walpole is 81°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The biggest park or preserve is Fanny Mason Forest, at 275 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Hooper Forest | 0.7 mi | 151 |
| 2. Fanny Mason Forest | 0.6 mi | 275 |
| 3. Water Company Town Forest | 0.6 mi | 112 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Most working residents leave Walpole for work: only 17% work in town. Since 2013, Walpole has added 206 jobs, to 1,457 in 2023. 12% of residents live below the poverty line in Walpole.
| Walpole | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 17% | 9.8% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 12% | 6.7% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $83,000 | $103,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The typical Walpole home is worth about $441,000, down 0.6% in a year, 14% below the New Hampshire typical home.
| Walpole | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 70% | 82% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,165 a month | $1,393 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Walpole has grown 2% since 2020, to 3,706 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 33% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 41% across New Hampshire.
| Walpole | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 46.5 years | 44.6 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 22% | 18% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 33% | 39% | 29% |
57% women, 43% men
About 75 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±3.6 points). Across New Hampshire, 50.1% of residents are women.
| Walpole | NH | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 12.3% | 9.3% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 9.9% | 8.9% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 3.3% | 8.7% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 12.9% | 12.7% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 11.2% | 12.4% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 11.5% | 12.4% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 13.3% | 15.5% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 13.9% | 12.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 11.6% | 7.9% | 7% |
| No diploma | 5.6% | 5.6% | 10.4% |
| High school | 25.4% | 26.8% | 26% |
| Some college | 19.6% | 17.2% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 16.4% | 9.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 22.6% | 24.5% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 10.3% | 16.1% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 3,700, single groups can be off by several points
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 53% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Walpole. Close and well known come first.
21 mi MountainMount Monadnock
27 mi Ski areaMount Snow119 runs · 1,648 ft vertical
26 mi Ski areaStratton Mountain Resort106 runs · 1,899 ft vertical
28 mi Ski areaOkemo Mountain119 runs · 2,165 ft vertical
29 mi Ski areaBromley Mountain Ski Resort;Bromley Mountain67 runs · 1,297 ft vertical
24 mi Ski areaMount Sunapee77 runs · 1,469 ft verticalMount Monadnock: Jonwmcinenrey, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Mount Snow: William J Sisti from Morristown, NJ, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Stratton Mountain Resort: Rudi Riet from Washington, DC, United States, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Okemo Mountain: Jrclark (talk), CC BY-SA 3.0 · Bromley Mountain Ski Resort;Bromley Mountain: Jrclark (talk), CC BY-SA 3.0 · Mount Sunapee: User:Josephbrophy, Public domain
3 within 15 miles of the center of Walpole
About 4 of every 100 Walpole residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across New Hampshire.
4 places in Walpole on the National Register of Historic Places.
11 notable people were born in Walpole.
Town in New Hampshire, United States
Walpole is a town in Cheshire County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 3,633 at the 2020 census. The town's central village, where 573 people resided at the 2020 census, is defined as the Walpole census-designated place (CDP) and is east of New Hampshire Route 12. The town also includes the villages of North Walpole and Drewsville.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
7 towns share a border with Walpole.
| Town | NH rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Walpole | #94 | C+ | C− | A | C− | B+ |
| Westmoreland | — | — | C− | — | B− | A |
| Langdon | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Alstead | — | — | C | — | C− | B+ |
Westmoreland and Alstead have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Westmoreland and Alstead report no FBI crime data of their own. Langdon isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Walpole with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Walpole grades C+ overall, better than 41% of U.S. towns and #94 of 125 in New Hampshire. It grades B+ for health, A for safety and C− for schools. Walkability 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−.
11 notable people were born here, including Glover Morrill Allen and Andrew J. Russell.
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