Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The best of Washington’s subject grades are an A for the outdoors and an A− for history; the weakest is a D for walkability. On walkability, just 15 of New Hampshire’s 187 towns do worse. 37% of the land in Washington is conserved, above both New Hampshire’s towns (18%) and U.S. towns (4.3%). Pillsbury State Park, at 3,797 acres with 9.1 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. Only 18 of New Hampshire’s 187 towns score higher on the outdoors. Washington has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Washington beats most towns.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New Hampshire), ordered by how far Washington is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 545 in 1790, a low of 162 in 1960, 1,192 in 2020. The archive holds 8 old photos and papers going back to 1900 and 5 maps from 1930 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Washington, 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 Washington.
60 miles of trail in 23 parks and preserves. Washington’s trail density is 1.3 miles per square mile, near the New Hampshire town median (1.2) and above the median of U.S. towns (0.4).
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Pillsbury State Park | 9.1 mi | 3,797 |
| 2. Andorra Forest | 3.5 mi | 843 |
| 3. Pillsbury State Park (Max Isreal Tract) | 2.7 mi | 669 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Washington School District. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 38 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts
Of the 127 New Hampshire towns we compare, none has a lower share of working residents who work in town than Washington. The average trip to work in Washington is 36 minutes. The top destinations are Newport (13%), Claremont (7%) and Lebanon (5%).
| Washington | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 36 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 2.2% | 10% | 8% |
| Median household income | $89,000 | $103,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 15% | 16% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Washington beats the New Hampshire average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 9. 29% of Washington adults feel lonely. Among 127 New Hampshire towns, just 6 have a higher share of adults who have high blood pressure than Washington.
| Washington | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 30% | 33% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 16% | 16% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 34% | 35% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 16% | 17% |
| What stands out | Washington | NH |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 8.2% | 6.2% |
| More adults with heart disease | 7.9% | 6% |
| More adults who have had a stroke | 4% | 3.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The typical Washington home is worth about $386,000, up 6.5% in a year, 24% below the New Hampshire typical home. 94% of households own their home in Washington.
| Washington | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 94% | 82% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,106 a month | $1,388 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
People 65 and older are 29% of residents (20% statewide); children under 18 are 14% of residents (18% statewide). Washington’s median age is 55 years. Washington has grown 2.3% since 2020, to 1,221 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
| Washington | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 55 years | 44.8 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 29% | 20% | 18% |
| Under 18 | 14% | 18% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 32% | 39% | 29% |
51% women, 49% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±6.3 points. Across New Hampshire, 50.1% of residents are women.
| Washington | NH | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 8.6% | 9.3% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 5.2% | 8.9% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 7.4% | 8.7% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 9.8% | 12.7% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 9.9% | 12.4% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 8.9% | 12.4% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 21.3% | 15.5% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 15.4% | 12.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 13.6% | 7.9% | 7% |
| No diploma | 8.3% | 5.6% | 10.4% |
| High school | 35.7% | 26.8% | 26% |
| Some college | 18.4% | 17.2% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 5.6% | 9.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 21.6% | 24.5% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 10.4% | 16.1% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 1,200, single groups can be off by several points
Only 1 of the 127 New Hampshire towns we compare have a lower July high than Washington. Washington has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with plenty of rain.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 61% of U.S. communities. Since 2013, 2 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Washington.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Washington's reported crime rate is well below New Hampshire's. Of the 126 New Hampshire towns we compare, none has a lower property crime rate than Washington. No violent crimes were reported in 2025.
| Washington | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0 per 1,000 residents | 4.4 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0 per 1,000 residents | 0.7 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Washington. Close and well known come first.
23 mi MountainMount Monadnock
10 mi Ski areaMount Sunapee77 runs · 1,469 ft vertical
36 mi Ski areaOkemo Mountain119 runs · 2,165 ft vertical
35 mi Stadium & arenaSNHU Arena
25 mi National Historical ParkSaint-Gaudens National Historical Park28K visitors a year
18 mi MuseumFort at Number 4Mount Monadnock: Jonwmcinenrey, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Mount Sunapee: User:Josephbrophy, Public domain · Okemo Mountain: Jrclark (talk), CC BY-SA 3.0 · SNHU Arena: Quintin Soloviev, CC BY 4.0 · Saint-Gaudens National Historical Park: Ser Amantio di Nicolao, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Fort at Number 4: John Phelan, CC BY-SA 4.0
1 within 15 miles of the center of Washington
About 5 of every 100 Washington residents are enrolled in college, about the same as New Hampshire.
Where Washington’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
3 notable people were born in Washington.
Place in New Hampshire, United States
Washington is a town in Sullivan County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 1,192 at the 2020 census. Situated in a hilly, rocky, forested area, and with 26 lakes and ponds, Washington is a picturesque resort area. It is home to Pillsbury State Park.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
That is 4.6 years of the area's median household income ($83,269 across the Lebanon-Claremont, NH-VT 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.
3 notable people were born here, including John C. Lord and David Leslie.
