Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Wilton grades B+ overall, 63rd among New Hampshire's 125 graded towns, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. The median household earns $114K and it is healthier than 88% of U.S. towns. On the other side, FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 76% of U.S. communities, with inland flooding at the top. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 99% of U.S. towns, with 8 places on the National Register. 25% of the land in Wilton is conserved, against 18% in New Hampshire’s towns and 4.3% across U.S. towns. On history, just 7 of New Hampshire’s 187 towns do better. The biggest place to walk is Heald Tract, 1,229 acres with 7.1 miles of trail.
Where Wilton beats most towns.
County Farm Bridge| Widest gap | Wilton | NH |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 11% | 8.9% |
Census counts: 1,105 in 1790, 3,896 in 2020. The archive holds 24 old photos and papers going back to 1803 and 4 maps from 1906 on.
8 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New Hampshire), ordered by how far Wilton is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Wilton, 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 Wilton.
Wilton has cooler summers than most of the country, though not than most of New Hampshire and is healthy by national standards but mid-pack in New Hampshire; it also reports more crime than Milford and its other graded neighbors.
Within New Hampshire it is healthier than 60% of the 126 graded towns: New Hampshire sets a high bar.
11% of adults report frequent physical distress in Wilton, below both the New Hampshire town median (12%) and the median of U.S. towns (14%). 8.8% of adults have diabetes in Wilton. Wilton beats the New Hampshire average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1.
| Wilton | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 12% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 8.8% | 9.5% | 12% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 34% | 35% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 14% | 19% |
| What stands out | Wilton | NH |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 11% | 8.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Wilton-Lyndeborough Cooperative School District. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florence Rideout Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades 1–5 | Grades 1–5 | 211 | B+ |
| Wilton-Lyndeboro Senior High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 147 | B |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NH on state tests and graduation
Wilton is safe by national standards, yet each of the 3 graded towns on its borders reports less crime per resident, from Milford (A) to Lyndeborough (A+).
New Hampshire has less reported crime than most states, so among its own towns Wilton sits closer to the middle.
| Wilton | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.5 per 1,000 residents | 0.7 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 5.7 per 1,000 residents | 4.4 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Jobs based here fell from 1,258 in 2013 to 883.
Most working residents leave Wilton for work: only 8% work in town. Since 2013, Wilton has lost 375 jobs, to 883 in 2023. Wilton’s average trip to work is 30 minutes.
| Wilton | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $114,000 | $103,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 30 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 3.9% | 6.8% | 9.6% |
| Work from home | 17% | 16% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
21 miles of trail in 20 parks and preserves. The trail density in Wilton is 0.8 miles per square mile.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Heald Tract | 7.1 mi | 1,229 |
| 2. Sheldrick Forest Preserve | 2.9 mi | 228 |
| 3. Russell-Abbott State Forest | 1.8 mi | 463 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Since 1979, 5 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Wilton.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
July afternoons average 81.8°: cooler than most of the country, but hotter than 75% of New Hampshire places with climate records; January nights average 13.8°.
Wilton has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with plenty of rain. About 75 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Wilton | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 14°F | 13°F | 22°F |
| July high | 82°F | 81°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Children under 18 are 14% of residents (18% statewide). Wilton has grown 3% since 2020, to 4,015 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 37% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 41% across New Hampshire.
| Wilton | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 14% | 18% | 22% |
| Median age | 46.8 years | 44.6 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 37% | 39% | 29% |
51% women, 49% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±5.4 points. Across New Hampshire, 50.1% of residents are women.
| Wilton | NH | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 6.9% | 9.3% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 6.8% | 8.9% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 7.2% | 8.7% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 13.6% | 12.7% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 12.9% | 12.4% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 14.2% | 12.4% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 16.4% | 15.5% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 12.9% | 12.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 9% | 7.9% | 7% |
| No diploma | 6.2% | 5.6% | 10.4% |
| High school | 31.2% | 26.8% | 26% |
| Some college | 19.2% | 17.2% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 6.5% | 9.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 21.8% | 24.5% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 15.2% | 16.1% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 4,000, single groups can be off by several points
The typical Wilton home is worth about $502,000, up 1.8% in a year, close to the New Hampshire typical home.
| Wilton | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 77% | 82% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,382 a month | $1,393 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Wilton. Close and well known come first.
17 mi MountainMount Monadnock
35 mi LakeWalden Pond
29 mi Ancient siteAmerica's Stonehenge
27 mi Theme parkCanobie Lake Park
39 mi Stadium & arenaDCU Center
33 mi MuseumAmerican Heritage MuseumMount Monadnock: Jonwmcinenrey, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Walden Pond: Victorgrigas, CC BY-SA 3.0 · America's Stonehenge: User:Stan Shebs, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Canobie Lake Park: Alex1961, CC BY-SA 2.0 · DCU Center: Terageorge, CC BY-SA 3.0 · American Heritage Museum: Daderot, CC0
2 within 15 miles of the center of Wilton
About 5 of every 100 Wilton residents are enrolled in college, about the same as New Hampshire.
Where Wilton’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
8 places in Wilton on the National Register of Historic Places.
8 notable people were born in Wilton.
Town in New Hampshire, United States
Wilton is a town in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 3,896 at the 2020 census. Like many small New England towns, it grew up around water-powered textile mills, but is now a rural bedroom community with some manufacturing and service employment. Wilton is home to the High Mowing School, a private preparatory school. The main village in town, where 1,324 people resided at the 2020 census, is defined by the U.S. Census Bureau as the Wilton census-designated place and is located near the junction of New Hampshire Routes 31 and 101, at the confluence of Stony Brook with the Souhegan River.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Wilton.
| Town | NH rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wilton | #63 | B+ | C | A− | C+ | A |
| Lyndeborough | — | — | C | A+ | C+ | A− |
| Milford | #50 | B+ | D | A | B− | A |
| Temple | — | — | C | — | B− | A− |
| Mason | — | — | C− | A | A+ | B+ |
Lyndeborough, Temple and Mason have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Temple reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Wilton with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Wilton grades B+ overall, better than 66% of U.S. towns and #63 of 125 in New Hampshire. It grades A for health, A− for safety and C+ for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a C−.
Yes, by national standards. New Hampshire has less crime than most states, so among its own towns Wilton sits nearer the middle.
That is 4.8 years of the area's median household income ($103,545 across the Manchester-Nashua, 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 C.
8 notable people were born here, including Charles Greeley Abbot and William French Smith.
