Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Wolfeboro grades B overall, 66th of 125 graded towns in New Hampshire. Residents are healthier than 82% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. Crime is low: it reports less per resident than 78% of U.S. towns. What holds it back is price: the typical home is worth about $636K, 7.4 years of the county’s $86K median household income. 35% of residents are 65 or older in Wolfeboro, above both New Hampshire’s towns (20%) and U.S. towns (18%). Its National Register listings include Union Church and Brewster Memorial Hall. Only 4 of the 126 New Hampshire towns we compare have a higher median age than Wolfeboro.
Where Wolfeboro beats most towns.
Census counts: 447 in 1790, 6,416 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1813 and 3 maps from 1928 on.
6 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New Hampshire), ordered by how far Wolfeboro is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Wolfeboro, 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 Wolfeboro.
Wolfeboro has a longer frost-free season than almost anywhere else in New Hampshire and is a second-home town, but it has homes that cost more against local pay than most of New Hampshire.
Within New Hampshire it is less healthy than 65% of the 126 graded towns: New Hampshire sets a high bar.
13% of adults binge drink in Wolfeboro. Wolfeboro beats the New Hampshire average on 6 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 10. 33% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Wolfeboro.
| Wolfeboro | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 16% | 16% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 16% | 17% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 30% | 33% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 10% | 11% | 14% |
| What stands out | Wolfeboro | NH |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 6.5% | 8.1% |
| Fewer binge drinkers | 12.8% | 15.7% |
| More adults with heart disease | 8.8% | 6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Governor Wentworth Regional School District. Three of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Kingswood Regional High School, with 729 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kingswood Regional Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 7–8 | Grades 7–8 | 345 | B− |
| Kingswood Regional High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 729 | B |
| Carpenter SchoolTop results in townGrades K–3 | Grades K–3 | 183 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NH on state tests and graduation
New Hampshire has less reported crime than most states, so among its own towns Wolfeboro sits closer to the middle.
| Wolfeboro | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 4.9 per 1,000 residents | 4.4 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.2 per 1,000 residents | 0.7 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
33.6% of homes are seasonal or vacation homes, against 10.1% statewide, which helps explain the older median age.
14% of Wolfeboro residents are under 18. Wolfeboro has grown 3.4% since 2020, to 6,637 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 45% of Wolfeboro adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more.
| Wolfeboro | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 14% | 18% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 45% | 39% | 29% |
52% women, 48% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±3.6 points. Across New Hampshire, 50.1% of residents are women. Median age: women 57.6, men 56.6.
| Wolfeboro | NH | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 3.7% | 9.3% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 10% | 8.9% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 6.5% | 8.7% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 4.9% | 12.7% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 11% | 12.4% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 7.7% | 12.4% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 21.5% | 15.5% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 15.3% | 12.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 19.3% | 7.9% | 7% |
| No diploma | 0.7% | 5.6% | 10.4% |
| High school | 21.9% | 26.8% | 26% |
| Some college | 20.6% | 17.2% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 11.8% | 9.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 26.8% | 24.5% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 18.3% | 16.1% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
At 7.4 years of the county’s $86K median household income, the typical home (about $636K) costs more against local pay than in 94% of New Hampshire towns; that ratio is one input to its C− for cost of living. At about $636K, home values are up 15% in five years, against a rise of 36% across New Hampshire.
The typical Wolfeboro home is worth about $636,000, up 3.8% in a year, 24% above the New Hampshire typical home. The median rent in Wolfeboro is $1,103 a month.
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
The Lakeport 2 weather station, 16 miles away, records that the frost-free season runs about 170 days, the #2 highest of 321 New Hampshire places with climate records.
Wolfeboro has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. Wolfeboro’s July high is 81°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
About one in 3 of Wolfeboro’s working residents works in town. Jobs based in Wolfeboro grew to 3,202 in 2023, 431 more than in 2013. The top destinations are Ossipee (4%), Manchester (4%) and Concord (4%).
| Wolfeboro | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 24 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $94,000 | $103,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 8.2% | 6.7% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
43 miles of trail in 26 parks and preserves. Upper Beech Pond, at 497 acres with 1.1 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Wolfeboro | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 9% | 18% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.7 miles per square mile | 1.2 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Sewall Woods Conservation Area | 8.1 mi | 174 |
| 2. Wolfeboro Town Land | 4.8 mi | 336 |
| 3. Upper Beech Pond | 1.1 mi | 497 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 56% of U.S. communities. Since 2005, 4 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Wolfeboro.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Wolfeboro. Close and well known come first.
8 mi LakeLake Winnipesaukee
30 mi Scenic railwayConway Scenic Railroad
36 mi National forestWhite Mountain National Forest
35 mi Theme parkStory Land
30 mi Ski areaWaterville Valley Resort84 runs · 1,990 ft vertical32 mi Ski areaAttitash Mountain Resort85 runs · 1,662 ft verticalLake Winnipesaukee: No machine-readable author provided. JohnJHenderson~commonswiki assumed (based o, Public domain · Conway Scenic Railroad: Pi.1415926535, CC BY-SA 3.0 · White Mountain National Forest: Ken Gallager at English Wikipedia, Public domain · Story Land: AnotherMaker, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Waterville Valley Resort: MConradWard, CC BY-SA 4.0
None within 15 miles of Wolfeboro; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 Wolfeboro residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across New Hampshire.
6 places in Wolfeboro on the National Register of Historic Places.
Town in New Hampshire, United States
Wolfeboro is a town in Carroll County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 6,416 at the 2020 census. A resort area on Lake Winnipesaukee, the town includes the villages of Wolfeboro, East Wolfeboro, North Wolfeboro, South Wolfeboro, Wolfeboro Center, and Wolfeboro Falls.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Wolfeboro.
| Town | NH rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wolfeboro | #66 | B | C− | A− | B | A− |
| Tuftonboro | #42 | A− | C | A− | B | A |
| Ossipee | #100 | C+ | D | B | B | B+ |
| Alton | #85 | B− | C | A− | C− | A |
| Brookfield | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Brookfield isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Wolfeboro with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Wolfeboro grades B overall, better than 65% of U.S. towns and #66 of 125 in New Hampshire. It grades A− for health, A− for safety and B for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a C−.
Yes, by national standards. New Hampshire has less crime than most states, so among its own towns Wolfeboro sits nearer the middle.
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−.
2 notable people were born here, including Everett Colby Banfield and Tim Corbin.
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