New Hampshire: The Best and Worst Cities for Crime
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July 24, 2024
New Hampshire boasts some of the nation’s lowest crime rates, but the same can’t always be said for its cities and towns. Of the roughly 150 communities with available data, about one-quarter have higher rates of violent crime and property crime than the state itself.
Leading the state in property crime by a huge margin is the tiny town of Tilton, where the property crime rate is about four times higher than the state as a whole. It’s likely, though, that rather than being a haven for crime, Tilton is a victim of its own popularity. The city of less than 4,000 has become one of the most visited destinations in central New Hampshire.1
Statewide Crime Trends in New Hampshire
New Hampshire is one of six states to have property crime and violent crime rates that both fall in the bottom 10, ranking 49th for both types of crime. It also has the nation’s lowest burglary and motor vehicle theft rates, the second-lowest aggravated assault rate, and the third-lowest rates of murder/homicide and larceny.
It’s in good regional company, since the Northeastern region accounts for six of the 10 lowest violent crime rates and five of the 10 lowest property crime rates.
Property Crime in New Hampshire
When determining property crime rates in New Hampshire, we looked at larceny/theft, burglary, and motor vehicle theft incidents.
- New Hampshire’s total property crime rate per 100,000 people is 1,011, which is 48 percent lower than the overall U.S. rate of 1,954 per 100,000.
- New Hampshire ranks 49th of 50 states, just ahead of Idaho.
- Larceny is the most common property crime in New Hampshire, as it is everywhere else in the country, with about 871 incidents per 100,000 people:
Violent Crime in New Hampshire
Violent crimes include murder/non-negligent homicide, aggravated assault, rape, and robbery.
- New Hampshire’s overall violent crime rate is 126 per 100,000 people, about 65 percent lower than the overall U.S. rate of 381 per 100,000.
- New Hampshire ranks 49th of 50 states, just ahead of Maine, which has the lowest violent crime rate.
- Aggravated assault is the most common type of violent crime in New Hampshire.
Our data
Our data comes from comprehensive reporting compiled by the FBI and accessed via the Crime Data Explorer website. Property and violent crime state figures were drawn from Table 5 of the 2022 Crime in the U.S. Report. Metropolitan figures were found in Table 6, Crime in the U.S. by Metropolitan Statistical Area. City-level figures were drawn from Table 8, Offenses Known to Law Enforcement by State by City. The population figures in that table are U.S. Census Bureau provisional estimates as of July 1, 2020.
Limitations: According to the FBI, the data in the publication tables may differ from those released on the Explorer Pages of the CDE. These variations are due to the difference in methodologies between the publication tables and data displayed on the CDE. Please note that crime statistics are not the sole measure of a city’s safety.
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Citations
- Conley, Casey. (2024). Tilton: A new resort is expected to draw more tourists to the region.
https://www.businessnhmagazine.com/article/tilton-a-new-resort-is-expected-to-draw-more-tourists-to-the-region