Best PlacesHillsborough County, NH Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in Hillsborough County, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. The averages hide a wide spread here, so the area matters as much as the address. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
Hillsborough County ranks 88th of 3,144 U.S. counties on the BestNeighborhood index. Paychecks stretch further here than almost anywhere else: the median household brings in $115,345, wages outrun the cost of living, and an educated workforce ranks near the top of the country. The main drawbacks are property taxes, childcare costs, and state finances.
The best neighborhoods in Hillsborough County
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
The best areas in Hillsborough County
The parts of Hillsborough County, ranked by the BestNeighborhood standard score across every neighborhood, highest scoring first. Each note says how that part differs from the rest of the county.
Brookline, New Ipswich & Greenville
Tree cover is thicker, it is quieter, and more households have young kids.
Bedford & Merrimack
Local pay stretches further and incomes run higher.
Milford, Amherst & Peterborough
More adults hold degrees, though streets are more car-dependent.
Hudson & Pelham
Scores close to Milford, Amherst & Peterborough, except that biking is better here.
Nashua
Prices have run up less.
Weare, Hillsboro & New Boston
More homes sit empty and commutes are longer.
Litchfield
Schools score lower.
Goffstown
Fewer residents vote.
Manchester
Health care is harder to reach and crime runs higher.
Scores across Hillsborough County run from about the 21st to the 100th percentile nationally. The map is where that becomes a choice of area.
Hillsborough County's strengths and weaknesses
Hillsborough County ranks where it does because the parts of life that are hardest to change mostly work here. Low crime is the standout, in the top 1% of counties. Low taxes and high incomes follow.
The one real hole is property taxes, near the bottom of the country. Childcare costs and state finances also cost it ground. The measures below break that down, and the map shows how much of it holds street by street.
Where Hillsborough County ranks high
- Crime safetyBetter than 99% of counties
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than 99% of counties
- Household income$115,345 median, better than 96% of counties
- Big-city accessBetter than 95% of counties
- Low vacancyBetter than 95% of counties
Where Hillsborough County ranks low
- Low property taxBetter than only 5% of counties
- Cheap childcare$1,341 a month, better than only 5% of counties
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 10% of counties
- Nice weatherabout 63 pleasant days a year, better than only 10% of counties
- Housing crash safetyBetter than only 10% of counties
What it costs to buy a home in Hillsborough County
A household needs to earn about $123,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Hillsborough County home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is only a little above the area's median income of $115,345; the gap is small, which keeps homes within reach of local pay.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses Hillsborough County's effective rate of 1.64%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices and rents, renting stays cheaper than buying across the first 10 years here, so the case for buying rests on staying much longer or on prices rising faster than assumed. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in Hillsborough County
Hillsborough County's age mix sits close to the national median.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for Hillsborough County.
Who works in Hillsborough County, and how
Work in Hillsborough County centers on manufacturing and health care & social. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 77%
- Work from home 18%
- Transit, walk, or bike 4%
Life in Hillsborough County
Hillsborough County has more parkland per resident than 81% of counties and more late-night spots per resident than 80% of counties. The coast is about 47 minutes away. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of Hillsborough County and thins out in others, which the map shows.
Is Hillsborough County growing, and who is moving in?
Hillsborough County has grown about 6% over the last decade. The largest inbound stream comes from Boston, MA.
Where new residents come from
Where people leaving Hillsborough County go
Move counts are the latest county-to-county migration flows, each county grouped into its metro.
What the weather is like in Hillsborough County, month by month
Hillsborough County sees roughly 63 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 87 degrees. January highs sit near 39, with lows near 18. The comfortable stretch runs May through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 39° | 28° | 18° |
| April | 61° | 48° | 36° |
| July | 87° | 74° | 62° |
| October | 66° | 53° | 42° |
Flying in and out of Hillsborough County
The nearest airport, Manchester Boston Regional, is about 6 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is General Edward Lawrence Logan International, about 45 miles away.
The best schools in and around Hillsborough County
Schools across Hillsborough County average a C+, better than 49% of counties.
Top elementary schools
- Riddle Brook SchoolA+ · 82% proficient
- Peter Woodbury SchoolA+ · 76% proficient
- Memorial SchoolA+ · 75% proficient
Top middle schools
- Academy For Science And Design Charter (m)A+ · 77% proficient
- Mckelvie Intermediate SchoolA+ · 72% proficient
- Hollis Upper Elementary SchoolA · 66% proficient
Top high schools
- Academy For Science And Design Charter (h)A+ · 93% proficient
- The Founders Academy Charter School (h)A · 68% proficient
- North Middlesex RegionalA · 68% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Hillsborough County school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Hillsborough County measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare Hillsborough County against the other 3,143 counties.
Who Hillsborough County suits
Families
Schools land around the 49th percentile and crime safety beats 99%.
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 94% of counties, internet is fast and widely advertised, and 18% already work from home.
Common questions about living in Hillsborough County
Is Hillsborough County a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Hillsborough County ranks 88th of 3,144 counties. It scores highest on low crime, low taxes, and high incomes, and lowest on property taxes and childcare costs. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Hillsborough County expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $423,704. The overall cost of living runs about 4% above the national average. Set against a $115,345 median income, cost of living beats 94% of counties.
Is Hillsborough County safe?
Yes, Hillsborough County is safer than 99% of counties. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $174 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in Hillsborough County?
July highs average about 87 degrees, and January highs near 39 with lows near 18. That works out to about 63 pleasant days a year, more than 10% of counties.
What are the best neighborhoods in Hillsborough County?
Using the default rankings, the highest-scoring areas are Brookline, New Ipswich & Greenville, Bedford & Merrimack, and Milford, Amherst & Peterborough. The ranked list and the re-weightable map above let you re-sort them for your own priorities.
Is Hillsborough County good for families?
Schools beat 49% of counties, crime safety beats 99%, and childcare runs $1,341 a month.
Is Hillsborough County good for remote workers?
Cost of living against local pay beats 94% of counties, and the fastest advertised internet here beats 62% of counties. About 18% of workers already work from home.
Compare Hillsborough County with other counties
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Hillsborough County. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Hillsborough County represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
Hillsborough County detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Hillsborough County: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Hillsborough County: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Hillsborough County: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Hillsborough County: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Hillsborough County detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program: population growth and net migration behind the population-change section.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.