1 NH Town Ranks Among The Best 500 Places to Live In America

CONCORD, NH — Only one Granite State community made the Top 500 Best Places to Live in America in 2025, according to a new ranking from Niche released Monday.

Now in its 11th year, the ranking from the data-driven platform Niche helps everyone, from young people just starting their careers or families to retirees, decide where they want to live. The report analyzes places of various sizes, including cities with populations of 100,000 or more, suburbs, and neighborhoods.

In New Hampshire, the highest-ranking community was Hanover, at 456th in the nation. The town, which is located in the northwest region of the state, was listed first in Best Places to Live, Best Places to Raise a Family, and Places with the Best Public Schools in New Hampshire.

The rankings are based on many public data sources, including the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, combined with millions of resident reviews.

Niche said it analyzed thousands of communities to compile this year’s ranking. Community attributes considered in developing the list included the health of the local housing market, neighborhood diversity, area public schools, and walkability, among others. (More on methodology.)

According to the ranking, the five best places to live in the United States are: Colonial Village, VA; Atlantic Station, GA; Chesterbrook, PA; Harbour Island, FL; City Center, CA.

Bedford, the second Best Place to live in New Hampshire, was 1,868th on the America list. It was listed first in Best Suburbs to Live, Best Suburbs to Raise a Family, and Suburbs with the Best School System in New Hampshire.

Windham was listed 3rd in New Hampshire and 1,593rd in the United States, while Amherst was 4th and 2,077th in the nation. The city of Portsmouth was ranked 5th in the state and 2,143rd in America.

Rounding out the Top 50 Best Places in New Hampshire were Exeter 19th; Londonderry 23rd; North Hampton 27th; Merrimack 33rd; 38th was Salem; Nashua was 42nd; 46th was Hampton; Pinardville, a neighborhood in Manchester was 48th; and Concord came in 49th.