New Hampshire’s Safest Cities of 2026

See crime rates for the safest cities.

After seeing a spike in crime experiences and concerns in last year's report, New Hampshire seems to have taken a dramatic turn for the better. The Granite State boasts some of the lowest crime rates in the country, and, according to our State of Safety survey, New Hampshirites are among those least likely to have experienced a crime first-hand. 

The violent crime rate in New Hampshire is 1.09 incidents per 1,000 people, which is lower than the national average of 4.43 and the lowest violent crime nationwide. We weren't able to report a statewide violent crime rate last year due to insufficient data, but in our 2024 report, New Hampshire reported a slightly higher violent crime rate of 1.4.

Property crime in The Granite State also decreased in recent years, falling from 10.3 incidents per 1,000 people in 2024 to 9.86 incidents in this year's report. That's far lower than the national property crime rate of 22.89 and is the second lowest property crime in the nation behind Idaho's 9.67. 

Lower crime rates seem to have given New Hampshire residents a confidence boost. About 71% say they feel safe in the state, up from 58%. That's the highest confidence level nationwide.

New Hampshire residents reported substantial decreases in property crime and package theft experiences and concerns compared to the previous year. 

• 11% of New Hampshirites reported personal experiences with property crime in the 12 months prior to our survey, down dramatically from 27% the year before (US 21%).
• Only Massachusetts residents were less likely to have experienced property crime (6%).
• Concern about property crime dropped from 44% to 33% year over year (US 46%). That's the fourth lowest percentage nationwide.
• 24% of participants reported experiencing package theft in the 12 months prior to the survey, down from 33% the year before (US 31%). 
• Concern about package theft fell from 50% to 34% year over year (US 44%).
• 20% of Granite Staters told us they added security or safety measures in the 12 months prior to our survey (US 32%).
• 29% told us they use no property protection, which is the third highest percentage in the nation.
• Those who do protect their property prefer to use security cameras (49%) and guard dogs (30%).

New Hampshirites reported a nearly 50% decrease in violent crime experiences compared to our previous survey. Concern about violent crime has dropped considerably as well.

• 8% of Granite Staters said they personally experienced a violent crime in the 12 months prior to the survey, a significant drop from 14% the year before (US 12%). 
• The percentage of New Hampshire residents who worry about violent crime on a daily basis decreased from 57% to 39% year over year (US 55%). 
• 25% of survey participants report using some form of personal protection.
• Granite Staters prefer to protect themselves with firearms (52%), pocket knives (40%), and pepper spray (32%). 

• 3% said they experienced a gun violence incident in the 12 months prior to our survey, down considerably from 9% the year before (US 9%). This is the lowest percentage in the nation.
• The percentage of New Hampshirites who worry about gun violence on a daily basis decreased from 57% to 42% year over year (US 55%).
• There were no mass shootings in New Hampshire during 2025.

For the purposes of this report, the terms “dangerous” and “safest” refer explicitly to crime rates as calculated from FBI crime data—no other characterization of any community is implied or intended.

• 94 cities met the criteria for ranking this year — nearly 30 more than last year.
• Strafford is this year's safest city in New Hampshire.
• 4 cities reported zero violent crimes: Strafford, Hopkinton, Newton, and Candia.
• None of New Hampshire's safest cities reported more than 0.2 violent crime incidents per 1,000 people. 
• In New Boston, violent crime has steadily decreased over the last 3 years, and property crime has decreased over the last 2 years. 
• Chester's property crime rate has decreased each year for the last 3 years. Atkinson and Litchfield's property crime rates have decreased for the past two years. 
• Zero murders and zero robberies were reported in New Hampshire's 10 safest cities. 
• 70% reported no aggravated assaults.
• Strafford and Hopkinton reported no motor vehicle thefts.
• Hopkinton, Deerfield, and Candia reported no burglaries. 

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