Census-designated place · Grafton County, New Hampshire

Hanover, New Hampshire

Hanover is a census-designated place in Grafton County, New Hampshire, part of the Lebanon-Claremont, NH-VT metro area. It has 8,479 residents. Hanover, New Hampshire has a quality-of-life score of 89 out of 100 (very high), ranking #1,681 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within New Hampshire it ranks #29 of 66 cities and towns. It ranks best on primary care physicians (high), bachelor's degree or higher (high) and students per teacher (low). It ranks worst on comfortable days (low), suicide rate (high) and income inequality (Gini index) (high).

89Very high

Quality-of-life score: #1,681 of 15,651 cities and towns
New Hampshire: #29 of 66 in NH
Population: 8,479 (2020-2024)
Land area: 5 mi²
Density: 1,875.1 /mi²
FIPS code: 3333780

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 75 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map

Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety60#6,271/15,637
Economy69#4,873/15,631
Housing24#11,388/14,977
Health88#1,942/15,609
Healthcare95#762/15,650
Environment61#5,978/15,453
Education100#23/15,649
Infrastructure57#6,786/15,650
Community99#191/15,651
Leisure & amenities99#128/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Hanover, New Hampshire ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Grafton County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Primary care physicians · high189 /100k
100/100New Hampshire 87 /100kUnited States 76 /100k2022University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteGrafton County value
Bachelor's degree or higher · high89.3%
100/100New Hampshire 40.7%United States 35.7%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B15003
Students per teacher · low10.1×
98/100New Hampshire 11.4×United States 15.2×2024National Center for Education StatisticsGrafton County value
Public libraries · high3.5 /10k
97/100New Hampshire 1.6 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesGrafton County value
Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) · low4.8 µg/m³
97/100New Hampshire 5.4 µg/m³United States 8.0 µg/m³2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyGrafton County value
Gyms and fitness centers · high2.4 /10k
96/100New Hampshire 2.0 /10kUnited States 1.3 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsGrafton County value

Weaknesses

Comfortable days · low21.6%
2/100New Hampshire 22.2%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationGrafton County value
Suicide rate · high31.1 /100k
3/100New Hampshire 17.8 /100kUnited States 14.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataGrafton County value
Income inequality (Gini index) · high0.533
5/100New Hampshire 0.444United States 0.4832020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B19083
Firearm deaths · high23.6 /100k
8/100New Hampshire 11.1 /100kUnited States 12.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataGrafton County value
Natural hazard risk · high86.4
13/100New Hampshire 54.52025Federal Emergency Management AgencyGrafton County value
Home price to income ratio · high5.5×
16/100New Hampshire 4.1×United States 4.1×2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25077

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

Child poverty rateImproving
13.2% (2015-2019) → 0.0% (2020-2024)
−13 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
60.4% (2015-2019) → 72.0% (2020-2024)
+12 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Rent as share of incomeWorsening
34.9% (2015-2019) → 43.4% (2020-2024)
+8.5 pts5 yearsCensus table B25071US 29.8% → 30.6%
Broadband subscriptionsWorsening
93.6% (2015-2019) → 85.4% (2020-2024)
−8.2 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Median household incomeImproving
$109,514 (2015-2019) → $153,281 (2020-2024)
+40%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Poverty rateImproving
13.9% (2015-2019) → 8.0% (2020-2024)
−5.9 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 12.3% → 12.1%

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Hanover, New Hampshire improved on 0 of 12 measures with a comparison and declined on 1. 11 moved within the margin of error and 0 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved0

No measure improved by more than its margin of error.

Declined1

Broadband−8.2 points93.6% → 85.4%

All 12 measures

Change of every measure of Hanover, New Hampshire between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	15.0 min2015-2019	19.0 min2020-2024	+4.0 min	Within the margin of error	14%
Bachelor's degree or higher	83.4%2015-2019	89.2%2020-2024	+5.8 points	Within the margin of error	73%
Broadband subscriptions	93.6%2015-2019	85.4%2020-2024	−8.2 points	Declined	1%
Effective property tax rate	1.50%2015-2019	1.19%2020-2024	−0.3 points	Within the margin of error	75%
High school diploma or higher	96.0%2015-2019	99.6%2020-2024	+3.6 points	Within the margin of error	73%
Home price to income ratio	5.5×2015-2019	5.5×2020-2024	−0.0×	Within the margin of error	80%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.5802015-2019	0.5332020-2024	−0.046	Within the margin of error	82%
Median household income	$109,5142015-2019	$153,2812020-2024	+40%	Within the margin of error	74%
Poverty rate	13.9%2015-2019	8.0%2020-2024	−5.9 points	Within the margin of error	84%
Rent as share of income	34.9%2015-2019	43.4%2020-2024	+8.5 points	Within the margin of error	12%
Rent-burdened households	60.4%2015-2019	72.0%2020-2024	+12 points	Within the margin of error	20%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	2.4%2015-2019	1.3%2020-2024	−1.1 points	Within the margin of error	60%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Hanover, New Hampshire five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Hanover, New Hampshire in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Hanover, New Hampshire itself moved −6.8 points in standing on average over the same 10 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

8,479 residents (±350)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†
50–59†
40–49†
30–39†
20–29
10–19
Under 10†

Share of all residents, each sex

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: 20–29 women (−6.2 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

8,479 residents (±350)

Hanover, New Hampshire
New Hampshire share

White69%5,847
Black3.3%†282
Hispanic or Latino6.7%566

Education

3,711 residents (±300)

Hanover, New Hampshire
New Hampshire share

No high school diploma0.4%†15
High school or GED3.9%†144
Some college4.7%

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

2,171 households (±230)

Hanover, New Hampshire
New Hampshire share

Under $25k14%†314
$25k–50k5.9%†127
$50k–75k8.2%†178
$75k–100k6.7%†146
$100k–150k12%†253
$150k–200k13%†284
$200k or more40%869

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: $200k or more (+8.4 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B19001View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

2,171 households (±230)

Hanover, New Hampshire
New Hampshire share

Own62%1,355
Rent38%816

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B25003View table on data.census.gov

Rent paid

767 households (±224)

Hanover, New Hampshire
New Hampshire share

Under $7506.0%†46
$750–1,0004.0%†31
$1,000–1,50012%†

Home values

1,355 homes (±195)

Hanover, New Hampshire
New Hampshire share

Under $150k0.6%†8
$150k–250k1.2%†16
$250k–400k9.2%†

Age of homes

2,617 homes (±223)

Hanover, New Hampshire
New Hampshire share

2010 or later6.3%†164
2000–20097.5%†195
1980–199930%†

Size of homes

2,617 homes (±223)

Hanover, New Hampshire
New Hampshire share

Studio3.2%†84
1 bedroom15%†389
2 bedrooms25%†654

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

2,762 workers (±302)

Hanover, New Hampshire
New Hampshire share

Drive alone45%1,253
Carpool7.2%†199
Public transit0.3%†8
Walk17%479
Bike2.0%†55
Work from home27%737
Other1.1%†31

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Work from home (+17.4 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

2,025 workers (±311)

Hanover, New Hampshire
New Hampshire share

Under 15 min62%1,251
15–29 min26%†534
30–44 min4.6%†94

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the Lebanon-Claremont, NH-VT

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Grafton County, the county holding most of Hanover's residents.

Grafton County has 2,920 employer establishments, 315 for every 10,000 residents (1.27× the US rate of 248; 1.12× New Hampshire's), with 54,232 paid employees at an average annual pay of $64,295. The Census Bureau also counts 8,881 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 2,920; 8,881 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 315; US 248 · New Hampshire 280
Paid employees: 54,232
Average annual pay: $64,295; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Grafton County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Restaurants and other eating places	262	28.2	1.54×More than typical	4,025	$29,530	20
Specialty trade contractors	207	22.3	1.44×More than typical	1,073	$72,081	778
Ambulatory health care services	149	16.1	0.77×Fewer than typical	4,200	$122,836	495
Full-service restaurants	134	14.4	1.88×More than typical	2,510	$31,502	7
Lessors of real estate	121	13	1.06×About typical	419	$56,556	982
Services to buildings and dwellings	117	12.6	1.87×More than typical	803	$48,664	549
Construction of buildings	98	10.6	1.40×More than typical	539	$62,013	419
Building equipment contractors	96	10.3	1.72×More than typical	573	$73,403	132
Traveler accommodation	85	9.2	5.08×More than typical	1,077	$36,395	57
Limited-service restaurants	81	8.7	1.09×About typical	1,025	$28,263	10
Landscaping services	77	8.3	2.37×More than typical	524	$57,565	179
Religious organizations	68	7.3	1.32×More than typical	243	$24,823	—

Rank places for an industry Open Grafton County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 92,764 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

In FY2026, an estimated $5.7M of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Hanover, New Hampshire: $677 per resident (US $1,995).

Obligations: $5.7M; −48% vs FY2025
Per resident: $677; US $1,995
Sole-source: 8.5%; US 30%
Single offer: 7.7%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Department of the Air Force$2.7M47%
National Aeronautics and Space Administration$1.5M26%
Department of the Navy$660.7K12%
Department of the Army$302.7K5.3%
Immediate Office of the Secretary of Transportation$265.2K4.6%
Defense Logistics Agency$200.5K3.5%
Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency$87.5K1.5%
Department of Veterans Affairs$40.3K0.7%

Top recipients

CREARE LLC$2.4M42%
BOOZ ALLEN HAMILTON INC$2.4M42%
TRUSTEES OF DARTMOUTH COLLEGE$654.3K11%
TRUSTEES OF DARTMOUTH COLLEGE$78.6K1.4%
SHIERS COMMUNICATION SPECIALISTS INC$49.7K0.9%

Spending by fiscal year

4.9MFY2017
7.5MFY2018
9.7MFY2019
9.9MFY2020
6.2MFY2021
8MFY2022
6MFY2023
9.4M

Top industries (NAICS)

Scientific research and development services · 5417$4.9M85%
Aerospace product and parts manufacturing · 3364$278.8K4.9%
Other general purpose machinery manufacturing · 3339$195.9K3.4%
Metalworking machinery manufacturing · 3335$79.3K1.4%
Nonresidential building construction · 2362$58.1K1.0%
Colleges, universities, and professional schools · 6113

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 6, 2026, loaded Oct 6, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Hanover, New Hampshire, so they do not add up across cities.

Hanover, New Hampshire's figures are part of those of Grafton County, NH ($61.9M in FY2026), never added to them: 9.3% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Hanover is mostly in Grafton County.

See federal money in Grafton County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Hanover, New Hampshire is represented in the 119th Congress by these members.

House

Maggie GoodlanderD-NH-2 · 100% of residentsWith party 91%Missed 0.0%

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Grafton County96100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Lebanon-Claremont, NH-VT93

Other cities and towns in Grafton County

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/3333780

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends