Census-designated place · Hillsborough County, New Hampshire

Peterborough, New Hampshire

Peterborough is a census-designated place in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, part of the Manchester-Nashua, NH metro area. It has 2,539 residents. Peterborough, New Hampshire has a quality-of-life score of 94 out of 100 (very high), ranking #889 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within New Hampshire it ranks #15 of 66 cities and towns. It ranks best on unemployment rate (low), high school diploma or higher (high) and lack of reliable transportation (low). It ranks worst on effective property tax rate (high), comfortable days (low) and time spent in the emergency room (high).

94Very high

Quality-of-life score: #889 of 15,651 cities and towns
New Hampshire: #15 of 66 in NH
Population: 2,539 (2020-2024)
Land area: 5 mi²
Density: 532.6 /mi²
FIPS code: 3360500

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.

Safety83#2,691/15,637
Economy92#1,320/15,631
Housing48#7,850/14,977
Health78#3,372/15,609
Healthcare91#1,458/15,650
Environment72#4,384/15,453
Education92#1,289/15,649
Infrastructure71#4,530/15,650
Community92#1,272/15,651
Leisure & amenities75#3,944/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Peterborough, New Hampshire ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Hillsborough 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

Unemployment rate · low0.0%
98/100New Hampshire 3.2%United States 4.3%2020-2024U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Census table B23025
High school diploma or higher · high97.3%
96/100New Hampshire 94.4%United States 89.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B15003
Lack of reliable transportation · low5.0%
94/100New Hampshire 6.1%United States 8.3%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate
Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) · low5.5 µg/m³
94/100New Hampshire 5.4 µg/m³United States 8.0 µg/m³2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyHillsborough County value
Food insecurity · low7.6%
94/100New Hampshire 10.1%United States 15.6%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate
Poor or fair health · low11.6%
93/100New Hampshire 13.9%United States 19.9%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate

Weaknesses

Effective property tax rate · high2.13%
5/100New Hampshire 1.50%United States 0.94%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25090
Comfortable days · low23.6%
14/100New Hampshire 22.2%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationHillsborough County value
Time spent in the emergency room · high214 min
15/100New Hampshire 131 minUnited States 170 minOct 2024–Sep 2025Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesHillsborough County value
Job growth · low-1.5%
19/100New Hampshire -1.2%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional dataHillsborough County value
Hospital quality rating · low2.8
24/100New Hampshire 3.2United States 3.2Jul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesHillsborough County value
Public transit commuters · low0.0%
27/100New Hampshire 0.5%United States 3.2%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08301

Trends

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

PopulationFalling
2,971 (2015-2019) → 2,539 (2020-2024)
−15%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Uninsured residents (under 65)Improving
14.6% (2015-2019) → 1.8% (2020-2024)
−13 pts5 yearsCensus table B27010US 10.8% → 9.8%
Median household incomeImproving
$60,324 (2015-2019) → $85,833 (2020-2024)
+42%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Unemployment rateImproving
7.9% (2015-2019) → 0.0% (2020-2024)
−7.9 pts5 yearsCensus table B23025US 3.7% → 4.0%
Poverty rateImproving
10.4% (2015-2019) → 3.2% (2020-2024)
−7.2 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 12.3% → 12.1%
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
42.8% (2015-2019) → 36.9% (2020-2024)
−5.9 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%

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, Peterborough, New Hampshire improved on 1 of 9 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 8 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.

Improved1

Inequality−0.1490.534 → 0.385

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 9 measures

Change of every measure of Peterborough, New Hampshire between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	21.7 min2015-2019	24.9 min2020-2024	+3.1 min	Within the margin of error	19%
Bachelor's degree or higher	53.3%2015-2019	57.4%2020-2024	+4.1 points	Within the margin of error	61%
Broadband subscriptions	86.6%2015-2019	89.3%2020-2024	+2.7 points	Within the margin of error	18%
High school diploma or higher	94.2%2015-2019	97.3%2020-2024	+3.1 points	Within the margin of error	70%
Home price to income ratio	3.7×2015-2019	4.4×2020-2024	+0.7×	Within the margin of error	36%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.5342015-2019	0.3852020-2024	−0.149	Improved	99%
Median household income	$60,3242015-2019	$85,8332020-2024	+42%	Within the margin of error	77%
Rent as share of income	27.8%2015-2019	26.4%2020-2024	−1.4 points	Within the margin of error	65%
Rent-burdened households	42.8%2015-2019	36.9%2020-2024	−5.9 points	Within the margin of error	74%

“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 Peterborough, New Hampshire five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Peterborough, 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, Peterborough, New Hampshire itself moved +8.1 points in standing on average over the same 9 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

2,539 residents (±420)

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: 80 and over women (−8.1 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

2,539 residents (±420)

Peterborough, New Hampshire
New Hampshire share

White93%2,356
Black0.0%0
Hispanic or Latino5.2%†131

Education

2,175 residents (±350)

Peterborough, New Hampshire
New Hampshire share

No high school diploma2.7%†58
High school or GED17%†367
Some college

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

1,394 households (±262)

Peterborough, New Hampshire
New Hampshire share

Under $25k6.7%†93
$25k–50k10%†145
$50k–75k20%†283
$75k–100k19%†263
$100k–150k8.4%†117
$150k–200k11%†157
$200k or more24%†336

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Under $25k (−15.0 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

1,394 households (±262)

Peterborough, New Hampshire
New Hampshire share

Own57%791
Rent43%†603

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

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

Table view

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

Rent paid

588 households (±226)

Peterborough, New Hampshire
New Hampshire share

Under $7506.5%†38
$750–1,00019%†113
$1,000–1,50023%†137

Home values

791 homes (±167)

Peterborough, New Hampshire
New Hampshire share

Under $150k3.2%†25
$150k–250k21%†164
$250k–400k30%†238

Age of homes

1,613 homes (±281)

Peterborough, New Hampshire
New Hampshire share

2010 or later4.1%†66
2000–20095.5%†88
1980–199910%†

Size of homes

1,613 homes (±281)

Peterborough, New Hampshire
New Hampshire share

Studio0.0%0
1 bedroom25%†398
2 bedrooms35%†572

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

1,570 workers (±301)

Peterborough, New Hampshire
New Hampshire share

Drive alone78%1,217
Carpool2.5%†39
Public transit0.0%0
Walk2.3%†36
Bike0.0%0
Work from home16%†253
Other1.6%†25

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

† 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

1,317 workers (±272)

Peterborough, New Hampshire
New Hampshire share

Under 15 min38%†507
15–29 min34%†449
30–44 min13%†

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 Manchester-Nashua, NH

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 Hillsborough County, the county holding most of Peterborough's residents.

Hillsborough County has 11,028 employer establishments, 258 for every 10,000 residents (1.04× the US rate of 248; 0.92× New Hampshire's), with 186,868 paid employees at an average annual pay of $71,919. The Census Bureau also counts 33,988 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 11,028; 33,988 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 258; US 248 · New Hampshire 280
Paid employees: 186,868
Average annual pay: $71,919; US $68,342

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

Specialty trade contractors	972	22.7	1.47×More than typical	7,690	$82,309	2,869
Restaurants and other eating places	810	18.9	1.03×About typical	15,151	$26,485	124
Ambulatory health care services	791	18.5	0.89×About typical	11,521	$89,461	1,403
Building equipment contractors	398	9.3	1.55×More than typical	3,694	$81,873	535
Services to buildings and dwellings	396	9.3	1.37×More than typical	2,361	$50,583	1,626
Lessors of real estate	392	9.2	0.74×Fewer than typical	2,262	$62,034	3,986
Construction of buildings	368	8.6	1.14×About typical	1,770	$91,984	1,194
Full-service restaurants	365	8.5	1.11×About typical	8,223	$29,079	50
Limited-service restaurants	305	7.1	0.89×About typical	4,771	$25,057	53
Automotive repair and maintenance	303	7.1	1.41×More than typical	1,480	$58,194	365
Computer systems design and related services	261	6.1	1.41×More than typical	3,963	$136,977	549
Building finishing contractors	256	6	1.58×More than typical	2,211	$82,726	1,223

Rank places for an industry Open Hillsborough County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 427,475 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 $83K of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Peterborough, New Hampshire: $32.68 per resident (US $1,995).

Obligations: $83K; −64% vs FY2025
Per resident: $32.68; US $1,995
Sole-source: 56%; US 30%
Single offer: 3.4%; 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

Federal Acquisition Service$24.1K29%
Department of Veterans Affairs$20K24%
Department of the Air Force$15.6K19%
National Aeronautics and Space Administration$11.2K14%
U.S. Coast Guard$6,8748.3%
Department of the Army$5,5866.7%

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

117KFY2017
112KFY2018
311.3KFY2019
140.3KFY2020
574.2KFY2021
353KFY2022
199.9KFY2023
222.1K

Top industries (NAICS)

Navigational, measuring, electromedical, and control instruments manufacturing · 3345$32.9K40%
Other miscellaneous manufacturing · 3399$26.5K32%
Nursing care facilities (skilled nursing facilities) · 6231$20K24%
Services to buildings and dwellings · 5617$2,0632.5%
Support activities for air transportation · 4881$9611.2%
Investigation and security services · 5616

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 Peterborough, New Hampshire, so they do not add up across cities.

Peterborough, New Hampshire's figures are part of those of Hillsborough County, NH ($1B in FY2026), never added to them: 0.0% of that total.

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

See federal money in Hillsborough 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.

Peterborough, New Hampshire is split between congressional districts: each representative is shown with the share of its residents in their district (current boundaries).

House

Senate

County

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

Hillsborough County93100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Manchester-Nashua, NH95

Other cities and towns in Hillsborough 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/3360500

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends