Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US metro and micro areas.

Safety86#134/924
Economy88#111/925
Housing30#647/925
Health81#173/925
Healthcare79#195/923
Environment84#151/917
Education86#126/925
Infrastructure80#189/925
Community82#163/925
Leisure & amenities42#541/925

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Keene, NH micropolitan area ranks highest and lowest among US metro and micro areas (score = percentile, 100 = best).

Strengths

Public libraries · high3.2 /10k
99/100New Hampshire 1.6 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesAggregated from counties
Poor or fair health · low14.5%
96/100New Hampshire 13.9%United States 19.9%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Lack of reliable transportation · low6.6%
96/100New Hampshire 6.1%United States 8.3%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties
Food insecurity · low10.6%
95/100New Hampshire 10.1%United States 15.6%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties
Homicide rate · low0.0 /100k
93/100New Hampshire 1.5 /100kUnited States 4.8 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties
Child poverty rate · low9.1%
93/100New Hampshire 7.0%United States 15.5%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B17001

Weaknesses

Effective property tax rate · high1.87%
3/100New Hampshire 1.50%United States 0.94%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25090
Job growth · low-2.4%
11/100New Hampshire -1.2%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional data
Comfortable days · low23.4%
14/100New Hampshire 22.2%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationAggregated from counties
Public EV charging ports · low2.2 /10k
22/100New Hampshire 5.8 /10kUnited States 7.6 /10kOct 2026U.S. Department of EnergyAggregated from counties
Gyms and fitness centers · low0.6 /10k
24/100New Hampshire 2.0 /10kUnited States 1.3 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsAggregated from counties
Child care cost burden · high34.4%
24/100New Hampshire 34.6%United States 27.9%2023 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties

Trends

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

Drought exposureWorsening
6% (2021) → 23% (Oct 2025–Sep 2026)
+16 pts5 yearsUS 40% → 43%
Firearm deathsWorsening
7.9 /100k (2021) → 12.9 /100k (May 2025–Apr 2026)
+63%5 yearsUS 14.7 /100k → 12.1 /100k
Suicide rateWorsening
13.0 /100k (2021) → 20.6 /100k (May 2025–Apr 2026)
+58%5 yearsUS 14.5 /100k → 14.1 /100k
Access to exercise opportunitiesImproving
57.7% (2010 & 2021) → 68.2% (2022 & 2024)
+11 pts3 yearsUS 79.8% → 84.5%
Child care cost burdenWorsening
24.5% (2020 & 2021) → 34.4% (2023 & 2024)
+9.9 pts3 yearsUS 24.5% → 27.9%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
83.8% (2015-2019) → 91.8% (2020-2024)
+8 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%

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, Keene, NH micropolitan area improved on 10 of 31 measures with a comparison and declined on 9. 8 moved within the margin of error and 4 barely changed.

Earlier period
Latest period
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among metro and micro areas: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts. Periods differ by measure (most compare 2015-2019 with 2020-2024); each row names its own in its tooltip and in the table.

Improved10

Property tax−0.7 points2.56% → 1.87%
Homicides−100%1.6 /100k → 0.0 /100k
Real income+33%$52,551 → $70,140
Household income+29%$64,751 → $83,329
Unemployment−3.1 points6.1% → 3.0%

Declined9

Firearm deaths+84%7.0 /100k → 12.9 /100k
Suicides+57%13.1 /100k → 20.6 /100k
Gyms−39%1.0 /10k → 0.6 /10k
Arts & recreation−14%5.6 /10k → 4.9 /10k
Grocery stores−17%1.7 /10k → 1.4 /10k

All 31 measures

Change of every measure of Keene, NH micropolitan area between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Arts, entertainment and recreation	5.6 /10k2020	4.9 /10k2025	−14%	Declined	10%
Average commute time	23.2 min2015-2019	23.7 min2020-2024	+0.5 min	Within the margin of error	47%
Average weekly wage	$1,0002020	$1,1852025	+19%	Improved	13%
Bachelor's degree or higher	33.1%2015-2019	35.5%2020-2024	+2.4 points	Improved	42%
Broadband subscriptions	83.8%2015-2019	91.8%2020-2024	+8 points	Improved	39%
Child poverty rate	10.8%2015-2019	9.0%2020-2024	−1.8 points	Within the margin of error	43%
Distance to an airport	42 mi2020	42 mi2025	0 mi	Little change	50%
Drug overdose deaths	18.3 /100k2020	19.3 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026	+5.5%	Declined	25%
Effective property tax rate	2.56%2015-2019	1.87%2020-2024	−0.7 points	Improved	100%
Firearm deaths	7.0 /100k2020	12.9 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+84%	Declined	3%
Grocery stores	1.7 /10k2020	1.4 /10k2025	−17%	Declined	12%
Gyms and fitness centers	1.0 /10k2020	0.6 /10k2025	−39%	Declined	8%
High school diploma or higher	93.4%2015-2019	94.4%2020-2024	+1.1 points	Within the margin of error	31%
Home price to income ratio	3.0×2015-2019	3.4×2020-2024	+0.3×	Declined	62%
Homicide rate	1.6 /100k2020	0.0 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−100%	Improved	95%
Income adjusted for local prices	$52,5512019	$70,1402024	+33%	Improved	62%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4322015-2019	0.4262020-2024	−0.006	Within the margin of error	72%
Median household income	$64,7512015-2019	$83,3292020-2024	+29%	Improved	58%
New business applications	7.1 /1k2020	9.3 /1k2025	+31%	Improved	29%
Pharmacies	1.6 /10k2020	1.5 /10k2025	−2.2%	Little change	64%
Poverty rate	9.0%2015-2019	8.7%2020-2024	−0.3 points	Within the margin of error	33%
Property crime rate	1,139 /100k2020	1,087 /100k2025	−4.6%	Little change	9%
Public libraries	3.3 /10k2019	3.2 /10k2024	−2.9%	Little change	39%
Rent as share of income	28.5%2015-2019	29.5%2020-2024	+1 points	Within the margin of error	37%
Rent-burdened households	45.4%2015-2019	48.7%2020-2024	+3.3 points	Within the margin of error	30%
Restaurants and bars	8.0 /10k2020	7.3 /10k2025	−8.6%	Declined	15%
Suicide rate	13.1 /100k2020	20.6 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+57%	Declined	6%
Traffic deaths	8.9 /100k2015-2019	10.3 /100k2020-2024	+16%	Declined	34%
Unemployment rate	6.1%2020	3.0%2025	−3.1 points	Improved	53%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	7.7%2015-2019	8.0%2020-2024	+0.2 points	Within the margin of error	35%
Violent crime rate	159 /100k2020	149 /100k2025	−6.2%	Improved	35%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 708 metro and micro areas that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: Regional Economic Accounts; Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; Mapping Injury, Overdose, and Violence; American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates; Business Formation Statistics; Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master files; Public Libraries Survey; Fatality Analysis Reporting System; Distance to airports and intercity rail. 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 925 metro and micro areas 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.

Metro and micro areas like Keene, NH micropolitan area five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Keene, NH micropolitan area 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, Keene, NH micropolitan area itself moved −7.4 points in standing on average over the same 30 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

77,297 residents

Men
Women

80 and over
70–79
60–69

Income

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

Household income

30,620 households (±523)

Keene, NH micropolitan area
United States share

Under $25k12%3,648
$25k–50k16%4,800
$50k–75k18%5,586

Homes

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

Owners and renters

30,620 households (±523)

Keene, NH micropolitan area
United States share

Own73%22,264
Rent27%8,356

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (+3.3 points).

Table view

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

38,441 workers (±780)

Keene, NH micropolitan area
United States share

Drive alone75%28,719
Carpool7.5%2,882
Public transit0.3%†98

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 no occupation wages for Keene, NH micropolitan area.

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.

Keene, NH has 2,001 employer establishments, 258 for every 10,000 residents (1.04× the US rate of 248), with 27,755 paid employees at an average annual pay of $55,022. The Census Bureau also counts 6,294 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 2,001; 6,294 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 258; US 248
Paid employees: 27,755
Average annual pay: $55,022; US $68,342

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

Specialty trade contractors	218	28.1	1.81×More than typical	1,105	$71,569	645
Restaurants and other eating places	125	16.1	0.88×About typical	2,036	$23,602	19
Ambulatory health care services	96	12.4	0.59×Fewer than typical	1,452	$86,426	278
Construction of buildings	80	10.3	1.36×More than typical	579	$63,076	293
Services to buildings and dwellings	76	9.8	1.45×More than typical	297	$44,259	345
Building equipment contractors	75	9.7	1.60×More than typical	320	$65,428	104
Lessors of real estate	62	8	0.65×Fewer than typical	155	$54,258	662
Automotive repair and maintenance	61	7.9	1.56×More than typical	322	$56,876	84
Full-service restaurants	60	7.7	1.01×About typical	1,101	$24,276	8
Foundation, structure and building exterior contractors	53	6.8	2.17×More than typical	479	$78,152	94
Building finishing contractors	52	6.7	1.76×More than typical	182	$69,154	273
Landscaping services	52	6.7	1.91×More than typical	185	$46,935	136

Rank places for an industry

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 77,680 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.
A metro area's figures are the exact sums of its counties.
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 contract spending

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $4.1M on contracts performed in Keene, NH micropolitan area: $52.29 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $4.1M; −24% vs FY2025
Per resident: $52.29; US $1,994
Sole-source: 49%; US 30%
Single offer: 5.8%; 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 Veterans Affairs$1.1M28%
Department of the Navy$1.1M

Federal grants & assistance

Grants, loans (counted at their subsidy cost), direct payments and insurance, by fiscal year of the action (USAspending.gov, FABS). Reported apart from contracts and never added to them.

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $601.8M in grants, loans, direct payments and insurance for Keene, NH micropolitan area: $7,689 per resident (US $12,955).

Assistance · FY2026: $601.8M; −6.6% vs FY2025
Per resident: $7,689; US $12,955
Loan face value: $18.7M; lent or guaranteed
To individuals: 0.5%; counted, never named

Top programs

96.002 · Social Security Retirement Insurance$425M71%
96.001 · Social Security Disability Insurance$52.7M8.8%
64.109 · Veterans Compensation for Service-Connected Disability$41.8M7.0%
96.004 · Social Security Survivors Insurance$26.7M4.4%
14.871 · Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers$12.2M2.0%
20.263 · Bridge Formula Program$7.5M1.2%
96.006 · Supplemental Security Income$7.4M1.2%
84.063 · Federal Pell Grant Program$5.6M0.9%

Top recipients (organizations)

KEENE HOUSING AUTHORITY$12.9M2.1%
KEENE, NH
NEW HAMPSHIRE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION$7.7M1.3%
CONCORD, NH
UNIVERSITY SYSTEM OF NEW HAMPSHIRE$4.8M0.8%
KEENE, NH
UNIVERSITY SYSTEM OF NEW HAMPSHIRE$2.1M0.4%
KEENE, NH
FRANKLIN PIERCE UNIVERSITY

Organizations only: awards to individuals and county aggregate records count in the totals but are never listed. Grants to state governments recorded at the agency's own address are counted statewide, not in the capital's county.

Top agencies

Social Security Administration$511.8M85%
Under Secretary for Benefits/Veterans Benefits Administration$47.2M7.8%
Department of Veterans Affairs
Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian Housing$12.9M2.1%
Department of Housing and Urban Development
Department of Education$8.8M1.5%
Federal Highway Administration$7.6M

Assistance by fiscal year

542.9MFY2021
521.6MFY2022
544.4MFY2023
597.9MFY2024
644.5MFY2025
601.8MFY2026

County aggregates

93%

Share of obligations reported only as county totals of many small awards (for example Social Security or Medicare payments), with no recipient named.

Source: Federal financial assistance transactions (Financial Assistance Broker Submission) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026 · FY2021–FY2026.

Counties in Keene, NH

Whole counties, as the U.S. Office of Management and Budget delineates the area. Federal spending below is the exact sum of these counties.

Cheshire CountyCentral county9078,269

Principal cities

The cities the area is named for.

KeenePrincipal city22,939

Largest cities and towns

By population, for places with most of their residents in the area.

Other metro and micro areas in New Hampshire

Areas based in New Hampshire, best score first.

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Places that share a border, best score first.

Similar metro and micro areas

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.

Mapping Injury, Overdose, and ViolenceCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2026-10-01
PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Daily county PM2.5 and ozone (EPA downscaler model)Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2022
Care Compare: Hospital General Information and Timely and Effective CareCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services · release 2026-07-22
Distance to airports and intercity railFederal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census Bureau · release 2025+amtrak-2026-04-23
Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master filesFederal Bureau of Investigation · release 2025
Public Libraries SurveyInstitute of Museum and Library Services · release FY2024
U.S. Drought Monitor county statisticsNational Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAA · release 2026-09-29
Fatality Analysis Reporting SystemNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration · release 2024
nClimGrid-Daily county averagesNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · release 2025
Regional Economic AccountsU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis · release 2024
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
Quarterly Census of Employment and WagesU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2026 Q1
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Business Formation StatisticsU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-10-01
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
Alternative Fuels Data Center station locatorU.S. Department of Energy · release 2026-10
Election Administration and Voting SurveyU.S. Election Assistance Commission · release 2024
Air Quality Index Annual Summary by CountyU.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2025
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/M28300

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends

What changed in five years

Improved10

Declined9

Metro and micro areas like Keene, NH micropolitan area five years ago that improved

Who lives here

Age and sex

Income

Household income

Homes

Owners and renters

Getting to work

How people get to work

Jobs and pay

Local businesses

Federal contract spending

Top buying agencies

Federal grants & assistance

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

Counties in Keene, NH

Principal cities

Largest cities and towns

Other metro and micro areas in New Hampshire

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Similar metro and micro areas

Data and sources

Improved10

Declined9

Age and sex

Household income

Owners and renters

How people get to work

Race and Hispanic origin

Education

Rent paid

Home values

Age of homes

Size of homes

Time to get to work

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

Top buying agencies

By type

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

What was bought

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards