Keene, New Hampshire
Area Profile
22,939 residents. Public schools, jobs, income, housing cost, climate and natural-hazard risk for Keene, in Cheshire County.
How this area ranks
Data updated · 13 sourcesKeene ranks in the top 22% of cities measured for employment opportunity, with unemployment at 2.9% and median household income of $78,445.
In the public schools here, 42% of students met the state standard in mathematics, with 11.1 students for every teacher.
Residential permitting has slowed: 5 units authorized over the past twelve months, against 6 the year before.
These sentences are written by fixed rules from the measurements below — a statement appears because a number crossed a stated threshold, and the values behind it are stored with it. No figure anywhere on this site is invented, estimated or inferred to fill a gap. How this works.
At a glance
Jobs & opportunity
Unemployment of 2.9%, lower than in 95% of the 4,226 measured US cities.
Employment fell 0.8% over the past year, to 11,970 employed residents.
44% of adults hold a four-year degree, higher than 85% of measured US cities.
| Metric | Value | Compared nationally | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Income of new arrivalsCheshire County, NH’s figurefiling years 2022–2023 | $77,831 | 59th percentileof 4,101 | filing years 2022–2023 |
| Income of those who leftCheshire County, NH’s figurefiling years 2022–2023 | $68,776 | 42nd percentileof 4,101 | filing years 2022–2023 |
| Median household income ±$8,1092024 ACS 5-Year | $78,445 | Top 35%of 29,223 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Per capita income ±$2,7502024 ACS 5-Year | $40,992 | Top 31%of 31,420 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Poverty rate ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year | 8.6% | Top 41%of 31,773 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Average commute ±1.6 min2024 ACS 5-Year | 18.1 min | Top 12%of 31,543 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Bachelor's degree or higher ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year | 44.1% | Top 15%of 31,919 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Drove alone to work ±4%2024 ACS 5-Year | 66.1% | 20th percentileof 31,433 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| EmploymentJuly 2026 | 11,970 | Bottom 6%of 4,226 | July 2026 |
| Employment change (3 years)July 2026 | −0.6% | Bottom 45%of 4,226 | July 2026 |
| Employment change (year over year)July 2026 | −0.8% | Top 49%of 4,226 | July 2026 |
| Labor forceJuly 2026 | 12,324 | 5th percentileof 4,226 | July 2026 |
| Labor force participation ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year | 81.4% | Top 38%of 31,513 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Public transit to work ±0.1%2024 ACS 5-Year | 0.1% | 74th percentileof 31,433 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Unemployment change (year over year)July 2026 | −0.4% | Top 32%of 4,226 | July 2026 |
| Unemployment rateJuly 2026 | 2.9% | Top 5%of 4,226 | July 2026 |
| Worked from home ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year | 15.6% | 78th percentileof 31,433 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
Unemployment rate
Median household income, successive ACS releases
42% of students met the state standard in mathematics and 54% in reading, across the schools here that reported results.
There are 11.1 students for every full-time teacher across 11 public schools, fewer than in most measured places.
| School | District | Students | Per teacher | Math | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Keene High School | Keene School District | 1,288 | 12.3 | 40% | 57% |
| Keene Middle School | Keene School District | 626 | 11.0 | 41% | 53% |
| Symonds Elementary School | Keene School District | 299 | 11.1 | 52% | 52% |
| Fuller Elementary School | Keene School District | 275 | 11.0 | 47% | 52% |
| Franklin Elementary School | Keene School District | 234 | 11.7 | 27% | 37% |
| Gathering Waters Charter School (E) · charter | Gathering Waters Charter School | 219 | 7.8 | — | — |
| Wheelock Elementary School | Keene School District | 192 | 8.7 | 42% | 52% |
| Jonathan Daniels School | Keene School District | 93 | 18.6 | — | — |
| Making Community Connections Charter School - Monadnock · charter | Making Community Connections Charter School | 80 | 16.0 | — | — |
| Surry Village Charter School · charter | Surry Village Charter School | 79 | 11.3 | 55% | 65% |
| Gathering Waters Charter School (H) · charter | Gathering Waters Charter School | 67 | 7.4 | — | — |
30.4% of students here are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. That describes the circumstances families arrive with, not how the schools perform, so it is shown and not scored.
Public schools only, from the NCES Common Core of Data, placed by ZIP code — which schools are in this place, not which one a particular address is zoned for. A dash in a proficiency column is a gap in the federal file, not a bad result. Proficiency is measured against New Hampshire’s own standard, so it is ranked within state. How to read school figures.
Housing & affordability
How it’s calculated — housing affordability →The Federal Housing Finance Agency’s house price index for the non-metropolitan parts of New Hampshire is up 60% over five years, and up 4.0% over the last year. It follows repeat sales of the same homes, so it measures price change rather than which homes happened to sell.
Homeowners here who pay a tax bill pay a median of $6,812 a year in real estate taxes, about 2.70% of the median home value.
The typical renter household here spends 28% of its income on rent, below the 30% threshold at which a household is considered cost-burdened. Median gross rent runs $1,342 a month.
A median home at $252,500 costs 2.6 times the median income of its owner-occupied households, $98,182, close to the historic benchmark for an affordable market.
The figures above are measured against Keene’s median household income of $78,445, which describes the place rather than you. Enter your own and the ratio is recomputed against it. It stays in this browser.
| Metric | Value | Compared nationally | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home price change (1 year)the non-metropolitan parts of New Hampshire’s figure2026 Q2 | +4.0% | 66th percentileof 4,154 | 2026 Q2 |
| Home price change (5 years)the non-metropolitan parts of New Hampshire’s figure2026 Q2 | +60.4% | 96th percentileof 4,154 | 2026 Q2 |
| Home price change (10 years)the non-metropolitan parts of New Hampshire’s figure2026 Q2 | +127.1% | 94th percentileof 4,154 | 2026 Q2 |
| Home price to income ±0.22024 ACS 5-Year | 2.6 | Bottom 47%of 26,815 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Homeownership rate ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year | 55.1% | 14th percentileof 31,717 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Housing units ±3512024 ACS 5-Year | 10,540 | 94th percentileof 32,177 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median gross rent ±$682024 ACS 5-Year | $1,342 | Bottom 25%of 23,120 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median home value ±$12,0112024 ACS 5-Year | $252,500 | 65th percentileof 29,111 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median property taxes ±$2732024 ACS 5-Year | $6,812 | 96th percentileof 26,440 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Owner household income ±$6,3582024 ACS 5-Year | $98,182 | Top 29%of 27,548 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Property tax rate ±0.17%2024 ACS 5-Year | 2.70% | 99th percentileof 20,543 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Rent as a share of income ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year | 28.4% | Top 50%of 22,950 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Seasonal and second homes ±1272024 ACS 5-Year | 170 | 93rd percentileof 32,330 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Second homes2024 ACS 5-Year | 1.6% | 67th percentileof 31,895 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Vacancy rate2024 ACS 5-Year | 9.2% | 61st percentileof 31,769 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Vacant housing units ±3122024 ACS 5-Year | 1,141 | 95th percentileof 32,330 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
These measures come from the same ACS release as the income they are compared with. They compare housing cost with local earnings only: transport, groceries, healthcare, insurance and taxes are not in them. How to read affordability, the two rent figures.
Growth & development
How it’s calculated — growth →Development Momentum
An AreaProfile calculation combining permit volume per resident, its direction over one and three years, population change and employment growth. Permit volume alone is not the measure.
Population has been broadly flat since 2020, at 23,036 in 2024.
Permitting has turned downward after moving the other way the year before: 3 units authorized in 2025, against 13 the year before.
New construction is predominantly single-family: of 5 units permitted over the past twelve months, none were in buildings of five or more homes.
Federal tax returns show Cheshire County, which contains Keene, gained about 0.6% of its residents through moves within the US in the most recent year, counting those who arrived against those who left. Households that moved in reported an average income of $77,831, above the $68,776 of households that moved out.
At 0.2 permitted units per 1,000 residents, building activity is below the median for measured US cities.
Population, annual estimates
People moving in and out
Where newcomers came from
- Hillsborough County, NH 537 people · 17% of arrivals
- Worcester County, MA 248 people · 7.8% of arrivals
- Windham County, VT 222 people · 7.0% of arrivals
- Middlesex County, MA 165 people · 5.2% of arrivals
- Sullivan County, NH 97 people · 3.1% of arrivals
Where people who left went
- Hillsborough County, NH 397 people · 14% of departures
- Windham County, VT 162 people · 5.8% of departures
- Sullivan County, NH 112 people · 4.0% of departures
- Worcester County, MA 107 people · 3.8% of departures
- Middlesex County, MA 103 people · 3.7% of departures
Based on the address on federal tax returns, compared with the same filers a year earlier. It counts people who file, and sees a move only when the address on a return changes. Domestic moves only: people arriving from abroad are left out. This is the figure for Cheshire County, NH. IRS Statistics of Income, filing years 2022–2023.
Housing units permitted per year
Weather & climate
5 of the twelve months have a normal average temperature between 55°F and 80°F. July averages a high of 81°F and January a low of 13°F.
Normal annual precipitation is 46.4 inches.
Air quality measures a median index of 36, in the Good band, and no day in the year passed 100.
Precipitation
| Metric | Value | Source period |
|---|---|---|
| 90th percentile air quality index2024 calendar year | 54 | 2024 calendar year |
| Annual precipitation1991-2020 Normals | 46.4" | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Average January low1991-2020 Normals | 13°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Average July high1991-2020 Normals | 81°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Comfortable months1991-2020 Normals | 5 | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Days above AQI 1002024 calendar year | 0 | 2024 calendar year |
| Median air quality index2024 calendar year | 36 | 2024 calendar year |
| Seasonal temperature swing1991-2020 Normals | 48°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
Air quality
A comfortable median and a bad tail are different problems. Wildfire smoke and summer ozone show up in the worst tenth of days, not in the middle of the year.
Climate figures are thirty-year normals, not current conditions. Air quality is measured by EPA monitors and published by county only where a monitor sits; a county without one shows nothing rather than an estimate, and a county reading is still the county’s. How to read climate and air quality.
Physical risk
The hazards accounting for most of this area's expected annual loss are inland flooding, hurricane and cold wave, with inland flooding alone responsible for 74% of it. Cold wave is independently rated low or minimal nationally, so this describes how the loss is composed, not how large that hazard is.
Low or minimal exposure: lightning, cold wave, winter weather, tornado, avalanche, hail, strong wind, wildfire, drought, tsunami, coastal flooding, volcanic activity.
Hazard ratings are AreaProfile calculations derived from the FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0 (December 2025). FEMA publishes at county level. City values are the population-weighted mean of the counties the city overlaps, using AreaProfile place-to-county land-area weights. FEMA does not endorse this presentation. Higher physical resilience means lower exposure.
Below these are deaths rather than offenses, published for the county. The two measure different things and are not comparable with each other.
Keene's police department reported 143 violent offenses per 100,000 residents, near the middle of places with a department reporting. Property crime runs at 2,114.
Cheshire County records 0.0 homicide deaths per 100,000 residents a year, lower than most counties measured. The CDC does not publish this below county level.
Firearm deaths of all intents run at 12.9 per 100,000 — more than the homicide rate, since the figure counts suicides and accidents as well as homicides.
Drug overdose deaths run at 19.3 per 100,000 residents in Cheshire County.
Firearm deaths count every intent together, and nationally the majority are suicides rather than homicides, so the firearm figure and the homicide figure above it count some of the same deaths twice over. They overlap and should not be added together.
Offenses are reported to the FBI by Keene’s own police department and shown only where it reported every month of the year; a partial year is withheld rather than scaled up. Reported crime is what police recorded, which is not the same as what happened. Death rates are crude rates — deaths divided by population, not adjusted for age — except where a count was too small for the CDC to publish and it modeled the rate, which the card marks. They come from provisional death certificate records, published by the CDC by county and not below it. So they describe the county around Keene (Cheshire County) rather than Keene itself. Neither is part of the Area Score. How to read crime rates and death rates.
What this profile does not cover
Each of these is absent for a reason, not by oversight. The Area Score is calculated without them; the weighting is on the methodology page.
- Cost of living
- Price parities are published for metropolitan areas, and this place lies outside one.
- Taxes
- Income and sales taxes are not published: no source covers them nationally with a method open enough to check. Property taxes are shown in the housing section but are not part of the score. Cost of living is published where the Bureau of Economic Analysis measures it, though not for this place. Nothing here is individualized tax advice.
- Anything about a specific address
- Every figure describes an area, not a street or a house.
Access
7 major airports lie within 100 miles, the nearest Manchester Boston Rgnl at 44 miles.
| Metric | Value | Compared nationally | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Broadband access ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year | 91.3% | Top 43%of 31,588 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Distance to major airportNASR current cycle | 44 mi | Bottom 16%of 4,226 | NASR current cycle |
| Major airports within 100 milesNASR current cycle | 7 | Top 13%of 4,226 | NASR current cycle |
| No internet access ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year | 6.0% | Top 42%of 31,588 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Airport | Code | Distance | Longest runway |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manchester Boston Rgnl | MHT | 44 mi | 9,250 ft |
| Westover ARB/Metro | CEF | 54 mi | 11,597 ft |
| Westfield-Barnes Rgnl | BAF | 59 mi | 9,000 ft |
Airport identity, position and runway data come from the FAA. “Major airport” is an AreaProfile classification — a public-use civil airport with a paved runway of at least 8,000 feet — not an FAA hub designation. Distances are straight-line, not driving distance.
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Similar places
Matched on AreaProfile signals, not geographyCompare
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Moving to Keene from somewhere else?
You get the difference in prices, rent and weather, and the income that would keep pace.
Data & methodology
| Used for | Source | Source period |
|---|---|---|
| Access | Federal Aviation Administration Airports (NASR) — Aeronautical Data Delivery Service | NASR current cycle |
| Safety | Federal Bureau of Investigation, Crime Data Explorer Summarized offense counts by law enforcement agency | 2025 calendar year |
| Physical risk | Federal Emergency Management Agency National Risk Index | National Risk Index December 2025 (v1.20.0) |
| Demographics, Income | Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income Division U.S. Population Migration Data (county to county) | filing years 2022–2023 |
| Climate | NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Monthly) | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Jobs | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Local Area Unemployment Statistics | July 2026 |
| Demographics | U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program | July 1, 2024 estimate |
| Development | U.S. Census Bureau Building Permits Survey | 12 months ending July 2026 |
| Access, Demographics, Housing, Income, Jobs | U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (Table-Based Summary File) | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Safety | U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics Provisional county-level mortality by intent | March 2025 to February 2026; May 2025 to April 2026 |
| Schools | U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data and EDFacts assessments | 2018-19 school year; 2024-25 school year |
| Climate | U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Air Quality System Daily Air Quality Index by county | 2024 calendar year |
| Housing | U.S. Federal Housing Finance Agency House Price Index (traditional, all-transactions) | 2026 Q2 |
| Current conditions | NOAA National Weather Service National Weather Service current conditions | Live observation, read when the page opens |
Profile recalculated October 8, 2026. Recalculation is not the same as new source data — each figure above shows the period its source actually covers. Read the full methodology, or every source with how often each updates.
ZIP codes in Keene
1 ZIP areaEvery ZIP area in Keene with census figures of its own, largest first. The ones linked below diverge enough from the city as a whole to carry a full profile; the rest track Keene closely, so their figures are here rather than on a page that would repeat this one. An Area Score is calculated for published profiles only, which is why it is blank on those rows.
| ZIP | Population | Median household income | Median home value | Area Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 03431 | 25,065 | $79,541 | $255,500 | — |