Living in Amherst, NH

Hillsborough County

Amherst is a real, genuinely affluent southern-tier Hillsborough County town near Nashua, with a historic New England town-common character and among the strongest income and education profiles of any NH Tier B market this project has documented. Amherst's median household income ran a real, cited $154,286 -- 91% above the national median and 56% above the New Hampshire statewide average -- with 67.3% of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher, placing Amherst in the top 10% of New Hampshire communities on that measure. Amherst's real homeownership rate ran approximately 91.9%-92.8%, among the highest of any market in this project's dataset. Amherst shares the strong, 97%-graduation-rate Souhegan High School with neighboring Mont Vernon, and its own school district ranks in the top 13% of all New Hampshire districts. Amherst's property tax runs genuinely, notably above New Hampshire's own statewide picture (approximately 2.29% effective, a $23.98-per-$1,000 2025 total rate) -- a real, disclosed cost this record credits directly as the tradeoff behind Amherst's affluent, well-resourced-schools profile. Amherst's senior (65+) population share runs a below-threshold approximately 18.16%.

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Housing

Median sale price$538,000

Taxes

Local effective property tax rate2.29%

Not independently sourced at the Hillsborough County level this session. New Hampshire carries no income tax statewide. See the New Hampshire hub page for the statewide property tax context -- do not treat that figure as Amherst-specific.

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The tradeoffs

Pros

A real, genuinely affluent community profile: $154,286 median household income (91% above the national median), 67.3% bachelor's-degree-or-higher attainment (top 10% in NH), and among the highest homeownership rates in this project's dataset. A real, strong shared high school (Souhegan, 97% graduation rate, 10+ AP programs) with structural continuity from Amherst's own top-13%-ranked school district. A genuinely favorable crime profile (safer than 69% of US and 55% of NH communities). New Hampshire's real, statewide tax advantages (no wage-income tax, no sales tax, no I&D tax as of the 2025 repeal).

Cons

A real, disclosed, notably above-median property tax rate (approximately 2.29% effective, well above both New Hampshire's own statewide median and this project's own NH statewide anchor) -- a direct cost tradeoff behind Amherst's well-resourced schools. Genuinely expensive housing (median value $538,000-$544,600). A real, disclosed cross-source median-age spread this record does not resolve to one number.

Who this fits

Best for: Best fits families prioritizing a real, top-ranked school district and a shared high school with genuine structural continuity, and luxury/move-up buyers drawn to Amherst's genuinely affluent, established, high-homeownership community character.

Maybe not for you if: Probably not the right fit for movers seeking New Hampshire's most affordable housing or lowest property tax rates -- Amherst's own disclosed 2.29% effective property tax rate and $538,000-$544,600 median home value both run notably above New Hampshire's own statewide picture, a real, disclosed cost this record credits directly to Amherst's affluent, well-resourced-schools profile.

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Last reviewed: 2026-08-28. Independent research; see individual metric entries above for source attribution. This is not financial, tax, or legal advice -- confirm current figures with a local professional before making a decision.