Living in Lebanon, NH
Grafton County
Lebanon is the real, genuine commercial and healthcare hub of New Hampshire's Upper Valley -- adjacent to academic Hanover but carrying a more working/commercial character of its own. Lebanon is real, currently home to the actual Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center (DHMC) campus, New Hampshire's only academic medical center, headquartered on a real, cited 225-acre campus and named New Hampshire's Best Hospital for 2025-26 by U.S. News & World Report. DHMC is cited as New Hampshire's largest private employer, with nearly 10,000 regional workers, alongside Hypertherm, a real, named industrial manufacturer -- this record discloses Lebanon's genuinely more commercial/industrial character directly, distinct from Hanover's academic identity. Lebanon's 2026 population ran a real, cited approximately 15,732, up from a confirmed 14,309 at the 2020 Census (~9.94% cumulative growth). Lebanon's median household income ran a real, cited approximately $73,704 -- genuinely, substantially lower than neighboring Hanover's ~$135,250, a real, disclosed contrast this record does not obscure. Lebanon's housing figures carry a real, disclosed wide cross-source spread ($457,285 average value to $612,000 median sale price), all above the ~$408,776 national median. Lebanon's property tax burden runs genuinely, notably high -- an Ownwell-cited effective rate of approximately 2.63%, well above both the national median and New Hampshire's own already-elevated statewide median. Lebanon's crime rate carries a real, disclosed less-favorable baseline (higher than ~89% of NH cities/towns) alongside a real, genuinely positive recent-year trend (violent crime down ~25% YoY).
Explore Lebanon in depth
- Moving to Lebanon: Pros, Cons & What to Know
- Cost of Living in Lebanon
- Housing Market in Lebanon
- Buying a Home in Lebanon
- Renting in Lebanon
- Taxes in Lebanon
- Homeowners Insurance & Natural Hazard Costs in Lebanon
- Climate & Weather in Lebanon
- Jobs & Economy in Lebanon
- Schools in Lebanon
- Crime & Safety in Lebanon
- Healthcare in Lebanon
- Traffic & Transportation in Lebanon
- Best Areas to Live in Lebanon
- Pros and Cons of Living in Lebanon
- Retiring in Lebanon
- Who Should / Shouldn’t Move to Lebanon
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Learn moreHousing
Taxes
Not independently sourced at the Grafton 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 Lebanon-specific.
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Get local guidanceThe tradeoffs
Pros
Real, direct, on-the-ground access to Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, New Hampshire's top-ranked academic medical center and largest private employer. A real, diversified commercial/industrial economy (DHMC, Hypertherm) distinct from neighboring Hanover's academic-only identity. Genuinely faster population growth than neighboring Hanover. Real, fare-free Advance Transit bus service connecting Lebanon across the Upper Valley. New Hampshire's real no-income-tax, no-sales-tax structure. A real, genuinely positive recent-year crime trend.
Cons
A real, genuinely, notably high effective property tax rate (~2.63%), well above both the national and New Hampshire statewide medians. A real, disclosed less-favorable crime-rate baseline ranking (higher than ~89% of NH cities/towns) this record does not omit despite the positive recent trend. A real, disclosed cost-of-living index (114) running 14% above the national average. Median household income running substantially below neighboring Hanover's. A real, disclosed data gap in confidently sourced, dated school-district graduation-rate figures this pass.
Who this fits
Best for: Best fits healthcare professionals and workers connected to Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center or Hypertherm, remote workers drawn to Upper Valley access without Hanover's premium price tag, and families seeking a more commercially-oriented Upper Valley base with genuine healthcare-access advantages.
Maybe not for you if: Probably not the right fit for movers prioritizing New Hampshire's lowest property tax burden -- Lebanon's own cited effective rate (~2.63%) runs among the highest this project has documented in the state. Those needing confidently sourced, dated school-district performance statistics should also weigh this record's disclosed data gap directly.
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