Merrimack Among Safest Towns in the Country to Live

Statistically, New Hampshire consistently ranks among the safest states in the United States.

According to those same statistics, detailed in a 2011 report by the New Hampshire Center for Public Policy, Merrimack has the lowest violent crime rate among Granite State cities and towns with populations of 10,000 or more.

From 2005 through 2008, New Hampshire ranked either 49th or 50th in the United States in crime data that includes the District of Columbia.

In fact, the Granite State placed dead last in terms of murders in 2006 and 2007 and 50th in 2008. The only crime statistic that New Hampshire ranked among the bottom 30 was forcible rape (NH was 30th in 2008 and 29th in 2005, though 40th in both 2006 and 2007).

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In 2010, the most recent year detailed in the report (which compiles crime data dating back to 1985), New Hampshire saw:

• One murder or non-negligent manslaughter every 28 days
• One forcible rape every 21 hours
• One robbery every 19 hours
• One aggravated assault every 7 hours
• One burglary every 1 hour and 36 minutes
• One larceny-theft every 23 minutes
• One motor vehicle theft every 9 hours.

According to those same statistics, Merrimack saw nine violent crimes that entire year, down from two in 2009, and eight in 2008. Since 1985, the most violent crime Merrimack has seen in one year is 22 in 1985 and 1989. In 1989, 21 of those crimes were aggravated assaults, with one robbery. In 1985, they were spread across forcible rape (10), robbery (6) and aggravated assault (6).

In terms of total reported crimes in 2010, Merrimack Police reported:

Violent crime, nine instances:

• 3 robberies
• 6 aggravated assaults

Property crime, 293 instances:

• 45 burglaries
• 10 motor vehicle thefts
• 238 incidents of larceny theft

Property crimes reported by the police department have hovered in the same vicinity for the last three reporting years 293 in 2010, 287 in 2009 and 291 in 2007, and are well below the high in 1994 of 475. Compared to other towns and cities in New Hampshire with more than 10,000 people Merrimack's property crime rate among the lowest, second only to Exeter.