CONCORD, NH – All 10 of New Hampshire’s counties have increased in population since 2020, with growth in less-traditional rural areas as well as the Seacoast and along the southern border, according to a report released Tuesday.
New Hampshire added 24,525 people for a 1.78% population increase, between April 1, 2020, and July 1, 2023, according to information from the U.S. Census Bureau. The increase brings New Hampshire’s population to 1,402,054.
The New Hampshire Department of Business and Economic Affairs announced the increase in a news release Tuesday.
The state’s population growth outpaced the national increase, which was 1% (3.5 million people), according to a BEA news release Tuesday. [For the full report, click here.] The state is required to estimate the population of its municipalities annually, using U.S. Census Bureau numbers, with a deadline of Aug. 19.
The state’s population has increased 6.5% since July 2010, according to the New Hampshire Fiscal Policy Institute, which issued a fact sheet on the numbers last week. The FPI said that both New Hampshire and Maine’s population increases were because of people moving to the state, rather than births. Both states had more deaths than births during the three-year period.
Maine led northern New England in population growth between April 2020 and July 2023, with a 2.39% increase, adding 32,500 residents for a total population of 1,395,722. Vermont’s growth was .68%. Massachusetts’ growth declined by .45% (31,534 people).
Traditionally, the state’s population growth has been along the Massachusetts border, but the recent trend has included the northern and western more rural areas of the state, Taylor Caswell, BEA commission, said in the release.
“This is great news for community revitalization efforts and for employers looking for workforce,” Caswell said.
The fastest-growing county in New Hampshire was Rockingham, which includes Portsmouth and the Seacoast, which added 8,811 people for a population of 322,987.
Hillsborough County, which, at 430,773, has the state’s largest population and includes Manchester and Nashua, gained 7,836 people.
Strafford County added 2,186 people, bringing its population to 133,075.
The fastest growing town in the state, with a 8.78% population increase, is Merrimack, in Hillsborough County, which added 2,339 people. Londonderry, also in Hillsborough County, is second, adding 1,708. Salem added 1,606.
Grafton County, with a population of 93,982, grew by 2.27%, adding 2,066 people. Carroll County, with a population of 51,083 straddling the Lakes Region and Mount Washington Valley, rose 1,108 for a population increase of 2.22%, and Belknap County, located in the Lakes Region, with a population of 65,021, grew by 2.07%, to 65,021.
“With continued investment in affordable housing and high-speed internet access, we expect to see these trends continue,” Caswell said. “And with proper planning, we can continue to welcome new residents and not impact our quality of life.”
Numbers in the remaining counties included Sullivan County, which added 583 people; Merrimack County, 291; Coos County, 288; Cheshire County, 32.
