Strafford County, NH

County

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2024 Population

132,575

US Senator

Jeanne Shaheen

Democratic Party

US Senator

Maggie Hassan

Democratic Party

2024 Median Age

38.2

0.792% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

8.66%

1.71% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$88,570

2.32% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$362,800

9.15% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

73,158

1.43% 1-year growth

About

None of the households in Strafford County, NH reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language. This does not consider the potential multi-lingual nature of households, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household.

98.4% of the residents in Strafford County, NH are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Strafford County, NH are University of New Hampshire-Main Campus (3,916 degrees awarded in 2023) and Empire Beauty School-Somersworth (64 degrees).

In 2024, the median property value in Strafford County, NH was $362,800, and the homeownership rate was 67.1%.

Most people in Strafford County, NH drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 26 minutes. The average car ownership in Strafford County, NH was 2 cars per household.

Strafford County, NH borders York County, ME, Belknap County, NH, Carroll County, NH, Merrimack County, NH, and Rockingham County, NH.

United States New Hampshire Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH

Population & Diversity

Strafford County, NH is home to a population of 133k people, from which 98.4% are citizens. As of 2024, 4.37% of Strafford County, NH residents were born outside of the country (5.79k people).

In 2024, there were 26.8 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (116k people) in Strafford County, NH than any other race or ethnicity. There were 4.34k Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) and 3.6k Asian (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

98.4%

2024 Citizenship

98.5%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 98.4% of Strafford County, NH residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Strafford County, NH was 98.5%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Strafford County, NH compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Strafford County, NH

White (Non-Hispanic)
116k ± 579
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
4.34k ± 488
Asian (Non-Hispanic)
3.6k ± 329

3.2%

Hispanic Population

4.25k people

3.2% of the people in Strafford County, NH are hispanic (4.25k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Strafford County, NH as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the County level, so we are showing data for New Hampshire.

Most Common Origin

Canada
8,457 ± 2,251 people
India
7,313 ± 2,094 people
Dominican Republic
6,580 ± 1,987 people

In 2023, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of New Hampshire was Canada, the natal country of 8,457 New Hampshire residents, followed by India with 7,313 and Dominican Republic with 6,580.

Foreign-Born Population

4.37%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

5.79k people

4.02%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

5.3k people

As of 2024, 4.37% of Strafford County, NH residents (5.79k people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Strafford County, NH was 4.02%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Strafford County, NH compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
2,508 ± 350
Gulf War (2001-)
1,715 ± 310
Gulf War (1990s)
1,138 ± 245

Strafford County, NH has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.46 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Strafford County, NH.

Economy

The economy of Strafford County, NH employs 73.2k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Strafford County, NH were Manufacturing (10,513 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (9,438 people), and Retail Trade (8,593 people), and the highest paying industries were Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($84,392), Utilities ($78,938), and Finance & Insurance ($75,777).

Employment

Occupations

73.2k

2024 Value

± 2,223

1.43%

1 Year growth

± 4.31%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Strafford County, NH grew at a rate of 1.43%, from 72.1k employees to 73.2k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Strafford County, NH, are Management Occupations (8,652 people), Sales & Related Occupations (7,656 people), and Office & Administrative Support Occupations (7,224 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Strafford County, NH.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for New Hampshire.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in New Hampshire (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

Industries

Employment by Industries

73.2k

2024 Value

± 2,223

1.43%

1 Year growth

± 4.31%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Strafford County, NH grew at a rate of 1.43%, from 72.1k employees to 73.2k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Strafford County, NH, are Manufacturing (10,513 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (9,438 people), and Retail Trade (8,593 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Strafford County, NH, though some of these residents may live in Strafford County, NH and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$60,829

Median earning men ± $1,657

$44,162

Median earning women ± $2,008

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($93,828), Information ($80,833), and Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($79,415).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Construction ($68,125), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($65,406), and Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($62,652).

Employment by Industry Sector

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for New Hampshire.

Y-Axis

2.71%

Year-over-year growth

Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 693k people employed in New Hampshire. This represents a 2.71% increase in employment when compared to February 2022.

Right after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, during April 2020, a general dip can be seen across industry sectors, resulting in an overall decline in employment by 16.3%.

The following chart shows monthly employment numbers for each industry sector in New Hampshire.

Establishments by Size

The industries with the most establishments

227
Construction
167
Other Services (except Public Administration)
153
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services

The visualization shows the distribution of establishments by industry and by size according to the number of employees.

The visualization shows the number of establishments and its share across establishment sizes.

Payroll by Industry Sector

The industries with the highest total annual payroll

$475k
Health Care and Social Assistance
$285k
Manufacturing
$280k
Finance and Insurance

The chart shows the total annual payroll and the average annual payroll by industry.

Education

In 2023, universities in Strafford County, NH awarded 3,980 degrees. The student population of Strafford County, NH in 2023 is skewed towards women, with 5,848 male students and 7,946 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Strafford County, NH are White (3,292 and 85.8%), Unknown (153 and 3.99%), Hispanic or Latino (127 and 3.31%), and Asian (125 and 3.26%).

The largest universities in Strafford County, NH by number of degrees awarded are University of New Hampshire-Main Campus (3,916 and 98.4%) and Empire Beauty School-Somersworth (64 and 1.61%).

The most popular majors in Strafford County, NH are General Business Administration & Management (618 and 15.5%), General Psychology (218 and 5.48%), and Speech Communication & Rhetoric (134 and 3.37%).

The median tuition cost for a public four year colleges is $15,520 for in-state students and $35,290 for out-of-state students.

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

University

Measure

In 2023 in Strafford County, NH, the percentage of applicants admitted was 86.9%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 14.4%. The number of students enrolled in 2023 was 13,794 (42.4% men and 57.6% women).

The line chart shows the evolution of the percentage of applicants admitted, admitted who enrolled or the number of students enrolled according to the option selected in the upper button.

Enrollments by Gender and Races

Universities

In 2023 there were 13,794 students enrolled in Strafford County, NH, 42.4% men and 57.6% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 11,354 records, of which 58.7% were women and 41.3% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

General Business Administration & Management
618 degrees awarded
General Psychology
211 degrees awarded
Speech Communication & Rhetoric
134 degrees awarded

In 2023, the most common concentation for Bachelors Degree recipients in Strafford County, NH was General Business Administration & Management with 618 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Bachelors Degree from schools in Strafford County, NH according to their major.

Universities

Gender

Race

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

University of New Hampshire-Main Campus
3,916 degrees awarded
Empire Beauty School-Somersworth
64 degrees awarded

In 2023, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was University of New Hampshire-Main Campus with 3,916 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

University

In 2023, 1,579 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Strafford County, NH, which is 0.658 times less than the 2,401 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2023, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 3,292 degrees mean that there were 21.5 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Unknown, with 153 degrees awarded.

Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Universities

Public, 4-year or above ($15,520) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2023.

Public, 4-year or above ($3,592) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2023.

Public, 4-year or above ($1,000) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

The graph shows the average net price by sector and year.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Strafford County, NH was $362,800 in 2024, which is 1.09 times larger than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $332,400 to $362,800, a 9.15% increase. The homeownership rate in Strafford County, NH is 67.1%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Strafford County, NH have an average commute time of 26 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Strafford County, NH is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

In 2025, 14.7% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Strafford County, NH. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 2.52%.

Housing

Property

$362,800

Median Property Value 2024

±$7,889

$34,950

Median Property Taxes

±$1,208

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Strafford County, NH the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Strafford County, NH compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

67.1%

Homeownership

2024

60.4%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 67.1% of the housing units in Strafford County, NH were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 67%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Strafford County, NH compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$88,570

Median Household Income

± $4,424

52.1k

Number of Households

± 1,769

In 2024, the median household income of the 52.1k households in Strafford County, NH grew to $88,570 from the previous year's value of $86,564.

The following chart displays the households in Strafford County, NH distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $75k - $100k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Strafford County, NH is from New Hampshire.

0.451

2023 Wage GINI in New Hampshire

0.454

2022 Wage GINI in New Hampshire

In 2023, the income inequality in New Hampshire was 0.451 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.771% decline from 2022 to 2023, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for New Hampshire was lower than than the national average of 0.476. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in New Hampshire in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in New Hampshire across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (71.6%)
Worked At Home (16.2%)
Carpooled (6.05%)

In 2024, 71.6% of workers in Strafford County, NH drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (16.2%) and those who carpooled to work (6.05%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

26 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Strafford County, NH have a shorter commute time (26 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 3.07% of the workforce in Strafford County, NH have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Strafford County, NH compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Strafford County, NH distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Strafford County, NH have 2 cars.

Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2025, 14.7% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Strafford County, NH. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 2.52%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the population living with severe housing problems.

Poverty & Diversity

8.66% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Strafford County, NH (10.7k out of 124k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is lower than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 18 - 24, followed by Males 18 - 24 and then Females 55 - 64.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Strafford County, NH is White, followed by Two Or More and Hispanic.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

Children in Poverty

In 2025, 9.5% of the children was living in poverty in Strafford County, NH. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 7%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the children living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals
Florida
4,915 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798. New York has the second highest (5,087), followed by Florida (4,915).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

Security

Crimes & Accidents

Indicator

In 2022, the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population was 236 in Strafford County, NH. From 2014 to 2022, the indicator grew 42.5 per 100,000 population.

The graph shows the trend in the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population.

Health

94.8% of the population of Strafford County, NH has health coverage, with 54.7% on employee plans, 11% on Medicaid, 12.7% on Medicare, 14.8% on non-group plans, and 1.56% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Strafford County, NH see 1,505 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,505 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1364 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 304 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 49.2% were men and 50.8% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

1,505 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Strafford County, NH

Primary care physicians in Strafford County, NH see an average of 1,505 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,505 patients).

The following chart shows how the number of patients seen by primary care physicians has been changing over time in Strafford County, NH in comparison to its neighboring geographies.

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 20.4% under 18 years, 25.7% between 18 and 34 years, 37.3% between 35 and 64 years, and 16.7% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 49.2% were men and 50.8% were women.

The following chart shows the number of people with health coverage by gender.

Uninsured People

5.18%

Uninsured

54.7%

Employer Coverage

11%

Medicaid

12.7%

Medicare

14.8%

Non-Group

1.56%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Strafford County, NH declined by 10.5% from 5.79% to 5.18%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Strafford County, NH changed over time compared with the percent of individuals enrolled in various types of health insurance.

Health Indicators

Health Outcomes

Indicator

In 2025, the number of deaths among residents under age 18 per 100,000 population was 34 in Strafford County, NH.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Strafford County, NH.

Health Behaviors

Indicator

In 2025, the percentage of the adult population (age 18 and older) that reports a body mass index (BMI) greater than or equal to 30 kg/m2 (age-adjusted) was 32.9% in Strafford County, NH.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Strafford County, NH.