Belknap County, NH

County

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2024 Population

64,659

US Senator

Jeanne Shaheen

Democratic Party

US Senator

Maggie Hassan

Democratic Party

2024 Median Age

48.4

0.207% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

8.48%

3.25% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$92,783

5.46% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$374,900

10.3% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

33,327

0.969% 1-year growth

About

None of the households in Belknap 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.

99.2% of the residents in Belknap County, NH are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Belknap County, NH are Lakes Region Community College (116 degrees awarded in 2023) and Empire Beauty School-Laconia (44 degrees).

In 2024, the median property value in Belknap County, NH was $374,900, and the homeownership rate was 80.1%.

Most people in Belknap County, NH drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 25 minutes. The average car ownership in Belknap County, NH was 2 cars per household.

Belknap County, NH borders Carroll County, NH, Grafton County, NH, Merrimack County, NH, and Strafford County, NH.

About the photo: Lake Winnisquam in New Hampshire

Photo by Matthew Baron

United States New Hampshire Laconia, NH

Population & Diversity

Belknap County, NH is home to a population of 64.7k people, from which 99.2% are citizens. As of 2024, 2.79% of Belknap County, NH residents were born outside of the country (1.81k people).

In 2024, there were 55.3 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (59.9k people) in Belknap County, NH than any other race or ethnicity. There were 1.08k Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) and 744 Asian (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

99.2%

2024 Citizenship

99%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 99.2% of Belknap County, NH residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Belknap County, NH was 99%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Belknap County, NH

White (Non-Hispanic)
59.9k ± 401
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
1.08k ± 139
Asian (Non-Hispanic)
744 ± 104

2.27%

Hispanic Population

1.47k people

2.27% of the people in Belknap County, NH are hispanic (1.47k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Belknap 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

2.79%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

1.81k people

3.01%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

1.94k people

As of 2024, 2.79% of Belknap County, NH residents (1.81k 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 Belknap County, NH was 3.01%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
1,885 ± 286
Gulf War (2001-)
958 ± 278
Gulf War (1990s)
548 ± 194

Belknap County, NH has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.97 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of Belknap County, NH employs 33.3k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Belknap County, NH were Health Care & Social Assistance (4,266 people), Retail Trade (4,220 people), and Manufacturing (3,976 people), and the highest paying industries were Information ($99,844), Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($85,739), and Utilities ($73,462).

Employment

Occupations

33.3k

2024 Value

± 1,438

0.969%

1 Year growth

± 5.99%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Belknap County, NH grew at a rate of 0.969%, from 33k employees to 33.3k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Belknap County, NH, are Management Occupations (4,305 people), Sales & Related Occupations (3,430 people), and Office & Administrative Support Occupations (3,428 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Belknap 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

33.3k

2024 Value

± 1,438

0.969%

1 Year growth

± 5.99%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Belknap County, NH grew at a rate of 0.969%, from 33k employees to 33.3k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Belknap County, NH, are Health Care & Social Assistance (4,266 people), Retail Trade (4,220 people), and Manufacturing (3,976 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Belknap County, NH, though some of these residents may live in Belknap County, NH and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$61,949

Median earning men ± $2,523

$42,946

Median earning women ± $3,090

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($107,344), Information ($100,089), and Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($75,030).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Information ($79,605), Public Administration ($56,484), and Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($51,591).

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

196
Construction
150
Other Services (except Public Administration)
107
Retail Trade

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

$205k
Retail Trade
$202k
Health Care and Social Assistance
$130k
Manufacturing

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

Education

In 2023, universities in Belknap County, NH awarded 160 degrees. The student population of Belknap County, NH in 2023 is skewed towards women, with 357 male students and 420 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Belknap County, NH are White (140 and 87.5%), Unknown (7 and 4.38%), Hispanic or Latino (5 and 3.13%), and Black or African American (4 and 2.5%).

The largest universities in Belknap County, NH by number of degrees awarded are Lakes Region Community College (116 and 72.5%) and Empire Beauty School-Laconia (44 and 27.5%).

The most popular majors in Belknap County, NH are Aesthetician & Skin Care Specialist (24 and 15%), General Cosmetology (20 and 12.5%), and Automobile Mechanics Technology (17 and 10.6%).

Admissions & Enrollments

Enrollments by Gender and Races

In 2023 there were 777 students enrolled in Belknap County, NH, 45.9% men and 54.1% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 618 records, of which 55.3% were women and 44.7% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

Registered Nursing
15 degrees awarded
Liberal Arts & Sciences
13 degrees awarded
Automobile Mechanics Technology
13 degrees awarded

In 2023, the most common concentation for Associates Degree recipients in Belknap County, NH was Registered Nursing with 15 degrees awarded.

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

Universities

Gender

Race

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

Lakes Region Community College
116 degrees awarded
Empire Beauty School-Laconia
44 degrees awarded

In 2023, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Lakes Region Community College with 116 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

In 2023, 63 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Belknap County, NH, which is 0.649 times less than the 97 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 140 degrees mean that there were 20 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Unknown, with 7 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

Public, 2-year ($6,450) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2023.

Public, 2-year ($270) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2023.

Public, 2-year ($1,400) 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 Belknap County, NH was $374,900 in 2024, which is 1.13 times larger than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $340,000 to $374,900, a 10.3% increase. The homeownership rate in Belknap County, NH is 80.1%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Belknap County, NH have an average commute time of 25 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Belknap County, NH is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

In 2025, 14.2% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Belknap County, NH. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 2.32%.

Housing

Property

$374,900

Median Property Value 2024

±$10,174

$21,097

Median Property Taxes

±$989

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 Belknap County, NH the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

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

Rent vs Own

80.1%

Homeownership

2024

59.4%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 80.1% of the housing units in Belknap County, NH were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 78.7%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Belknap 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.

$92,783

Median Household Income

± $4,217

26.3k

Number of Households

± 1,264

In 2024, the median household income of the 26.3k households in Belknap County, NH grew to $92,783 from the previous year's value of $87,983.

The following chart displays the households in Belknap 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 Belknap 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 (76.4%)
Worked At Home (13.5%)
Carpooled (7.65%)

In 2024, 76.4% of workers in Belknap County, NH drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (13.5%) and those who carpooled to work (7.65%).

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

25 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Belknap County, NH have a shorter commute time (25 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 2.74% of the workforce in Belknap County, NH have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Belknap 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 Belknap County, NH distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Belknap County, NH have 2 cars.

Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2025, 14.2% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Belknap County, NH. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 2.32%.

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

Poverty & Diversity

8.48% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Belknap County, NH (5.39k out of 63.6k 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 Males 55 - 64, followed by Males 65 - 74 and then Females 55 - 64.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Belknap 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, 10.7% of the children was living in poverty in Belknap County, NH. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 8.8%.

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 239 in Belknap County, NH. From 2014 to 2022, the indicator grew 38.9 per 100,000 population.

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

Health

94.1% of the population of Belknap County, NH has health coverage, with 47% on employee plans, 12.1% on Medicaid, 17.9% on Medicare, 14.5% on non-group plans, and 2.52% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Belknap County, NH see 2,079 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (2,079 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1507 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 185 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 49.4% were men and 50.6% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

2,079 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Belknap County, NH

Primary care physicians in Belknap County, NH see an average of 2,079 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (2,079 patients).

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

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 18.3% under 18 years, 16.8% between 18 and 34 years, 41.6% between 35 and 64 years, and 23.3% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 49.4% were men and 50.6% were women.

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

Uninsured People

5.89%

Uninsured

47%

Employer Coverage

12.1%

Medicaid

17.9%

Medicare

14.5%

Non-Group

2.52%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Belknap County, NH declined by 2.63% from 6.05% to 5.89%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Belknap 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 46.6 in Belknap County, NH.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Belknap 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 30.3% in Belknap County, NH.

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