Strafford County | |
|---|---|
 Strafford County Courthouse | |
 Seal | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofNew Hampshire | |
 New Hampshire's location within theU.S. | |
| Coordinates:43°15′30″N70°58′34″W / 43.258289°N 70.976105°W /43.258289; -70.976105 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  New Hampshire |
| Founded | 1771 |
| Named after | William Wentworth, 2nd Earl of Strafford |
| Seat | Dover |
| Largest city | Dover |
| Area | |
• Total | 382.6 sq mi (991 km2) |
| • Land | 367.6 sq mi (952 km2) |
| • Water | 15.0 sq mi (39 km2) 3.9% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 130,889 |
• Estimate (2024) | 134,202 |
| • Density | 356.1/sq mi (137.5/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| Congressional district | 1st |
| Website | co |
Strafford County is acounty in theU.S. state ofNew Hampshire. As of the2020 census, the population was 130,889.[1] Itscounty seat isDover.[2] Strafford County was one of the five original counties identified for New Hampshire in 1769. It was named afterWilliam Wentworth, 2nd Earl of Strafford in the mistaken belief that he was the ancestor of governorJohn Wentworth – although they were distantly related, William had no descendants. The county was organized at Dover in 1771. In 1840, the size of the original county was reduced with the creation ofBelknap County.
Strafford County constitutes a portion of theBoston-Cambridge-Newton,MA-NHMetropolitan Statistical Area as well as of the greater Boston-Worcester-Providence,MA-RI-NH-CTCombined Statistical Area. It is estimated to be New Hampshire's county with the highest percentage growth over the 2010–2019 period.[3]
Strafford County is in southeastern New Hampshire, separated fromYork County in the state ofMaine by theSalmon Falls River. The southern part of the Salmon Falls, fromRollinsford toDover, is atidal river that flows into thePiscataqua River.
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 384 square miles (990 km2), of which 369 square miles (960 km2) is land and 15 square miles (39 km2) (3.9%) is water.[4] It is the smallest county in New Hampshire by area.
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1790 | 23,611 | — | |
| 1800 | 32,614 | 38.1% | |
| 1810 | 41,595 | 27.5% | |
| 1820 | 51,117 | 22.9% | |
| 1830 | 58,910 | 15.2% | |
| 1840 | 61,127 | 3.8% | |
| 1850 | 29,374 | −51.9% | |
| 1860 | 31,493 | 7.2% | |
| 1870 | 30,243 | −4.0% | |
| 1880 | 35,558 | 17.6% | |
| 1890 | 38,442 | 8.1% | |
| 1900 | 39,337 | 2.3% | |
| 1910 | 38,951 | −1.0% | |
| 1920 | 38,546 | −1.0% | |
| 1930 | 38,580 | 0.1% | |
| 1940 | 43,553 | 12.9% | |
| 1950 | 51,567 | 18.4% | |
| 1960 | 59,799 | 16.0% | |
| 1970 | 70,431 | 17.8% | |
| 1980 | 85,408 | 21.3% | |
| 1990 | 104,233 | 22.0% | |
| 2000 | 112,233 | 7.7% | |
| 2010 | 123,143 | 9.7% | |
| 2020 | 130,889 | 6.3% | |
| 2024 (est.) | 134,202 | [5] | 2.5% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[6] 1790–1960[7] 1900–1990[8] 1990–2000[9] 2010–2020[1] | |||
As of thecensus[10] of 2000, there were 112,233 people, 42,581 households, and 27,762 families living in the county. The population density was 304 inhabitants per square mile (117/km2). There were 45,539 housing units at an average density of 124 units per square mile (48/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 96.29%White, 0.63%Black orAfrican American, 0.21%Native American, 1.39%Asian, 0.05%Pacific Islander, 0.30% fromother races, and 1.14% from two or more races. 1.03% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race. 15.8% were ofEnglish, 14.9%Irish, 14.0%French, 10.5%French Canadian, 7.6%American, 6.3%Italian and 6.2%German ancestry. 93.7% spokeEnglish and 3.2%French as their first language.
There were 42,581 households, out of which 32.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.10% weremarried couples living together, 10.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.80% were non-families. 24.80% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 2.98.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 23.70% under the age of 18, 13.60% from 18 to 24, 30.60% from 25 to 44, 20.90% from 45 to 64, and 11.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.10 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $44,803, and the median income for a family was $53,075. Males had a median income of $36,661 versus $26,208 for females. Theper capita income for the county was $20,479. About 5.00% of families and 9.20% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 9.10% of those under age 18 and 6.60% of those age 65 or over.
The largest cities in Strafford County are Dover (population) and Rochester (land area) .
As of the2010 United States census, there were 123,143 people, 47,100 households, and 29,862 families living in the county.[12] The population density was 333.7 inhabitants per square mile (128.8/km2). There were 51,697 housing units at an average density of 140.1 per square mile (54.1/km2).[13] The racial makeup of the county was 93.8% white, 2.6% Asian, 1.0% black or African American, 0.2% American Indian, 0.5% from other races, and 1.9% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.8% of the population.[12] In terms of ancestry, 24.4% wereFrench orFrench Canadian, 19.7% wereIrish, 17.4% wereEnglish, 9.5% wereItalian, 8.7% wereGerman, 5.2% wereAmerican, and 5.0% wereScottish.[14]
Of the 47,100 households, 30.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.4% were married couples living together, 10.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 36.6% were non-families, and 26.3% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 2.93. The median age was 36.9 years.[12]
The median income for a household in the county was $57,809 and the median income for a family was $72,286. Males had a median income of $50,489 versus $37,178 for females. The per capita income for the county was $28,059. About 6.7% of families and 11.3% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 12.3% of those under age 18 and 8.0% of those age 65 or over.[15]
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 2024 | 33,162 | 43.24% | 42,373 | 55.25% | 1,153 | 1.50% |
| 2020 | 30,489 | 41.31% | 41,721 | 56.53% | 1,595 | 2.16% |
| 2016 | 29,072 | 42.13% | 34,894 | 50.57% | 5,034 | 7.30% |
| 2012 | 26,729 | 41.78% | 36,026 | 56.32% | 1,214 | 1.90% |
| 2008 | 25,021 | 39.19% | 37,990 | 59.50% | 837 | 1.31% |
| 2004 | 25,825 | 43.56% | 32,942 | 55.57% | 514 | 0.87% |
| 2000 | 21,108 | 42.73% | 25,400 | 51.42% | 2,885 | 5.84% |
| 1996 | 14,484 | 33.81% | 23,475 | 54.79% | 4,884 | 11.40% |
| 1992 | 16,028 | 33.72% | 21,247 | 44.69% | 10,264 | 21.59% |
| 1988 | 20,636 | 54.74% | 16,547 | 43.89% | 515 | 1.37% |
| 1984 | 20,452 | 61.31% | 12,752 | 38.23% | 152 | 0.46% |
| 1980 | 16,399 | 50.41% | 11,041 | 33.94% | 5,091 | 15.65% |
| 1976 | 14,569 | 48.86% | 14,566 | 48.85% | 680 | 2.28% |
| 1972 | 16,846 | 57.83% | 12,028 | 41.29% | 255 | 0.88% |
| 1968 | 12,427 | 47.28% | 13,129 | 49.95% | 727 | 2.77% |
| 1964 | 8,342 | 31.99% | 17,737 | 68.01% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1960 | 13,539 | 48.57% | 14,335 | 51.43% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1956 | 15,494 | 61.58% | 9,659 | 38.39% | 7 | 0.03% |
| 1952 | 13,729 | 53.88% | 11,753 | 46.12% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1948 | 9,988 | 45.87% | 11,603 | 53.28% | 185 | 0.85% |
| 1944 | 9,388 | 42.87% | 12,497 | 57.07% | 13 | 0.06% |
| 1940 | 8,996 | 41.18% | 12,847 | 58.82% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1936 | 8,215 | 41.71% | 11,005 | 55.87% | 477 | 2.42% |
| 1932 | 9,060 | 47.44% | 9,970 | 52.20% | 68 | 0.36% |
| 1928 | 10,470 | 58.36% | 7,441 | 41.48% | 28 | 0.16% |
| 1924 | 9,167 | 56.63% | 6,445 | 39.82% | 575 | 3.55% |
| 1920 | 8,700 | 60.37% | 5,643 | 39.15% | 69 | 0.48% |
| 1916 | 4,037 | 49.58% | 4,040 | 49.62% | 65 | 0.80% |
| 1912 | 2,962 | 37.66% | 3,468 | 44.09% | 1,436 | 18.26% |
| 1908 | 4,822 | 56.25% | 3,523 | 41.09% | 228 | 2.66% |
| 1904 | 4,869 | 56.58% | 3,553 | 41.29% | 183 | 2.13% |
| 1900 | 4,987 | 55.32% | 3,792 | 42.06% | 236 | 2.62% |
| 1896 | 5,483 | 68.58% | 2,259 | 28.26% | 253 | 3.16% |
| 1892 | 4,666 | 51.68% | 4,229 | 46.84% | 134 | 1.48% |
| 1888 | 4,580 | 51.28% | 4,270 | 47.81% | 82 | 0.92% |
| 1884 | 4,370 | 52.74% | 3,781 | 45.63% | 135 | 1.63% |
| 1880 | 4,634 | 53.78% | 3,922 | 45.51% | 61 | 0.71% |
| 1876 | 4,052 | 54.64% | 3,363 | 45.35% | 1 | 0.01% |
The executive power of Strafford County's government is held by three county commissioners.[17]
| Name | Hometown | Party |
|---|---|---|
| George Maglaras | Dover | Democratic |
| Robert Watson | Rochester | Democratic |
| Deanna Rollo | Rollinsford | Democratic |
In addition to the County Commission, there are five directly elected officials: they include County Attorney, Register of Deeds, County Sheriff, Register of Probate, and County Treasurer.[17]
| Office | Name |
|---|---|
| County Attorney | Thomas Velardi (D) |
| Register of Deeds | Catherine Berube (D) |
| County Sheriff | Joseph McGivern (D) |
| Register of Probate | Jan Nedelka (D) |
| County Treasurer | Pamela Arnold (D) |
The general court delegation of Strafford County is made up of all of the members of theNew Hampshire House of Representatives from the county. There are 37 members from 25 different districts. After the 2020 elections, the party distribution of representatives for the county was as follows.[18]
| Affiliation | Members | Voting share | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 24 | 64.9% | |
| Republican Party | 13 | 35.1% | |
| Total | 37 | 100% | |
Places adjacent to Strafford County, New Hampshire | ||||||||||||||||
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Municipalities and communities ofStrafford County, New Hampshire,United States | ||
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