N.H. Population Will Change Dramatically by Mid-Century

It may be difficult to believe today, but by the middle of the 21st century, Hispanics and other minority groups will become the majority in the Granite State, according to U.S. Census Bureau projections.

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Even though the state’s population today is overwhelmingly made up of non-Hispanic whites, who outnumber other racial and ethnic groups by ratios ranging from 40-to-1 to 300-to-1, New Hampshire will mirror the national trend, and the demographic changes will happen.

“Yes, New Hampshire is very white today,” Alamgir said.

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Alamgir said the existing white population in New Hampshire is growing older. Based on the median age, which is now in the early 40s, planners can estimate these people have either already had children or are not going to have children, she said.

Alamgir said Southern New Hampshire, where more first- and second-generation immigrants are settling and raising families, will reflect the demographic changes more than other parts of the state.

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According to state population charts, the white population in Rockingham County grew by more than 53 percent between 1980 and 2005, climbing by more than 100,000 people.

The black population increased by more than 100 percent over the same time period, but blacks were still grossly outnumbered by whites—3,038 to 297,902.

Asian and Pacific Islanders also increased their presence in Rockingham County—growing from 772 to 5,168. Hispanics, who are not a race and are therefore already counted in with the white and other groups, are broken out separately for comparison, she said. Over the 25-year period, the Rockingham County Hispanic population increased from 1,226 to 5,377.