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Strafford County, New Hampshire facts for kids

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Strafford County
Strafford County Courthouse
Strafford County Courthouse
Official seal of Strafford County
Seal
Map of New Hampshire highlighting Strafford County
Location within the U.S. state of New Hampshire
Map of the United States highlighting New Hampshire
New Hampshire's location within the U.S.
Country  United States
State  New Hampshire
Founded 1771
Named for 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
 • Density 356.1/sq mi (137.5/km2)
Time zone UTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district 1st

Strafford County is a county in the U.S. state of New Hampshire. As of the 2020 census, the population was 130,889. Its county seat is Dover. Strafford County was one of the five original counties identified for New Hampshire in 1769. It was named after William Wentworth, 2nd Earl of Strafford in the mistaken belief that he was the ancestor of governor John 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 of Belknap County.

Strafford County constitutes a portion of the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH Metropolitan Statistical Area as well as of the greater Boston-Worcester-Providence, MA-RI-NH-CT Combined Statistical Area. It is estimated to be New Hampshire's county with the highest percentage growth over the 2010-2019 period.

Geography

Strafford County is in southeastern New Hampshire, separated from York County in the state of Maine by the Salmon Falls River. The southern part of the Salmon Falls, from Rollinsford to Dover, is a tidal river that flows into the Piscataqua River.

According to the U.S. 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. It is the smallest county in New Hampshire by area.

Adjacent counties

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
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%
U.S. Decennial Census
1790-1960 1900-1990
1990-2000 2010-2018

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 123,143 people, 47,100 households, and 29,862 families living in the county. 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). 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. In terms of ancestry, 24.4% were French or French Canadian, 19.7% were Irish, 17.4% were English, 9.5% were Italian, 8.7% were German, 5.2% were American, and 5.0% were Scottish.

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.

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 the poverty line, including 12.3% of those under age 18 and 8.0% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Daniel Waldron Justice of the Peace
Order naming Daniel Waldron justice of the peace, Strafford County, 1815

Cities

Towns

Census-designated places

Villages

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Condado de Strafford para niños

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