HomeNew HampshireStrafford County
Strafford County, New Hampshire: commercial real estate data.
Strafford County, New Hampshire has a population of 132,575 across 369 square miles, up 2.5 percent since the 2020 census base. County output reached $7.98 bn in 2024, 2,729 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 263 7(a) approvals worth $81.7 m.
123 sourced county values · tier FULL · 11 sections
Strafford County
How many people live in Strafford County
- Population132,575
- Households52,080
- Average household size2.55
- Median household income$88,570
- Median age38.2
- Median gross rent$1,488 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$362,800
- Home value to household income4.1 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income20.2 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher39.3 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree14.2 percent
- Adults 25 and over90,096
- Population under 1823,399
- Share under 1817.6 percent
- Population 65 and over22,652
- Share 65 and over17.1 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 6486,524
- Civilian labor force75,844
- Unemployment rate3.5 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over69.5 percent
- Rank by population among New Hampshire counties4th of 10
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents494th
Strafford County is the 4th largest of 10 New Hampshire counties by population. A median home costs 4.1 times median household income, which is an affordable ownership market by national standards. Residents under 18 outnumber those 65 and over, at 17.6 percent against 17.1 percent, a household formation profile rather than a retirement one.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Strafford County
Is Strafford County growing
- Population change since the 2020 census base2.52 percent
- Census 2020 base population130,897
- Births, 20241,098
- Deaths, 20241,320
- Natural change, 2024-222
- Net domestic migration, 2024543
- Net international migration, 2024260
- Total net migration, 2024803
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 20242,968
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents1004th
The county has grown 2.52 percent since the 2020 census base. Deaths exceeded births in 2024, so all of the growth came from people moving in. A market held up by migration alone is more sensitive to a change in relative cost than one growing from household formation.
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
Strafford County
Where people moving to Strafford County come from
- Tax returns filed by households arriving4,430
- People arriving, from those returns6,646
- Adjusted gross income arriving$347.8 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$0
- Average income of an arriving household$78,519
- Largest single originStrafford County Non-migrants (52,024 households)
- Largest single destination (52,024 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Strafford County Non-migrants | 52,024 | 96,786 | $4.74 bn |
| Other flows - Different State | 1,302 | 2,071 | $126.1 m |
| Rockingham County | 1,046 | 1,553 | $80.7 m |
| York County | 477 | 713 | $23.7 m |
| Other flows - South | 447 | 742 | $33.0 m |
| Other flows - Northeast | 446 | 674 | $35.4 m |
| Other flows - West | 273 | 439 | $47.4 m |
| Hillsborough County | 259 | 340 | $18.1 m |
The largest single source of arrivals is Strafford County Non-migrants, which is the catchment a retail or multifamily study should look at first.
US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Strafford County
What the Strafford County economy runs on
- County GDP, 2024$7.98 bn
- County GDP, 2023$7.92 bn
- GDP change, 2023 to 20240.8 percent
- GDP change over five years28.5 percent
- Rank by GDP among New Hampshire counties5th
- Rank by GDP among US county-equivalents526th
- GDP per resident$60,225
Output grew 0.8 percent in the latest year and 28.5 percent over five, which is the trend line a lender will read behind any single year figure.
US Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional, table CAGDP2, CAGDP2, through 2024.
Strafford County
Who employs people in Strafford County
- Covered employment, annual average46,517
- Establishments reporting3,189
- Average annual pay$64,687
- Average weekly wage$1,244
- Sector 62, employment7,915
- Sector 62, average annual pay$68,961
- Sector 44-45, employment6,934
- Sector 44-45, average annual pay$43,082
- Sector 31-33, employment5,054
- Sector 31-33, average annual pay$75,858
- Sector 72, employment4,441
- Sector 72, average annual pay$26,640
- Sector 56, employment2,132
- Sector 54, employment1,966
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sector 62 | 7,915 | 322 | $68,961 |
| Sector 44-45 | 6,934 | 374 | $43,082 |
| Sector 31-33 | 5,054 | 156 | $75,858 |
| Sector 72 | 4,441 | 313 | $26,640 |
| Sector 56 | 2,132 | 266 | $62,160 |
| Sector 54 | 1,966 | 318 | $93,437 |
| Sector 23 | 1,682 | 347 | $75,207 |
| Sector 81 | 1,642 | 318 | $48,077 |
The largest sector is the biggest private employer group at 7,915 jobs, 17.0 percent of covered employment. Average pay per job sits below median household income, so households here typically need more than one earner.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
Strafford County
What businesses operate in Strafford County
- Establishments, all industries2,729
- Employment at those establishments39,697
- Annual payroll$2.22 bn
- Establishments per 1,000 residents20.6
These are counts of establishments physically operating in the county, not listings, so they are the supply side a feasibility study measures demand against.
US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Strafford County
What is being built in Strafford County
- Housing units authorised by permit, 2024942
- Declared construction value permitted$203.5 m
- Single family units authorised327
- Multifamily units authorised615
- Multifamily share of units65.3 percent
- Average declared value per unit$216,005
- Units authorised per 1,000 households18.1
Multifamily is 65.3 percent of units authorised, so the pipeline is being built for renters rather than buyers.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Strafford County
How much SBA lending happens in Strafford County
- 7(a) approvals recorded263
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$81.7 m
- Average 7(a) approval$310,667
- Median 7(a) approval$99,000
- 10th percentile approval$25,000
- 90th percentile approval$672,300
- Largest single approval$5,000,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)2,432
- Jobs per approval9.2
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active44
- Distinct industries receiving approvals117
- Median 7(a) term120 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer3.8 percent
- Loans on real estate terms10
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter249
- Franchise loans6
- Franchise share of approvals2.3 percent
- Leading industry by approval countFull-Service Restaurants (15)
- Most active lenderTD Bank, National Association (60)
- 504 approvals recorded173
- 504 gross approval dollars$77.6 m
- Average 504 approval$448,353
- Median 504 approval$256,000
- Distinct CDCs active4
- 504 jobs per approval6.3
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved14.0
- Most active CDCGranite State Economic Development Corporation (148)
- 7(a) share of SBA approvals60.3 percent
- Combined SBA approval dollars$159.3 m
The average approval of $310,667 sits well above the median of $99,000, so a small number of large deals is pulling the mean up. The median is the better guide to what a typical borrower here actually gets. Only 3.8 percent of approvals run on real estate terms, so SBA credit here is mostly working capital and equipment rather than property acquisition.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30. US Small Business Administration, 504 FOIA release, FY2010 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Strafford County
Do SBA loans in Strafford County get paid back
- Loans with a final outcome recorded54
- Paid in full51
- Charged off3
- Charge off rate on resolved loans5.6 percent
- Status: Paid in full51
- Status: Exempt from disclosure155
- Status: Charged off3
- Status: Cancelled32
- Status: Committed, not yet disbursed22
Of the 54 loans that have reached a final outcome, 5.6 percent were charged off. This is computed only over resolved loans, because a loan still running has not yet succeeded or failed and counting it either way would be wrong.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Strafford County
Which parts of Strafford County get the lending
- Places in the county with recorded lending16
- Dover, approvals92
- ROCHESTER, approvals68
- Somersworth, approvals28
- BARRINGTON, approvals17
- LEE, approvals11
- Durham, approvals10
| Place | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| Dover | 92 | $28,261,400 |
| ROCHESTER | 68 | $20,509,200 |
| Somersworth | 28 | $13,694,600 |
| BARRINGTON | 17 | $5,373,600 |
| LEE | 11 | $7,575,700 |
| Durham | 10 | $1,441,000 |
| STRAFFORD | 8 | $539,000 |
| ROLLINSFORD | 6 | $427,800 |
Dover accounts for 92 approvals against 68 in ROCHESTER. County level figures average over that gap, which is why a site decision is made at the submarket rather than the county.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Strafford County
How big is Strafford County
- Land area369 sq mi
- Rank by land area among New Hampshire counties10th of 10
- Width, east to west21.7 mi
- Height, north to south31.7 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary4
- Residents per square mile of land359
- Establishments per square mile7.40
US Census Bureau county boundary geometry, TIGER, adjacency computed from shared boundary vertices, TIGER county boundaries. US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year. US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Coverage
What this page does not hold.
Every item below could be filled with a plausible figure. None of them is. On a page a lender may read, a number that cannot be traced is worse than an absence, so the absences are named.
- No NFIP communities are listed for this county in the FEMA Community Status Book.
- Flood zone record counts are not held. The flood coverage export has not landed, so no count is shown rather than an estimated one.
- Traffic counts resolve in the platform, not in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here.
- Zoning is in build. Parcel level zoning is not published on this page.
Feasibility studies
When a Strafford County site needs a document a lender will accept.
The same data layer behind this page is the one the studies are written from. A study for a Strafford County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population132,575
- Households52,080
- Average household size2.55
- Median household income$88,570
- Median age38.2
Common questions
Strafford County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Strafford County, New Hampshire?
132,575, in 52,080 households, ranking 4th of 10 New Hampshire counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Strafford County growing?
The population has grown 2.52 percent since the 2020 census base. In 2024 there were 1,098 births against 1,320 deaths, with net migration of 803. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Strafford County?
$88,570. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $362,800, which is 4.1 times income, and median gross rent is $1,488 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are there in Strafford County?
2,729 establishments, employing 39,697 people with an annual payroll of $2.22 bn. These are establishments physically operating in the county, not listings. Source: US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
What is the average wage in Strafford County?
Average annual pay is $64,687, or $1,244 a week, across 46,517 covered jobs. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Strafford County?
263 7(a) approvals totalling $81.7 m since FY2020, across 44 lenders, with a median approval of $99,000, plus 173 504 approvals worth $77.6 m. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
Do SBA loans in Strafford County get paid back?
Of the 54 loans that have reached a final outcome, 51 were paid in full and 3 charged off, a charge off rate of 5.6 percent. Loans still running are excluded, because they have not yet succeeded or failed.
What is being built in Strafford County?
942 housing units were authorised by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $203.5 m. Multifamily was 65.3 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Strafford County?
Zone 2, a predicted average indoor radon screening level from 2 to 4 pCi/L. Source: US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001.
Where do people moving to Strafford County come from?
The largest single origin is Strafford County Non-migrants, with 52,024 households. Arriving households report an average income of $78,519 against null for those leaving. Source: US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Are traffic counts available for Strafford County on this page?
No. Annual average daily traffic resolves in the platform rather than in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here. It is a gap we know about rather than a figure we estimated.
Is zoning published for Strafford County?
Not yet. The zoning layer is in build. Nothing on this page presents parcel level zoning, and where a statutory framework applies it is marked as the statewide frame with confirm locally attached.