Transcript Mental Health in NH’s Schools

Patterns of growth
A brief overview of
New Hampshire’s shifting
population: 1950-2010
March 2011
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Mapping the growth
A helpful way to visualize shifts in New Hampshire’s
population is to compare the maps used to draw the
state’s Executive Council districts over the decades.
The five districts are supposed to be roughly equal in
population, and their boundaries are redrawn every
ten years to reflect population changes. Thus, the
shifting size of each district is a good measure of
regional population changes over a given period.
That said…..To the maps!
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1950
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Here is New Hampshire at mid-century.
What does this map tell us about the state’s
population at that time?
Some obvious points: The district covering
NH’s north (in pink) is the largest, a
reflection of the region’s spread-out
population. The district centered on
Manchester (in brown) is the smallest, an
indication of the large population packed
into that area.
More interestingly, the remaining three
districts are roughly equal in size, as they
hold similar population sizes. District 5 (in
green), covering Merrimack and Sullivan
counties and the western Lakes Region,
has about the same population as District 2
(in yellow), which includes nearly all of
Rockingham County and large chunks of
Belknap County. Let’s see how that
distribution changes over the decades.
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1970
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By 1970, some major changes are clear.
First, the North Country district has grown
considerably, reaching deep into Belknap
County to cover much of the Lakes
Region: Laconia, Belmont, Alton, Gilford,
and several other towns. That tells us that
the state’s northern reaches have seen a
considerable decline in population since
1950.
Another big change: The districts covering
the Seacoast (in yellow) and southern
Hillsborough County (in purple) have
shrunk. That means those areas have
seen a big increase in population, with
more people packed into a smaller area.
The district centered on Manchester (in
brown), however, is roughly the same size,
indicating that the population of the city
and its immediate suburbs has remained
relatively stable as a share of total state
population.
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1990
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Two decades later, continued population
decline in the North Country has further
increased the southern reach of District 1,
which now includes large population
centers such as Newport and Claremont.
The district centering on Manchester
(District 4) retains much the same size,
though it has shed three towns to
neighboring districts.
Similarly, the Seacoast district (in yellow)
has stayed about the same size.
Meanwhile, steady population growth in
southern Hillsborough and Cheshire
counties is reflected in the further
shrinkage of District 5 (in purple.)
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What’s next?
Change in NH Population, 2000 to 2010
25,000
20,000
19,880
17,864
15,000
10,910
10,220
10,000
7,375
4,152
5,000
3,763
3,292
3,284
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Figures released by the 2010 U.S. Census this week illustrate the continuance of
trends from past decades. New Hampshire’s total population grew 6.5 percent over the
past decade, with Hillsborough and Rockingham counties seeing the largest increases.
Much smaller increases were seen in the state’s northern and western regions.
Will those population changes require a new redrawing of the council district
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boundaries in the coming months? What will that map look like in 2012 – or 2022?
Want more?
• For more information on New Hampshire
demographic trends, as well as many
other public policy issues, visit the
Center’s website at nhpolicy.org.
• Check us out on Facebook:
facebook.com/nhpolicy
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