Most Densely Populated Cities in New Hampshire: Ranked by People per Square Mile
The densest city in New Hampshire in our data is Manchester, NH, with about 3,406 people per square mile, followed by Pinardville, NH (3,129) and Nashua, NH (2,896). This list ranks the top 15 places among the 15 New Hampshire communities with at least 5,000 residents.
What are the top 15 in New Hampshire?
| # | City | County | Per sq mi | Population |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manchester, NH | Hillsborough County | 3,406 | 162,877 |
| 2 | Pinardville, NH | Hillsborough County | 3,129 | 5,208 |
| 3 | Nashua, NH | Hillsborough County | 2,896 | 233,917 |
| 4 | Portsmouth, NH | Rockingham County | 1,399 | 93,069 |
| 5 | Somersworth, NH | Strafford County | 1,220 | 11,968 |
| 6 | Dover, NH | Strafford County | 1,202 | 94,563 |
| 7 | South Hooksett, NH | Merrimack County | 1,090 | 5,831 |
| 8 | Laconia, NH | Belknap County | 834 | 19,371 |
| 9 | Rochester, NH | Strafford County | 699 | 31,526 |
| 10 | Concord, NH | Merrimack County | 681 | 43,627 |
| 11 | Keene, NH | Cheshire County | 614 | 22,786 |
| 12 | Lebanon, NH | Grafton County | 337 | 26,666 |
| 13 | Franklin, NH | Merrimack County | 316 | 9,817 |
| 14 | Claremont, NH | Sullivan County | 298 | 12,932 |
| 15 | Berlin, NH | Coos County | 163 | 11,237 |
How dense are the cities in New Hampshire?
The densest place is about 4 times as dense as the median place in the state, which has about 834 people per square mile. At the other end, Berlin, NH has about 163. Under our scale, 0 places are an urban core (over 5,000 per square mile), 7 are suburban, and the rest are small towns or rural. Hillsborough County contributes 3 of the top 15.
Which counties do the top 15 belong to?
The 15 places on this list are spread across 9 counties of New Hampshire. Hillsborough County has 3 (Manchester, Pinardville, Nashua); Strafford County has 3 (Somersworth, Dover, Rochester); Merrimack County has 3 (South Hooksett, Concord, Franklin). Counties with several entries are usually centers of a metropolitan area, where one large city is surrounded by many suburbs that each pass the 5,000-resident threshold.
How does New Hampshire compare with the rest of the country?
The median New Hampshire place with a page has about 22,786 residents, compared with about 13,459 nationwide, so the state's typical community is larger than the national typical place. Manchester, NH ranks 272nd among all US places by estimated population in our data. The state has 38 communities in total, of which 15 reach 5,000 residents. See the national ranking of the largest cities for comparison.
Quick answers about New Hampshire cities
- Which is the densest city in New Hampshire? Manchester (3,406 per square mile).
- How many New Hampshire cities have more than 100,000 people? 2 in our data.
- How many have 25,000 to 100,000? 5.
- What is the typical size? About 22,786 residents for a place with a page.
How is this ranking made?
The data comes from the SimpleMaps US Cities Database, which gives each place an estimated population and a density in people per square kilometer. We convert density to people per square mile and rank the places with at least 5,000 residents. Boundaries matter: a city that includes large parks or farmland scores lower on density than a compact city of the same size, and population estimates can include areas that share a city's ZIP codes. Read why population figures differ and how density is calculated before you quote a number.
Where to go next
Rankings use dataset estimates, not official counts.