Is being in an area of New Hampshire that’s growing quickly a good thing or a bad thing?
Depends on who you ask.
Some want bigger, more exciting cities like Manchester and Nashua, while others want peace and quiet like in East Merrimack and Suncook, thank you very much.
But today, we’re going to put opinions aside and look at the cold, hard facts — since 2010, which cities in New Hampshire have grown the fastest.
After getting knee-deep in the Census’s American Community Survey using Saturday Night Science, we emerged with this set of cities in the Granite State that have people climbing over each other to get in.
New Hampshire gained a net 6,554 people from other states in the year ending July 2025 — 22nd in the nation for domestic migration; the full moving statistics breakdown shows who’s coming and going.
49.4% growth since 2010 · 1,942 net new residents
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
20.1% growth since 2010 · 852 net new residents
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
19.5% growth since 2010 · 1,741 net new residents
Located in
Strafford County, New Hampshire
Durham is a town in Strafford County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 14,638 at the 2010 census. Durham is home to the University of New Hampshire.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
14.3% growth since 2010 · 1,872 net new residents
Located in
Grafton County, New Hampshire
Lebanon locally is a city in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 13,151 at the 2010 census and an estimated 13,513 as of 2016. Lebanon is located in western New Hampshire, south of Hanover, near the Connecticut River. It is the home to Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center and Dartmouth Medical School, together comprising the largest medical facility between Boston, Massachusetts and Burlington, Vermont.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
13.9% growth since 2010 · 1,232 net new residents
Located in
Rockingham County, New Hampshire
Hampton is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 14,976 at the 2010 census. Located beside the Atlantic Ocean, Hampton is home to Hampton Beach, a summer tourist destination.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
12.8% growth since 2010 · 644 net new residents
Located in
Rockingham County, New Hampshire
Newmarket is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 8,936 at the 2010 census. Some residents are students and employees at the nearby University of New Hampshire in Durham.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
12.4% growth since 2010 · 3,685 net new residents
Located in
Strafford County, New Hampshire
Dover is a city in Strafford County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 29,987 at the 2010 census, the largest in the New Hampshire Seacoast region. The population was estimated at 31,153 in 2016. It is the county seat of Strafford County, and home to Wentworth-Douglass Hospital, the Woodman Institute Museum, and the Children’s Museum of New Hampshire.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
12.0% growth since 2010 · 1,312 net new residents
Located in
Rockingham County, New Hampshire
Londonderry is a town in western Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The town is bordered on the north by the city of Manchester and on the east by the town of Derry. The population was 24,129 at the 2010 census. Londonderry is known for its apple orchards and is home to the headquarters of Stonyfield Farm and partial home to Manchester-Boston Regional Airport.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
11.2% growth since 2010 · 3,343 net new residents
Located in
Strafford County, New Hampshire
Rochester is a city in Strafford County, New Hampshire, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 29,752, and in 2016 the estimated population was 30,345. The city includes the villages of East Rochester, Gonic, and North Rochester. Rochester is home to Skyhaven Airport
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
8.8% growth since 2010 · 479 net new residents
Located in
Merrimack County, New Hampshire
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is New Hampshire’s statewide median.
On the map
Where New Hampshire’s growth is happening
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How We Measured The Fastest Growing Cities In the Granite State for 2026
To figure out which cities are growing the most, we used Saturday Night Science to look at the growth rates for cities since the beginning of the decade, according to the American Community Survey put out by the census every year. Specifically:
- Current Population
- Population in 2010
- Growth rate from 2010 to Current (the latest available data, which came out in Dec 2024)
We ranked all 26 New Hampshire cities with a population over 5,000 people from highest growth rate to lowest.
The city with the highest growth rate during this time was crowned the fastest-growing city in the Granite State.
And for those of you who are a little rusty with their statistics, you can calculate the growth rate by the following formula: [Current Population – Population 2010] / [Population 2010].
The data has been updated for 2026. This report is our eleventh time ranking the fastest growing cities in New Hampshire.
The full plate
Fastest Growing Places In New Hampshire For 2026
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Population | Population 2010 | Growth | Absolute Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hooksett | 5,876 | 3,934 | 49.4% | 1,942 |
| 2 | East Merrimack | 5,081 | 4,229 | 20.1% | 852 |
| 3 | Durham | 10,681 | 8,940 | 19.5% | 1,741 |
| 4 | Lebanon | 14,999 | 13,127 | 14.3% | 1,872 |
| 5 | Hampton | 10,101 | 8,869 | 13.9% | 1,232 |
| 6 | Newmarket | 5,679 | 5,035 | 12.8% | 644 |
| 7 | Dover | 33,364 | 29,679 | 12.4% | 3,685 |
| 8 | Londonderry | 12,225 | 10,913 | 12.0% | 1,312 |
| 9 | Rochester | 33,144 | 29,801 | 11.2% | 3,343 |
| 10 | South Hooksett | 5,902 | 5,423 | 8.8% | 479 |
| 11 | Portsmouth | 22,545 | 20,963 | 7.5% | 1,582 |
| 12 | Exeter | 9,964 | 9,450 | 5.4% | 514 |
| 13 | Laconia | 17,085 | 16,219 | 5.3% | 866 |
| 14 | Manchester | 115,643 | 109,791 | 5.3% | 5,852 |
| 15 | Nashua | 91,294 | 87,042 | 4.9% | 4,252 |
| 16 | Concord | 44,375 | 42,961 | 3.3% | 1,414 |
| 17 | Hudson | 7,469 | 7,281 | 2.6% | 188 |
| 18 | Franklin | 8,799 | 8,582 | 2.5% | 217 |
| 19 | Somersworth | 12,111 | 11,822 | 2.4% | 289 |
| 20 | Hanover | 8,479 | 8,480 | -0.0% | -1 |
| 21 | Milford | 8,956 | 9,060 | -1.1% | -104 |
| 22 | Keene | 22,939 | 23,547 | -2.6% | -608 |
| 23 | Claremont | 13,078 | 13,470 | -2.9% | -392 |
| 24 | Suncook | 5,432 | 5,804 | -6.4% | -372 |
| 25 | Derry | 21,339 | 22,884 | -6.8% | -1,545 |
| 26 | Berlin | 9,383 | 10,208 | -8.1% | -825 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS, 2010-current. 26 New Hampshire cities with more than 5,000 residents.
Summary
Summary: These Places Grew Up So Fast In New Hampshire, You Know?
So there you have it, the fastest growing cities in New Hampshire are led by Hooksett which has been growing at a blistering pace this decade relative to other cities and towns around the state.
The fastest-growing cities in New Hampshire are Hooksett, East Merrimack, Durham, Lebanon, Hampton, Newmarket, Dover, Londonderry, Rochester, and South Hooksett.
It’ll be interesting to see if these places can keep growing at the same rate over the next couple of years. We’ll be here to let you know! Not sold on New Hampshire? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
Questions and answers
Fastest Growing Cities In New Hampshire FAQs
What is the fastest-growing city in New Hampshire?
Hooksett is the fastest-growing city in New Hampshire for 2026, based on population change since 2010. East Merrimack and Durham are growing nearly as fast.
What are the top 10 fastest-growing cities in New Hampshire?
The fastest-growing cities in New Hampshire are Hooksett, East Merrimack, Durham, Lebanon, Hampton, Newmarket, Dover, Londonderry, Rochester, and South Hooksett. We ranked all 26 cities with more than 5,000 residents.
How do you measure growth?
Growth is the percent change in population from the 2010 Census to the latest American Community Survey estimates. No projections, no vibes — just how many more people actually live there now.
What is the slowest-growing city on the list?
Berlin posts the smallest population change of the 26 New Hampshire cities we ranked. Slow growth is not automatically bad news, but the momentum is clearly elsewhere.
Do small towns count in this ranking?
Only places with more than 5,000 residents qualify, which keeps one new subdivision from turning a tiny town into a statistical rocket. 26 New Hampshire cities cleared that bar this year.
