Print This Page Done
Select a Different State

New Hampshire


Summary Demographic State Data (and Source)
Population (2008 CB est.) 1,315,809
Population (2000 Census) 1,235,786
Foreign-Born Population (2008 FAIR est.) 76,645
Foreign-Born Population (2000 Census) 54,154
Share Foreign-Born (2008 FAIR est.) 5.8%
Share Foreign-Born (2000) 4.4%
Immigrant Stock (2000 CB est.) 174,000
Share Immigrant Stock (2000 est.) 14.1%
Naturalized U.S. Citizens (2006 CB est.) 32,025
Share Naturalized (2006): 45.0%
Legal Immigrant Admission (DHS 1997-2006) 21,111
Refugee Admission (DHS 1997-2006): 4,239
Illegal Alien Population (2008 FAIR est.): 15,000
Projected 2050 Population - (2006 FAIR): 1,810,013

New Hampshire: Extended Immigration Data

 

STATE POPULATION

Using the Current Population Survey, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated that in July 2008 New Hampshire’s population had increased to 1,315,809 residents, i.e., an annual average increase of about 9,640 residents since 2000. That is a rate of increase of about 0.8 percent per year.

New Hampshire Population 1900-2008

 

NET INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION (NIM)

Based on the Current Population Survey, the Census Bureau estimated that between the 2000 Census and July 2008 the state’s population increased by about 14,240 residents from net international migration (more foreign-born arriving than leaving). That was an annual average increase of about 1,715 residents, i.e., more than one-sixth (17.8%) of the total increase (not including the children born to the immigrants after their arrival in the United States).

 

New Hampshire Sources of Population Change 2000-08

 

The 2000 Census found 1,235,786 persons resident in New Hampshire. This was an increase of 126,534 persons above the 1990 Census. The rate of increase (11.4%) was the 22nd highest in the country.

The 2000 population is about 12,000 more persons than the Census Bureau had expected to find in the state in 2000 when it issued its most recent state population projections in 1996. The significance of this is that the Census Bureau has concluded that much of the shortfall in their population estimates during the 1990s was due to an underestimation of the illegal alien population.

FOREIGN-BORN POPULATION

Based on the American Community Survey (ACS), the U.S. Census Bureau estimated that the foreign-born population of New Hampshire was 71,024 persons in 2006. The ACS is a large-scale, continuous sampling process designed to replace the need for a long-form in the 2010 Census. However, because the ACS does not have the same follow-up procedures as the Census to include non-respondents, it may underestimate the foreign-born population.

FAIR estimates that the foreign-born population of New Hampshire was about 76,645 residents in July 2008. This meant a foreign-born population share of 5.8 percent. The amount of change since the 2000 Census indicates an average annual rate of increase in the foreign-born population of about 2,710 people, which is more than one-fourth (28.1%) of the state’s annual average population increase. Since 2000, the foreign-born population has increased by 41.5 percent compared to a 4.9 percent increase in the native-born population.

Immigration also contributes to population growth through the children born to immigrants in this country. Nationally the share of births to the foreign-born is about double their share of the population. An 11.6 percent share of the state’s current births is large enough to account for about 1,710 births a year. Combining the increase in the foreign-born population and estimated immigrant births suggests that immigration may account for nearly 4,420 persons added to the state’s population annually, i.e., more than two-fifths (45.9%) of the state’s overall population increase.

New Hampshire Foreign-Born Population 1970-2008

 

The 2000 Census found that 37.3 percent of New Hampshire's foreign-born population had arrived in the state since 1990. This demonstrates the effects of the current mass immigration, although it was a lower share than the national average (43.7%).

An indicator of the change in the immigrant population may be seen in data on the share of the population that speaks a language other than English at home. Between 1990 and 2000 the share of non-English speakers at home in New Hampshire decreased slightly, from 8.7 percent to 7.5 percent. Less than one-third (29.2%) of those who said they spoke a language other than English at home in 2000 also said they spoke English less than very well.

Speakers of Foreign Languages
(at home in New Hampshire in the 2000 Census)
French 39,550
Spanish 18,645
German 4,780
Greek 3,410
Chinese 2,735
Italian 2,650
Portuguese 2,395
Polish 2,095
Arabic 1,460
Vietnamese 1,450
(Source: Census Bureau report: Language Spoken at Home for the Population 5 Years and Over, April 2004)

The Census Bureau’s American Community Survey found that in 2006, the foreign born population was 71,200 residents, an increase of 31.5% percent since 2000. In comparison, the foreign-born population changed from 41,193 to 54,154 residents between 1990 and 2000, an increase of 31.5 percent.

The ten countries below constituted approximately 46.4% of the foreign-born population in New Hampshire in 2006. Mexico accounted for 14.2%.

Foreign-Born Change Since 1980: Top Ten Countries 1980-2000
Rank  Country 1990     Country 2000     Country 2006
1 Canada 13,823     Canada 12,397     Canada 10,098
2 United Kingdom 3,839   United Kingdom 4,396     India 4,508
3 Germany 2,725     China 2,725     Brazil 3,134
4 Greece 1,310   Germany 2,670   China 3,019
5 India 1,274   India 2,530   Vietnam 2,532
6 Italy 893   Korea 1,582   United Kingdom 2,504
7 Korea 815   Vietnam 1,440   Germany 2,266
8 Ireland 761   Mexico 1,419   Russia 1,937
9 Poland 754   Greece 1,261   Jamaica 1,697
10 Philippines 666   Dominican Republic 1,227   Mexico 1,337
  All Other 14,333   All Others 22,507   All Others 38,168
  Total 41,193   Total 54,154   Total 33,032
THE IMMIGRANT STOCK

The Census Bureau estimated that there were about 174,000 people in New Hampshire in 2000 who were "immigrant stock." That is a term that refers to immigrants and their children born here after their arrival. Based on that estimate, and the population of 1,235,786, the immigrant stock share of the state's population was 14.1 percent.

As the graph below shows, the amount and share of New Hampshire’s population change due to the increase in the foreign stock is rising rapidly. Over the past 34 years the new immigrants and children born to them have added about 67,900 people to the population. Over this period, the increase in the foreign stock has accounted for 12 percent of the state’s population increase.

New Hampshire Foreign Stock

 

NATURALIZATION

Data from the 2006 American Community Survey indicate that 32,025 residents, or 45.0 percent, of the foreign-born population in New Hampshire were citizens, compared to 25,761 residents, or 47.6 percent, in 2000.

Nationally, 40.3 percent of the foreign-born population was citizens in 2000 and 42.0 percent were citizens in 2006.

REFUGEE SETTLEMENT

New Hampshire has received 3,926 refugees over the most recent nine fiscal years (FY'96-'04) for permanent resettlement (561 in FY'04). This is an average of 435 refugees per year.

 

 

Under the Office of Refugee Resettlement's (HHS/ORR) assistance funding for FY'02 $432,679 is available for refugee employment training and other services programs in New Hampshire based on a three-year refugee settlement program covering 1,724 refugees (an average of $251 per refugee). This allocation does not include a larger share (55%) of funding programs for communities heavily affected by recent Cuban and Haitian entrants, communities with refugees whose cultural differences make assimilation especially difficult, communities impacted by federal welfare reform changes, educational support to schools with significant refugee students, and discretionary grants. ORR grants for FY’05 and FY’06 respectively were $1,159,118 and $1,195,113.

LIMITED ENGLISH PROFICIENCY STUDENTS

Data are not available nationally on immigrant students (either legally or illegally resident in the United States) who are enrolled in primary and secondary schools (K-12). However, many of these students are enrolled in Limited English Proficiency/English Language Learning (LEP/ELL) instruction programs. Many may be U.S.-born, but the majority of these students may be assumed to be either immigrants or the children of immigrants, with the exception being areas with native Americans who speak a native language other than English.

 

In New Hampshire, overall enrollment in 2002 (211,429) was 6.1 percent above enrollment in 1993. By contrast, LEP enrollment (3,286 - 1.6% of all enrollment) was 227 percent higher than a decade earlier.

Data on enrollment in LEP/ELL programs are collected by the federal government from school systems that receive Title VII funds for these special instruction programs. The data on LEP/ELL enrollment are understated because data from private schools that do not apply for Title VII assistance are sketchy.

FOREIGN STUDENTS

The 2006/07 annual report of the Institute of International Education (IIE) lists the number of foreign students attending post-secondary school in New Hampshire as 2,099. Below, a chart illustrates the sharp increase of foreign students attending school in New Hampshire from 1960-2000.

Foreign Students in New Hampshire

 

ILLEGAL ALIENS

FAIR Estimate - FAIR estimates the state’s illegal alien population as of 2008 is as many as 15,000 persons. This is part of an overall estimate of the U.S. illegal alien population of about 13 million persons.

INS/DHS Estimate - The INS (now dissolved into the Dept. of Homeland Security) estimated in February 2003 that the resident illegal population in New Hampshire was 2,250 as of January 2000. This number 250 higher than the INS' 1996 estimate.

Other Estimates - The INS estimate of the illegal alien population released in February 2003 listed New Hampshire as having an illegal alien population of less than 2,500 residents. This compares with the previous INS estimate of 2,000 illegal aliens as of October 1996. That estimate was a one-third increase over the 1,500 illegal alien residents previously estimated for October 1992.

COST OF ILLEGAL ALIENS

Incarceration Costs - The INS estimate of the illegal alien population released in February 2003 listed New Hampshire as having an illegal alien population of less than 2,500 residents. This compares with the previous INS estimate of 2,000 illegal aliens as of October 1996. That estimate was a one-third increase over the 1,500 illegal alien residents previously estimated for October 1992.

New Hampshire has received partial compensation under the federal State Criminal Alien Assistance Program (SCAAP) that was established in 1994 to compensate the states and local jurisdictions for incarceration of "undocumented," aliens who are serving time for a felony conviction or at least two misdemeanors.

The recent SCAAP amounts that New Hampshire has received were:

FY’99  —  $552,985
FY’00  —  $351,286
FY’01  —  $260,936
FY’02  —  $366,323
FY’03  —  $159,718
FY’04  —  $207,721

The amount of SCAAP awards has been declining in both total distributions and even more as a share of the state’s expenses. In FY’99 the state received 38.6% of its costs for 74 prisoner years of detention. By FY’02, the state’s reported illegal alien detention increased by 32 percent to 98 prisoner years, while compensation decreased by 34 percent and since has decreased further.

Medical Costs - Under the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act, hospitals with emergency rooms are required to treat and stabilize patients with emergency medical needs regardless whether or not they are in the country legally or whether they are able to pay for the treatment. Congress in 2003 enacted an appropriation of $250 million per year (for 4 years) to help offset some of the costs due to use of this service by illegal aliens. This amount has been allocated among the states based upon estimates of the illegal alien population and data on the apprehension of illegal aliens in each state. This amount compensates only a fraction of the medical outlays. For New Hampshire, the proposed payment in fiscal year 2004 is $47,694.

Educational Costs - In our study Breaking the Piggy Bank: How Illegal Immigration is Sending Schools into the Red, we estimated based on 2004 data that educational expenditures for illegal immigration were costing the taxpayers in New Hampshire and seven other states $29.8 million dollars annually. This cost was partially for educating students who were themselves illegally in the country ($12.4 million) and in part for the education of their siblings born in the United States to illegal residents ($17.4 million).

LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS

You can view a listing of local immigration reform groups here.

STATE CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION VOTING RECORD

You can now access the voting record of your representatives in Congress regarding immigration issues in our voting report section.

Back to Top

New Hampshire: Immigrant Admissions


New Hampshire Immigrant Admissions
by Fiscal Year
1997 1,143
1998 1,010
1999 999
2000 2,001
2001 2,595
2002 3,009
2003 1,868
2004 2,198
2005 3,298
2006 2,990
Total 21,111

Recent immigrant admissions have slightly increased by 141 percent since adoption of the current immigration system in 1965. During the 1965-'69 period, annual admissions averaged about 1,105 immigrants. During the 2002-'06 period, admissions averaged about 2,675 immigrants.

The charts below show recent immigrant admissions and the cumulative immigrant admissions data since 1965. The number of annual admissions has ranged from 428 in FY'79 to 3,298 in FY'05. The cumulative total of admissions to New Hampshire between fiscal years 1965 and 2002 was 49,595 immigrants.



The data for fiscal years 1989-91 were artificially raised by the inclusion of former illegal aliens who were amnestied in 1986. According to INS data (1991) the number of amnesty applicants from New Hampshire was 607 (319 pre-1982 residents and 288 agricultural workers).

The data for FY'95 and FY'97-'99 were artificially low because the INS did not issue green cards to all the eligible applicants for adjustment of status who were already in the United States. In those four years, new immigration could have registered as much as 30 percent higher, if the INS had kept up with its workload.

Beginning with FY'01, the INS began to increase admissions as a result of reducing the size of the backlog of Section 245(i) adjustment of status cases, i.e., amnesty, for illegal aliens.

INS DATA BY NATIONALITY: FY'93 - FY'02

The INS data below are furnished for nationals of the countries with the largest number of immigrants admitted or adjusted to legal residence each year since 1993. The absence of data means that the total number of admissions to the United States by nationals of that country was not enough to merit detailed reporting in that year.

The nationalities may change each year, so the totals in some cases will not reflect all the immigrants of that nationality who have become legal immigrants in Wyoming during this period.

The Department of Homeland Security website has detailed data on immigrant admissions since FY’03 by year and by country. (See http://www.dhs.gov/ximgtn/statistics/data/dslpr.shtm).

Immigrant Admissions by Fiscal Year
Country FY'93 FY'94 FY'95 FY'96 FY'97 FY'98 FY'99 FY'00 FY'01 FY'02 Total
Bangladesh - - - 5 7 0 9 2 -4 5- 287
Canada 72 93 114 124 85 58 75 228 191 167 1,207
China * 187 122 90 117 69 85 76 145 187 263 1,341
Colombia 22 11 21 25 30 20 16 32 61 72 310
Cuba 0 0 1 0 1 3 0 2 0 2 9
Dom. Rep. 69 63 23 38 33 28 38 36 59 71 458
Ecuador 8 - 13 9 6 15 6 12 13 20 102
El Salvador 4 7 11 10 0 1 5 3 12 9 62
Germany 39 35 27 - 30 17 28 48 45 64 333
Guatemala 4 5 4 3 11 18 12 16 9 27 109
Guyana 0 0 2 2 0 1 1 2 - 2 10
Haiti 7 7 7 13 15 7 2 26 16 23 123
Honduras 1 - - - 6 5 4 4 3 23
India 78 56 61 90 66 91 82 101 305 304 1,234
Iran 9 6 12 25 7 10 12 11 9 16 117
Ireland 61 83 - - 3 3 8 17 - 14 189
Jamaica 5 3 9 7 11 8 10 14 12 11 90
Japan - 12 - - 12 13 6 17 17 19 96
Korea 27 40 56 64 32 51 72 87 56 47 532
Mexico 19 8 27 40 27 28 13 40 35 73 310
Nicaragua - - - - 0 0 0 4 7 2 13
Nigeria - - 8 9 9 9 9 6 - 22 72
Pakistan 27 14 20 12 8 20 21 25 26 13 186
Peru 3 11 7 3 3 1 9 12 10 10 69
Philippines 49 47 44 52 47 56 30 123 172 118 738
Poland 17 10 13 10 13 5 6 12 24 25 135
Sov. Un. * 76 64 66 85 59 57 71 140 169 164 951
Trin.& Tob. - 7 - - 1 3 2 8 - 4 25
U. Kingdom 97 89 67 86 68 37 33 112 122 135 846
Vietnam 90 112 129 199 113 39 27 43 105 53 910
Yugo. * - - 21 49 12 43 52 75 270 561 1,083
Other 292 239 333 435 359 278 264 598 663 690 4,151
Total 1,263 905 1,186 1,512 1,143 1,010 999 2,001 2,595 3,009 15,862

A dash (-) indicates that the data for that year were not published for that country in the INS Statistical Yearbook.
* China data include Hong Kong and Taiwan. Former USSR data continued since break-up (except FY'96-'97 and ‘01 include only Russia and Ukraine). Former Yugoslavia data continued since break-up.

The 31 nationalities above represent more than seven-tenths (73.8%) of all immigrant settlement and adjustment in New Hampshire during this ten-year period. The largest sources of the new immigrants were China, India, Canada, former Yugoslavia, and former Soviet Union. Those five together account for more than one-third (36.7%) of the ten-year total. 

Back to Top

New Hampshire : Poll Data

 

Rasmussen Poll: Arizona Law SB 1070
July 2010

Suppose the new Arizona immigration law was being considered for your state. Would you favor or oppose passage of that law in your state?

The U.S. Justice Department has decided to challenge the legality of Arizona’s new immigration law in federal court. Do you agree or disagree with the decision to challenge the legality of Arizona’s new immigration law?

 

 

A Rasmussen Report poll conducted 881 Likely Republican Voters in New Hampshire on November 29th found:

  • 25% (a plurality) rank immigration as the most important issue in determining their vote in the presidential election.

A CNN/ WMUR Poll taken from November 14-18, 2007 of 404 Republican voters found:

  • 16% rank illegal immigration as the most important issue in determining their vote (ranked second only to the war in Iraq).

A New York/ CBS News Poll taken from November 9-12, 2007 of 719 attendants of New Hampshire Democratic and Republican Caucuses found:

  • 62% of Republicans believe immigration is a serious problem. (30% “very serious” and 32% “somewhat serious”) compared to 36% of Democrats (24% “very serious” and 12% “somewhat serious”).
  • 44% (a plurality) of Republicans believe illegal immigrants should be required to leave jobs and US, compared with 42% of Democrats (a plurality) who believe illegal aliens should be allowed to say and apply for citizenship.
  • Among Republicans, immigration ranks first in “the one issue you would like candidates to discuss during the election.” Among Democrats, war/peace ranked first.

A Rasmussen Report poll conducted 772 Likely Democratic Voters in New Hampshire on November 5th found:

  • 66% oppose granting drivers’ licenses to illegal aliens.
  • 51% say that when police officers pull someone over for a traffic violation, they should routinely check to see if that person is in the country legally.
  • 38% believe that if an illegal immigrant is discovered in this manner, they should be deported.

Back to Top

New Hampshire: Immigration Impact


POPULATION PROFILE

Long thought of as a state of vast open spaces and farmland, population growth is changing the character of New Hampshire. Open space is disappearing, farmland is being eaten up, and growth-related problems like traffic and school overcrowding are beginning to emerge. Throughout the state, communities are trying to fight back with growth management ordinances (already in place in Barnstead, Loudon, Chichester, and Bow), 1 but as long as population continues to increase, such measures will eventually run up against population pressures.

ENVIRONMENTAL AND QUALITY OF LIFE PROFILE

Disappearing open space: Each year, New Hampshire loses 12,500 acres of open space and farmland due to development.2 Between 1982 and 1997 over 150,000 acres were converted to developed land, a 37 percent increase in total developed land in just 15 years. Between 1983 and 1997 forestland shrank by 9,600 acres a year. Floodplain forests have almost been eliminated, and the numbers of pine barrens have been substantially reduced. 3

Education: Between 1990 and 2000, New Hampshire's elementary and high school enrollment increased 25 percent.4 The Manchester School District enrolled 800 more students than it did the previous year. This increase in the student population forced the school board to free up $122,000 for unbudgeted textbooks.5 Overcrowding at one Litchfield school is so severe that classes are being held in the library, study hall is now in the cafeteria, and the computer lab has been set up on a stage.6

Traffic: As population growth put more traffic on the roads, the average commute for New Hampshire residents increased 66 percent during the 1990s, from 15 minutes to 25 minutes in 2005.7,8 24% of New Hampshire's major urban roads are congested. 30% of New Hampshire's major roads are in poor or mediocre condition, and vehicle travel on New Hampshire's highways increased 34% from 1990 to 2003. Driving on roads in need of repair costs New Hampshire motorists $236 million a year in extra vehicle repairs and operating costs $243 per motorist. 9

The state plans to double the size of Interstate 93 from four lanes to eight, which is raising concerns over growth in Derry, 40 miles north of Boston. Already, only 8,000 acres remain undeveloped in the town, and its population is expected to increase by another 29 percent in the next 20 years.10 16 percent of commuters in New Hampshire have a commute is 45 minutes or more. 11

Crowded housing: In 2005 over 6,000 New Hampshire households were defined as crowded or severely crowded by housing authorities. 12 Studies show that a rise in crowded housing often correlates with an increase in the number of foreign-born.13,14

Poverty: In 2005 12.2 percent of immigrants in New Hampshire had incomes below the poverty level, and increase of 92.6 percent since 2000. Among non-citizens, the poverty rate climbs to 19.2 percent.15

Solid Waste: New Hampshire's solid waste disposal capacity will reach its limit by 2010, according to a report issued by a governor's task force. The task force found that one of the major contributions to the increase in waste disposal is the state's population growth.16 New Hampshire generates .95 tons of solid waste per capita. 17

Air Quality: Hillsborough County received a grade of "F" from the American Lung Association in their "State of the Air 2005" report. Strafford County received a grade of "D", and four other counties received a grade of "C". 18

Water: By 2050 the state's population is expected to rise from 1.3 million in 2006 to over 1.8 million.19 New Hampshire has a daily, per-capita water demand of 78.5 gallons.20 This means that by 2050 public water usage will have increased by 39.3 million gallons each day.

Acid Rain: New Hampshire receives some of the highest amounts of acid rain in North America, attributed to high energy consumption activities associated with oil burning. Acid rain and mercury pollution have contaminated most inland freshwater fisheries in New Hampshire; habitat loss and over-fishing have severely depleted coastal fisheries.21

Endnotes:

  1. Anne Saunders, "More Towns Seek to Restrict Growth," Manchester Union Leader, January 24, 2003.
  2. "State Rankings by Acreage and Rate of Non-Federal Land Developed," Natural Resources Conservation Service, United States Department of Agriculture.
  3. " U.S. State Reports on Population and the Environment: New Hampshire," Center for Environment and Population.
  4. Table DP-1-4, Profile of General Demographic Characteristics: 1990 and 2000, Census 2000, U.S. Census Bureau.
  5. Katharine McQuaid, " Manchester School Enrollment Up 776 Students," Manchester Union Leader, September 11, 2002.
  6. "Litchfield Schools Overcrowded," Associated Press, September 18, 2002.
  7. Table DP-1-4, Profile of General Demographic Characteristics: 1990 and 2000, Census 2000, U.S. Census Bureau.
  8. Selected Economic Characteristics:2005 Data Set - 2005 American Community Survey, American Fact Finder, U.S. Census Bureau.
  9. Report Card for America's Infrastructure 2005," American Society of Civil Engineers.
  10. James Vaznis, "Specter of Past Uncontrolled Growth Haunts Town," Boston Globe, October 6, 2002.
  11. "U.S. Population 2007 Data Sheet," Population Reference Bureau.
  12. Selected Housing Characteristics: 2005 Data Set - 2005 American Community Survey, American Fact Finder, U.S. Census Bureau.
  13. Haya El Nasser, "U.S. Neighborhoods Grow More Crowded," USA Today, July 7, 2002.
  14. Randy Capps, "Hardship Among Children of Immigrants: Findings from the 1999 National Survey of America's Families," Urban Institute, 2001.
  15. "New Hampshire State Factsheet," Migration Information Source, Migration Policy Institute.
  16. "Rental Housing for America's Poor Families: Farther Out of Reach than Ever," National Low Income Housing Coalition, 2002.
  17. Report Card for America's Infrastructure 2005," American Society of Civil Engineers.
  18. "State of the Air 2005: New Hampshire", American Lung Association.
  19. Jack Martin and Stanley Fogel. "Projecting the U.S. Population to 2050." FAIR. March 2006.
  20. U.S. Geological Survey 2000.
  21. Ibid

Back to Top

Back to Top