New Hampshire continues to gain population slowly, according to the latest Census Bureau estimates, but as has been the case for the past decade, this is entirely due to people moving into the state.
The latest estimates say 1,415,342 people, give or take a few, lived in the Granite State as of July, an increase of 38,000 over the official census count of 2020 and about 7,000 more than last year’s estimate.
However, data from the state’s Vital Records office shows that since 2020, a total of 8,500 more people died in New Hampshire than were born here. In other words, our population gain over the six years was due to at least 45,000 more people moving into the state than the number who moved away.
The situation is the same for all three northern New England states: Vermont and Maine have also suffered “natural decrease” (more deaths than births) since the 2020 Census, but also have made up for it by people moving into the state.
That situation changed for Vermont in the past year, however. The Green Mountain State actually lost total population over the past year, by about 1,800 residents. It’s the only state in the country that lost natural population last year and also saw more people leaving than moving there.
Massachusetts gained an estimated 16,000 people last year and is up 120,000 since the 2020 Census to 7.15 million.
Maine gained an estimated 6,000 people last year and is up 50,000 since the 2020 Census to 1,414,874. In terms of total population, Maine has gained on New Hampshire since the Census; the Granite State is now larger by only about 500 people, according to the latest estimate.
Nationally, the Census Bureau estimates the United States population grew just one-half of one percent in the year leading up to July 1, or 1.8 million people. That’s the slowest growth rate since the pandemic and is due both to a continuing decline in births — something that is being seen in virtually all developed and many third-world countries — as well as a decline in migration here from overseas.