New Hampshire Is Changing. Are We Keeping Pace?
When we talk about justice, equity, and inclusion in New Hampshire, the conversation often starts with who we are now and who we are becoming. The 2025 Race & Ethnicity Update from the New Hampshire Center for Justice & Equity offers a clearer picture of that journey, and a reminder that our systems, policies, and assumptions need to keep up.
Based on the latest five-year American Community Survey data (2019–2023), the report finds that 11.1% of New Hampshire’s population identifies as Black, Indigenous, or a Person of Color (BIPOC), while 4.5% identifies as Hispanic or Latino. Those figures continue recent increases, and they reflect growth that’s happening across the entire state, not just in cities or along the Massachusetts border.
Left: Black, Indigenous and Persons of Color (BIPOC) Population, by NH County. 2019-2023 ACS.
Right: Hispanic Population, by NH County. 2019-2023 ACS.
In Hillsborough County, where 31% of the population lives, nearly 17% of residents identify as BIPOC, and the Hispanic population has grown to more than 8%. Counties with smaller population densities are also seeing steady change, and the shift is most visible among children and young families.
For Granite Staters under 18, the data shows a noticeably higher rate of racial and ethnic diversity than among adults. As described by the University of New Hampshire Carsey School of Public Policy’s “What is New Hampshire?” project, “children are in the vanguard of the state’s growing diversity.”
“This data confirms what many of us see in our classrooms, our clinics, and our neighborhoods,” said Anthony Poore, President and CEO of the New Hampshire Center for Justice & Equity. “New Hampshire is changing, and that change is healthy for our communities and our economy. But we have to make sure our institutions keep pace and change how they listen, how they serve, and how they measure success.”
Why These Numbers Matter
Understanding demographics is necessary to shape access, opportunity, and outcomes. When we overlook who lives here, we risk creating systems that serve fewer people, or serve them inadequately. The data indicates a growing urgency for cultural competence in public health, education, and human services. With changing demographics, programs that exist may need to change in order to fit the population they are meant to serve.
A State in Motion
New Hampshire’s population is growing more diverse with each passing year, with growth taking place across the state. Beyond representation, the work ahead is about responsibility to ensure that every Granite Stater can access services and participate fully in civic life, regardless of language, culture, or geography.
NHCJE’s 2025 Race & Ethnicity Update is an invitation to act with intention. It calls on policymakers, advocates, and community partners to use up-to-date data to guide how public funds are invested and where services are expanded. It urges them to build and sustain partnerships with community-based organizations led by people of color and community leaders, and to prioritize equity impact assessments in every major policy decision so that public institutions evolve to meet the needs of the people they serve.
“This data confirms what many of us see in our classrooms, our clinics, and our neighborhoods. New Hampshire is changing, and that change is healthy for our communities and our economy. But we have to make sure our institutions keep pace and change how they listen, how they serve, and how they measure success.”
Dig into the statistics and learn more about New Hampshire's changing population: