Strafford County, New Hampshire: Industrial Catholic Metro county. In 2024, voted D+12%. Republican peak: R+40 in 1896.
Key facts
- 2024 presidential margin
- D+12MIT Election Lab
- Political typology
- Industrial Catholic MetroAkashic typology
- Population
- 132,5752024 5-year
- Median household income
- $88,5702024 5-year
- White (non-Hispanic)
- 88.2%2024 5-year
- Black
- 1.2%2024 5-year
- Hispanic / Latino
- 3.2%2024 5-year
- Peak Democratic margin
- D+36 in 1964MIT Election Lab
- Peak Republican margin
- R+40 in 1896MIT Election Lab
- Most similar
- Cheshire County, NH · similarity 0.97
2024 results by precinct
2024 precinct map of Strafford CountyPrecinct-level 2024 presidential results for Strafford County, with each precinct boundary colored by Democratic-vs-Republican margin.
—
Margin—
Turnout—
Harris +50Trump +50
Real precinct boundaries. Hover for vote totals.
presidential history
Presidential margin, 1876–2024
Democratic minus Republican, by election
| Year | Margin (D minus R) |
|---|---|
| 1876 | No data |
| 1880 | No data |
| 1884 | No data |
| 1888 | No data |
| 1892 | −4.8% |
| 1896 | −40.3% |
| 1900 | −13.3% |
| 1904 | −15.3% |
| 1908 | −15.2% |
| 1912 | +6.4% |
| 1916 | +0.0% |
| 1920 | −21.2% |
| 1924 | −16.8% |
| 1928 | −16.9% |
| 1932 | +4.8% |
| 1936 | +14.2% |
| 1940 | +17.6% |
| 1944 | +14.2% |
| 1948 | +7.4% |
| 1952 | −7.8% |
| 1956 | −23.2% |
| 1960 | +2.9% |
| 1964 | +36.0% |
| 1968 | +2.7% |
| 1972 | −16.5% |
| 1976 | −0.0% |
| 1980 | −16.5% |
| 1984 | −23.1% |
| 1988 | −10.8% |
| 1992 | +11.0% |
| 1996 | +21.0% |
| 2000 | +8.7% |
| 2004 | +12.0% |
| 2008 | +20.4% |
| 2012 | +14.5% |
| 2016 | +8.4% |
| 2020 | +15.2% |
| 2024 | +12.0% |
DemocraticRepublican
38 presidential elections
| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D | 42,374 | 33,163 | 76,690 | ||
| D | 41,721 | 30,489 | 73,805 | ||
| D | 34,894 | 29,072 | 69,000 | ||
| D | 36,026 | 26,729 | 63,969 | ||
| D | 37,990 | 25,021 | 63,549 | ||
| D | 32,942 | 25,825 | 59,281 | ||
| D | 25,400 | 21,108 | 49,393 | ||
| D | 23,475 | 14,484 | 42,843 | ||
| D | 21,247 | 16,028 | 47,539 | ||
| R | 16,547 | 20,636 | 37,698 | ||
| R | 12,752 | 20,452 | 33,356 | ||
| R | 11,041 | 16,399 | 32,531 | ||
| R | 14,566 | 14,569 | 29,365 | ||
| R | 12,028 | 16,846 | 29,129 | ||
| D | 13,129 | 12,427 | 26,283 | ||
| D | 17,737 | 8,342 | 26,079 | ||
| D | 14,335 | 13,539 | 27,874 | ||
| R | 9,659 | 15,494 | 25,160 | ||
| R | 11,753 | 13,729 | 25,482 | ||
| D | 11,603 | 9,988 | 21,776 | ||
| D | 12,497 | 9,388 | 21,898 | ||
| D | 12,847 | 8,996 | 21,843 | ||
| D | 11,005 | 8,215 | 19,697 | ||
| D | 9,970 | 9,060 | 19,098 | ||
| R | 7,441 | 10,470 | 17,939 | ||
| R | 6,445 | 9,167 | 16,187 | ||
| R | 5,643 | 8,700 | 14,412 | ||
| D | 4,040 | 4,037 | 8,142 | ||
| D | 3,468 | 2,962 | 7,866 | ||
| R | 3,523 | 4,822 | 8,573 | ||
| R | 3,553 | 4,869 | 8,605 | ||
| R | 3,792 | 4,987 | 9,015 | ||
| R | 2,259 | 5,483 | 7,995 | ||
| R | 4,229 | 4,666 | 9,029 | ||
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Demographics
2024 ACS
Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.
English
21.7%
Irish
21.6%
French
10.7%
German
9.7%
Italian
8.5%
Scottish
4.0%
American
4.0%
African American
1.0%
Multiple ancestry combinations reported; no single grouping above 1%.
American Indian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander combined.
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release. Hispanic/Latino is an ethnicity that overlaps the race categories, so these shares can total more than 100%. Ancestry is a self-reported, multiple-response item; ancestry percentages do not sum to the parent race percentage.
2024 ACS
Age distribution by sex
Median age: 38.2 in this county, 39.1 nationally
Male
Age
Female
85+
75–84
65–74
55–64
45–54
35–44
25–34
18–24
5–17
<5
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
2024 ACS
Median household income
Inflation-adjusted dollars
$88,570
Strafford County ranks in the top 10% of US counties.
Strafford County$88,570
New Hampshire$99,031
United States$80,734
Strafford County ranks in the top 10% of US counties by median household income.
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
2024 ACS
Poverty rate
All persons below federal poverty line
8.7%
Child poverty is below the national average.
Children under 187.2%
Working age (18–64)8.9%
Seniors (65+)10.2%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
2024 ACS
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
94.7%
speak English only
Other Indo-European2.0%
Asian & Pacific Islander1.6%
Spanish1.4%
Other languages0.3%
Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.
2020 religion census
Religious adherents
Adherents per capita by tradition
Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 76.2% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.
Anchored by Durham's University of New Hampshire campus and the small city of Dover, Strafford County combines a large student population with working-class mill-town voters, producing a consistent Democratic margin in statewide contests.
Its margins are typically close. The Democratic margin reached thirty-six points in 1964; the Republican margin reached forty points in 1896. Between 2020 and 2024 the county moved three points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was twelve points.
Its demographics sit near national norms: a 88% non-Hispanic-white share, a median household income of $88,570, and a 9% poverty rate. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Cheshire County and Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region.
Most similar counties
Compare two places, side by side
Twelve curated comparisons line up election history, demographics, and the divergence story for two places at a glance. Browse all comparisons →
Cite this page
All citations released under CC BY 4.0. Attribution: Akashic Intelligence.
Strafford County, New Hampshire. Akashic. https://akashic.app/county/33017/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
License: CC BY 4.0
More in New Hampshire
More industrial catholic metro counties
Frequently asked questions
How did Strafford County, New Hampshire vote in 2024?
In 2024, Strafford County, New Hampshire voted Democratic by 12.0 points (D+12), carried by the Democratic candidate. Out of 76,690 votes cast, 42,374 went Democratic and 33,163 went Republican.
What is Strafford County, New Hampshire's political typology?
Akashic places Strafford County, New Hampshire in the "Industrial Catholic Metro" typology — Mid-size industrial metros with Catholic ethnic roots — among the most competitive, swing-prone ground in the country. The typology is a data-driven cluster built from vote share, vote swing, race and ethnicity, income, language spoken at home, religion, and ancestry. Across 38 elections in the dataset, the county has voted Democratic 19 times, Republican 15 times, and other 0 times.
When did Strafford County, New Hampshire last vote Republican?
The most recent presidential election in which Strafford County, New Hampshire voted Republican was 1988.
How many people live in Strafford County, New Hampshire?
Strafford County, New Hampshire has a population of 132,575 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Strafford County, New Hampshire?
Median household income in Strafford County, New Hampshire is $88,570 — above the national median of $80,734. The New Hampshire state median is $99,031.
What is the political history of Strafford County, New Hampshire?
Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in Strafford County, New Hampshire from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 19 went Democratic and 15 went Republican. The county's typology — "Industrial Catholic Metro" — captures where that record, its demographics, and its recent swing place it among American communities.