Merrimack County, New Hampshire Population and Demographics

In this article, we'll explore the population statistics for Merrimack County, New Hampshire, including popular demographics data like median age, number of households, household income, gender, employment and unemployment rates, occupations, religion, and more.

We are using the latest American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year survey data from the US Census Bureau, which is accurate up to 2021.

Table of Contents

Population

There is a lot of data that lets us see how many people live in Merrimack County, New Hampshire. The most basic data is the total population, which is the total number of people living in Merrimack County, New Hampshire. The estimated population of Merrimack County, New Hampshire is 152,983 people, with a median age of 43.

We can look at the total population in Merrimack County over the last 5 years to see how much it has changed.

Year Population Change 5-Year Change
2021
152,983
+1.38%
+3.40%
2020
150,902
+0.66%
-
2019
149,917
+0.31%
-
2018
149,452
+1.01%
-
2017
147,958
 - -

Population of Merrimack County, New Hampshire by Race and Ethnicity

We can also look at how the population has changed over the last 5 years by each of the race/ethnicity types as defined by the US Census Bureau.

Race 2021 2017 Change
White
91.6%
93.1%
 -1.61%
Black/African American
1.5%
1.2%
 +25.00%
Native
0.3%
0.1%
 +200.00%
Hispanic
2.4%
2%
 +20.00%
Asian
1.9%
1.8%
 +5.56%
Hawaiian/Pacific Islander
0%
0%
 0.00%
Two Or More Races
2.2%
1.8%
 +22.22%
Other
0.2%
0.1%
 +100.00%

This data can be very important for a number of reasons, including social and economic research, planning and development, and marketing to a multi-cultural population.

Note that the Native group includes both Native American and Alaskan Native people.

Population of Merrimack County, New Hampshire by Age and Gender

The age and gender of a population is another interesting demographic statistic because it lets us track trends in the population over time. For example, we can see how the population has changed over the last 5 years by median age as a total, and also by male and female.

Year Total Male Female
2021 43 -0.23% 41.8 +0.72% 44.2 -0.45%
2020 43.1 +0.7% 41.5 +0.48% 44.4 +0.23%
2019 42.8 0% 41.3 0% 44.3 0%
2018 42.8 0% 41.3 -0.24% 44.3 +0.23%
2017 42.8 - 41.4 - 44.2 -

The median age of Merrimack County, New Hampshire gives you an idea of the age distribution, with half of the population being older than the median age and half being younger.

This can then be used to infer and compare against birth rates, parent ages, and more metrics to understand the population. For example, an increasing median age indicates an aging population, which can be a sign of a declining population in terms of birth rates and workforce participation.

Age 2021 2017
(Years) Male Female Male Female
0 to 9 7,669 -0.61% 7,574 -0.21% 7,615 7,554
10 to 19 9,547 -1.32% 8,874 +1.17% 9,407 8,973
20 to 29 9,381 +4% 8,850 +3.12% 9,757 9,125
30 to 39 8,760 +10.82% 8,553 +2.23% 9,739 8,745
40 to 49 9,768 -3.03% 9,727 0.02% 9,467 9,727
50 to 59 11,585 -1.53% 12,837 -8.94% 11,406 11,723
60 to 69 9,231 +12.88% 9,133 +18.86% 10,478 10,974
70+ 6,923 +15.01% 9,546 +7.48% 8,019 10,274

Median Household Income

The latest median household income of Merrimack County, New Hampshire is $82,457.00.

In simple terms, the median income is the middle income of a group of people. Half of the people in the group make more than the median income, and half make less. The median income is a good indicator of the overall income of a group of people, and can be used to compare against other metrics such as the average income, per capita income, and more.

Median Income by Age

We can also look at the median income by age to see how the median income varies by age, and how it compares to the overall median income for Merrimack County.

  • Under 25
    $56,466.00
  • 25 to 44
    $91,384.00
  • 45 to 64
    $99,808.00
  • 65 and over
    $55,556.00

Average Household Income

Whenever we ask what is the average household income in Merrimack County, we are actually talking about the mean household income.

This is calculated by adding up all the incomes of all the households in Merrimack County, and then dividing that number by the total number of households. This is a good way to get a general idea of the average income of a group of people, but it can be skewed by a very high or very low incomes.

The average household income of Merrimack County, New Hampshire is currently $102,383.00.

In terms of accurately summarizing income at a geographic level, the median income is a better metric than the average income because it isn't affected by a small number of very high or very low incomes.

If you had an area where the average income was greater than the median, it can mean that there is significant income inequality, with income being concentrated in a small number of wealthy households.

8.93% of households in Merrimack County are classed as high income households (making $200,000+ per year).

Household Income Tiers

The US Census Bureau divides households into income tiers based on the median income for the area. This is a good way to compare the income of Merrimack County against other areas.

  • Less than $24,999
    12.69%
  • $25,000 to $49,999
    16.65%
  • $50,000 to $74,999
    15.88%
  • $75,000 to $99,999
    15.05%
  • $100,000 to $149,999
    20.28%
  • $150,000 to $199,999
    10.52%
  • $200,000 or more
    8.93%

Per Capita Income

The per capita income in Merrimack County is $40,054.00.

Per capita income is the average income of a person in a given area. It is calculated by dividing the total income of Merrimack County by the total population of Merrimack County.

This is different from the average or mean income because it includes and accounts for all people in Merrimack County, New Hampshire, including people like children, the elderly, unemployed people, retired people, and more.

Education Levels

We can also look at the education levels in Merrimack County to see how many people have a high school degree, a bachelor's degree, or a graduate degree.

Educational attainment is a good indicator of the overall education level of a population, and can be used to compare against other metrics such as the average income, per capita income, and more to see how education levels affect income, unemployment rates, and more.

  • Master's degree or higher
    17.99%
  • Bachelor's degree
    32.64%
  • Some college or associate's degree
    9.23%
  • High school diploma or equivalent
    38.33%
  • Less than high school diploma
    1.81%

Employment

Employment rates are all based around the total population in Merrimack County that are over the age of 16.

The total population of Merrimack County over the age of 16 is 127,662.

Of those people, a total of 65.80% are working or actively looking for work. This is called the labor force participation rate.

The participation rate is a useful market measure because it shows the relative amount of labor resources available to the economy.

The employment to total population rate in Merrimack County is 63.30%.

Employment by Age

We can look at the employment rates by age to see how it compares to the overall employment rate.

Age Population Participation Unemployment Rate
16 to 19 years 8,228 53.10% 7.00%
20 to 24 years 9,583 76.70% 5.70%
25 to 29 years 9,299 84.60% 4.90%
30 to 34 years 9,711 84.40% 3.30%
35 to 44 years 18,314 83.90% 4.00%
45 to 54 years 20,688 85.40% 2.40%
55 to 59 years 12,094 80.00% 2.70%
60 to 64 years 11,664 63.60% 3.10%
65 to 74 years 17,328 29.10% 2.30%
75 years and over 10,753 9.90% 0.80%

Employment by Race

Another very interesting employment statistic we can look at is the employment and unemployment rates by race in Merrimack County. The table below shows the rates for each of the ethnicity groups types defined by the US Census Bureau.

Age Population Participation Unemployment Rate
White 119,402 66.00% 3.60%
Black or African American 1,927 54.80% 5.40%
American Indian and Alaska Native 422 69.20% 0.00%
Asian 2,415 73.90% 4.70%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 15 53.30% 0.00%
Other 477 49.10% 0.00%
Two or more races 3,004 63.20% 4.40%
Hispanic or Latino 2,672 66.00% 7.30%
Not Hispanic or Latino 118,029 65.90% 3.50%

Occupations

In this section we can look at the most common occupations in Merrimack County as well as the gender breakdown and earnings of them.

The total population of civilian employees that are 16 years old or older in Merrimack County is 80,825, with median earnings of $44,835.00.

Women in Merrimack County, New Hampshire earning approximately 74.40% of the men's earnings.

Population Earnings
Total 80,825 $44,835.00
Male 42,341 $53,243.00
Female 38,484 $39,623.00

Occupations by Category

In the table below, we can break down the population and earnings even further by occupation. The list of occupation categories below will show you how many people are employed in each category and the median earnings of each profession.

Occupation Employed Earnings
Management 8,256 $76,213.00
Business and Financial 4,627 $60,625.00
Computer and Mathematical 2,225 $78,497.00
Architecture and Engineering 2,054 $82,298.00
Life, Physical, and Social Science 818 $58,750.00
Community and Social Service 1,518 $43,427.00
Legal 1,119 $81,769.00
Educational and Library 5,121 $51,055.00
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media 1,017 $40,617.00
Healthcare Practitioners 6,170 $66,175.00
Healthcare Support 2,870 $30,998.00
Firefighters and Protective Service 565 $65,996.00
Law Enforcement 735 $71,042.00
Food Preparation and Serving 4,122 $20,438.00
Building and Grounds Cleaning 3,222 $26,450.00
Personal Care and Service 2,209 $17,442.00
Sales 8,050 $36,881.00
Office and Administrative Support 8,575 $39,550.00
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry 257 $16,250.00
Construction and Extraction 4,264 $46,025.00
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair 2,995 $55,032.00
Production 4,885 $43,146.00
Transportation and Material Moving 2,634 $44,866.00

Occupations by Gender

The table below shows the same occupations from the list above, but we have split them by male and female to see how many male and females work in each occupation, the median earnings, and the male to female ratio of earnings.

That last metric is important because it can be used to look at the gender pay gap between men and women.

Occupation Male Female
Population Earnings Population Earnings
Management 4,535 $89,599.00 3,721 $64,747.00
Business and Financial 2,152 $71,111.00 2,475 $56,416.00
Computer and Mathematical 1,638 $90,281.00 587 $65,078.00
Architecture and Engineering 1,824 $83,984.00 230 $46,471.00
Life, Physical, and Social Science 411 $65,331.00 407 $48,482.00
Community and Social Service 453 $55,208.00 1,065 $42,911.00
Legal 604 $100,469.00 515 $59,980.00
Educational and Library 1,564 $52,220.00 3,557 $49,471.00
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media 562 $41,719.00 455 $34,890.00
Healthcare Practitioners 1,573 $103,512.00 4,597 $58,559.00
Healthcare Support 533 $30,781.00 2,337 $31,066.00
Firefighters and Protective Service 470 $66,758.00 95 $38,807.00
Law Enforcement 597 $75,609.00 138 $64,491.00
Food Preparation and Serving 2,000 $23,199.00 2,122 $16,846.00
Building and Grounds Cleaning 1,831 $31,796.00 1,391 $18,950.00
Personal Care and Service 380 $22,241.00 1,829 $16,988.00
Sales 4,304 $52,012.00 3,746 $22,806.00
Office and Administrative Support 2,057 $44,048.00 6,518 $38,283.00
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry 180 $22,688.00 77 $6,410.00
Construction and Extraction 4,130 $46,824.00 134 $40,781.00
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair 2,899 $54,783.00 96 $60,793.00
Production 3,483 $48,185.00 1,402 $31,651.00
Transportation and Material Moving 2,266 $48,977.00 368 $26,064.00

Households and Family Size

A household defined bu the US Census Bureau is a group of people who occupy a housing unit. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, group of rooms, or single room occupied as separate living quarters.

There are currently 59,175 households in Merrimack County, with an average household size of 2.48 people.

A family is defined as a group of two or more people related by birth, marriage, or adoption who live together in the same household.

There are 39,874 families in Merrimack County with an average family size of 2.95 people.

Households by Marital Status

The four categories of household by marital status are:

  • Married-couple family
  • Male householder with no spouse present
  • Female household with no spouse present
  • Nonfamily household

The table below shows the total number of households and families, with the average sizes of each.

Married Male Female Nonfamily
Total Households 32,318 2,880 4,676 19,301
Average Household Size 3.01 3.35 3.13 1.3
Total Families 32,318 2,880 4,676 0
Average Household Size 2.97 2.8 2.85 0

Poverty

Of the 39,874 families in Merrimack County, 3.80% are considered to be below the poverty threshold.

The table below shows the latest poverty thresholds in Merrimack County:

Household Size Poverty Threshold
1 Person $14,580.00
2 People $19,720.00
3 People $24,860.00
4 People $30,000.00
5 People $35,140.00
6 People $40,280.00
7 People $45,420.00
8 People $50,560.00

Housing

There are 65,367 housing units in Merrimack County, New Hampshire.

The table below shows the split between occupied and vacant units:

Total Percentage
Occupied 59,175 90.53%
Vacant 6,192 9.47%

23.51% of the total 65,367 housing units in Merrimack County are rental units. This is approximately 15,368 properties.

For owner-occupied housing units, a total of 43,334 are occupied by the owner - or 66.29% of the total.

Rental Rates

The median rent for a property in Merrimack County is $1,113.00.

In the chart below, we can look at the number of rental properties in Merrimack County that fall into a particular rent range. These can then be used to compare with other areas, or to see how they have changed over time.

  • No rent paid
    473
  • Less than $500
    1,662
  • $500 to $999
    4,216
  • $1,000 to $1,499
    6,609
  • $1,500 to $1,999
    2,118
  • $2,000 to $2,499
    658
  • $2,500 to $2,999
    49
  • $3,000 or more
    56

Property Value

The median value of a property in Merrimack County is $255,100.00.

Just like with rental rates, we can look at the number of properties in Merrimack County that fall into a particular value range.

  • Less than $50,000
    1,964
  • $50,000 to $99,999
    1,979
  • $100,000 to $149,999
    3,029
  • $150,000 to $199,999
    5,522
  • $200,000 to $299,999
    15,528
  • $300,000 to $499,999
    12,154
  • $500,000 to $999,999
    2,841
  • $1,000,000 or more
    317

Property Age

We can also look at the age of properties in Merrimack County. The chart below shows the number of properties in Merrimack County that fall into a particular age range.

  • 1939 or earlier
    16,215
  • 1940 to 1949
    2,315
  • 1950 to 1959
    3,210
  • 1960 to 1969
    5,169
  • 1970 to 1979
    9,553
  • 1980 to 1989
    11,466
  • 1990 to 1999
    6,695
  • 2000 to 2009
    7,435
  • 2010 to 2013
    3,209
  • 2014 or later
    100

Vehicles per Household

The number of vehicles available per household can be a good indicator of the level of affluence in an area. The chart below shows the number of households in Merrimack County that have a particular number of vehicles available.

  • No vehicles available
    3,140
  • 1 vehicle available
    16,235
  • 2 vehicles available
    25,008
  • 3 or more vehicles available
    14,792

Commuting to Work

In this section, we can also look at how people in Merrimack County get to work. The chart below shows the number of people in Merrimack County that commute to work in a particular way.

26.7 minutes is the average travel time to work for people in Merrimack County.

These commute times can be compared to other date like income and educational levels to see how they relate to each other and if there are any trends in the data that might suggest a correlation.

  • Less than 5 minutes
    2,305
  • 5 to 9 minutes
    7,234
  • 10 to 14 minutes
    8,785
  • 15 to 19 minutes
    10,344
  • 20 to 24 minutes
    9,876
  • 25 to 29 minutes
    5,692
  • 30 to 34 minutes
    9,568
  • 35 to 39 minutes
    2,816
  • 40 to 44 minutes
    2,904
  • 45 to 59 minutes
    6,079
  • 60 to 89 minutes
    4,028
  • 90 or more minutes
    1,981

Summary

We've covered a LOT of demographic and population data for Merrimack County, New Hampshire in this article! Hopefully you have found it very useful in your research of the area.

If you use any of the data found on this page, please consider linking back to USPopulation.org as the source and if you have any feedback or data requests, click here to contact us.

Places in Merrimack County, New Hampshire

We have data for 35 places in Merrimack County, New Hampshire. Click on a place below to see more information about the demographics of that place.