The 10 New Hampshire Cities With The Largest Black Population For 2023


We used science and data to determine which cities in New Hampshire have the largest African American population.

The Black community is one of the fastest growing communities in America this decade.

There are now 42 million people who identify as Black or African American living in America, making up 12% of the total population. According to the most recent American Community Survey, the Black population in New Hampshire is 18,705 - at 1.4% of the total population of New Hampshire.

The percentage growth of Blacks in America is the third largest percentage change for any race according to the Census's race and ethnicity definition. As most scholars and historians agree, an increase in the diversity in America is a good thing.

We agree.

But how has the increase in the black population impacted New Hampshire? Which cities and towns in New Hampshire have seen the greatest increase in its Black population?

We broke down the most recent census data to determine the cities in New Hampshire with the largest African American population in 2023:

  1. Berlin
  2. Manchester
  3. Concord
  4. Lebanon
  5. Nashua
  6. Somersworth
  7. Claremont
  8. Portsmouth
  9. Keene
  10. Dover

What's the blackest city in New Hampshire? Berlin took the number one over all spot for the largest Black population in New Hampshire for 2023. See if it ranked as one of the most african american cities in America.

Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers and how your town ranked.

To see where New Hampshire ranked as a state on diversity, we have a ranking of the most diverse states in America.

And if you already knew these places were Black, check out the best places to live in New Hampshire or the most diverse places in New Hampshire.

The 10 Blackest Cities In New Hampshire For 2023

1. Berlin

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 9,710
% African American: 5.98%
# Of African American Residents: 581
Percent Change Since 2010: 1470.27%
More on Berlin: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Berlin, NH

Source: Public domain

2. Manchester

Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 114,730
% African American: 5.28%
# Of African American Residents: 6,060
Percent Change Since 2010: 45.32%
More on Manchester: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Manchester, NH

Source: Public domain

3. Concord

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 43,552
% African American: 3.28%
# Of African American Residents: 1,427
Percent Change Since 2010: 79.27%
More on Concord: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Concord, NH

4. Lebanon

Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 14,316
% African American: 2.35%
# Of African American Residents: 336
Percent Change Since 2010: 5.66%
More on Lebanon: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Lebanon, NH

5. Nashua

Overall SnackAbility

8.5
/10

Population: 90,659
% African American: 2.2%
# Of African American Residents: 1,994
Percent Change Since 2010: 13.04%
More on Nashua: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Nashua, NH

6. Somersworth

Overall SnackAbility

8
/10

Population: 11,964
% African American: 1.74%
# Of African American Residents: 208
Percent Change Since 2010: 10.64%
More on Somersworth: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Somersworth, NH

7. Claremont

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 12,955
% African American: 1.44%
# Of African American Residents: 187
Percent Change Since 2010: 136.71%
More on Claremont: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Claremont, NH

Source: Public domain

8. Portsmouth

Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 21,897
% African American: 1.17%
# Of African American Residents: 257
Percent Change Since 2010: -39.67%
More on Portsmouth: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Portsmouth, NH

Source: Public domain

9. Keene

Overall SnackAbility

8
/10

Population: 22,969
% African American: 1.06%
# Of African American Residents: 244
Percent Change Since 2010: 264.18%
More on Keene: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Keene, NH

10. Dover

Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 32,599
% African American: 1.05%
# Of African American Residents: 342
Percent Change Since 2010: -6.3%
More on Dover: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Dover, NH

Methodology: How We Determined The Cities In New Hampshire With The Largest Black Population For 2023

We still believe in the accuracy of data -- especially from the census. So that's where we went to get the breakdown of race across New Hampshire.

That lead us to the Census's most recently available data, the 2017-2021 American Community Survey data from the US Census.

Specifically, we looked at table B03002: Hispanic OR LATINO ORIGIN BY RACE. Here are the category names as defined by the Census:

  • Hispanic or Latino
  • White alone*
  • Black or African American alone*
  • American Indian and Alaska Native alone*
  • Asian alone*
  • Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone*
  • Some other race alone*
  • Two or more races*
* Not Hispanic or latino

Our particular column of interest here was the number of people who identified as Black or African American.

We limited our analysis to non-CDPs with a population greater than 8,000 people. That left us with 13 cities.

We then calculated the percent of residents that are Black or African American. The percentages ranked from 6.0% to 0.2%.

Finally, we ranked each city based on the percent of Black population with a higher score being more Black than a lower score. Berlin took the distinction of being the most Black, while Franklin was the least African American city. You can download the data here.

Read on for more information on how the cities in New Hampshire ranked by population of African American residents or, for a more general take on diversity in America, head over to our ranking of the most diverse cities in America.

Summary: Black Populations Across New Hampshire

If you're looking for a breakdown of African American populations across New Hampshire according to the most recent data, this is an accurate list.

If you're curious enough, here are the least African American places in New Hampshire:

  1. Franklin
  2. Laconia
  3. Rochester

For more New Hampshire reading, check out:

African American Population By City In New Hampshire

Rank City % African American Population
1 Berlin 5.98% 9,710
2 Manchester 5.28% 114,730
3 Concord 3.28% 43,552
4 Lebanon 2.35% 14,316
5 Nashua 2.2% 90,659
6 Somersworth 1.74% 11,964
7 Claremont 1.44% 12,955
8 Portsmouth 1.17% 21,897
9 Keene 1.06% 22,969
10 Dover 1.05% 32,599
11 Rochester 1.0% 32,317
12 Laconia 0.88% 16,786
13 Franklin 0.16% 8,766

How Is The Area In ?

Editor's Note: We updated this article for 2023. This is our tenth time ranking the cities in New Hampshire with the largest African American population.
About Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar has been in the real estate business for almost ten years now. He originally worked for Movoto Real Estate as the director of marketing before founding HomeSnacks.

He believes the key to finding the right place to live comes down to looking at the data, reading about things to do, and, most importantly, checking it out yourself before you move.

If you've been looking for a place to live in the past several years, you've probably stumbled upon his writing already.

You can find out more about him on LinkedIn or his website.