Census Data for Durham

Population ...

The most recent Census Estimate<1> was for 2019 and it gave Durham a population of 16,127 people.

The last Decennial Census<2> was in 2010, which gave Durham a population of 14,638 people.

The community of Durham is located in Strafford County. The 2010 Census gave Strafford County; a population of 123,200 people. This means that Durham had 11.88% of the county's total population, making it Strafford's 3rd most populous community.

At the same time, New Hampshire had a population of 1,316,470 people, meaning that Durham had 1.11% of the total population of New Hampshire - making it the state's 18th most populous community.

Area ...

The 2010 Census shows that the sampling area for Durham has a total area of 24.79 square miles [64.2 km²]. Of this total, 22.38 square miles [58 km²] is land, with the balance (9.72%) being water (2.41 square miles [6.2 km²]).

Strafford County has a land area of 369 square miles [955.6 km²]. At 22.38 square miles [58 km²], Durham has 6.06% of the county's total land area.

• Continue Reading ...
  • When the Census Bureau conducts a census for a community like Durham, they draw a boundary around the area in which they are going to conduct their count - this defines the sampling area (usually a polygon). The shape of the sampling area can be quite complex and it's important to keep in mind that the boundaries of the sampling area may or may not match the recognized boundaries of the community.
  • Things like population, area and housing for Durham reflect the sampling area. Since the shape of the sampling area and the actual boundaries of Durham might be different, it's best to check with the U.S. Census Bureau to resolve any difference between the two.
  • Not only does the sampling area define boundaries, it also has a GPS location (latitude & longitude) that indicates a point within the sampling area (usually the center of the polygon, known as the centroid). At the time of the 2010 Census, the sampling area was located at:
  • Lat:   43° 7' 2"   (or 43.12°)
  • Lon:   -70° 55' 6"   (or -70.92°)
  • More information on this topic and the changes between the 2000 Census and the 2010 Census can be found in the section for our Census-to-Census Observations ... (see below).

Housing Units ...

At the time of the 2010 Census, Durham had 3,092 Housing Units<3> and with its population of 14,638 people, this averages 4.73 people per Housing Unit.

• Continue Reading ...
  • The 2010 Census shows Durham had a land area of 22.38 square miles [58 km²]. This translates to 124.7 Housing Units per square mile [48.17 housing units/km²].
  • From the Census of 2000: Durham had 2,923 Housing Units, a population of 12,664 people and a land area of 22.39 square miles [58 km²]. This gives a density of 4.33 people per Housing Unit and 118 Housing Units per square mile [45.57 housing units/km²].
  • Note: Repeating the caution above (under Population Density), be aware that when comparing Housing Units between the 2010 Census and the 2000 Census, there were changes in the sampling area for Durham and you need to be careful when comparing results between the censuses. More information about these differences can be found in the section called Census-to-Census Observations ... (see below).

Strafford County ...

Durham is located in Strafford County<4>.

The county had a population of 123,200 people at the 2010 Census. With it's population of 14,638 people, Durham represented 11.88% of the county's total.

In addition, where the community of Durham has a population density of 590 people per square mile [228 people/km²], Strafford County averages 333.9 people per square mile [128.9 people/km²].

For more information, please visit our Census Page for Strafford County.

Census-to-Census Observations ...

Introduction ...

When the Census Bureau takes a census count (or enumeration) for Durham, they start by specifying the boundaries of the area to be counted. This area (or sampling area) is a polygon and its shape can be quite complex - it may or may not match the geographical boundaries of Durham. It's important to note that from one Census to the next, the shape and location of the polygon can change.

• Continue Reading ...
  • Although we don't have specific information about the shape of the polygon for Durham or how it changed has over time, there is some information that can give us some hints. For example, since the shape of the sampling area is directly related to the shape of the polygon, any change to area probably indicates a new shape for the polygon.
  • If you need precision or details about the methodology of the Census, you should visit the U.S. Census Bureau for a definitive answer.

Location ...

While generally coinciding with the GPS location (latitude/longitude) of Durham, the latitude and longitude given by the Census Bureau actually indicates the GPS location of the polygon for Durham.

• Continue Reading ...
  • For the 2010 Census, the location was given as:
  • Lat:   43.117346°   (or 43°7'2" N)
  • Lon:   -70.918420°   (or -70°55'6" W)
  • For the 2000 Census, the location given was:
  • Lat:   43.127759°   (or 43°7'39" N)
  • Lon:   -70.925401°   (or -70°55'31" W)
  • The difference indicates that the U.S. Census Bureau moved the location of the polygon for the 2010 Census 4,226 feet to the southeast<5> of the location that was used in the 2000 Census.
  • The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the U.S. Board on Geographic Names (BGN) have assigned a unique GNIS identifier (#873584) to Durham. This identifier also marks a GPS point on the map, and that point lies within the boundaries of Durham. The GNIS point has been mapped to the latitude/longitude:
  • Lat:   43.133974°   (or 43°8'2" N)
  • Lon:   -70.926448°   (or -70°55'35" W)
  • The GPS location given for the 2010 Census lies 6,427 feet to the south<6> of the point given by the GNIS for Durham. For more information about this and the relationship of the various Federal Codes, please visit our Misc Page for Durham.

Miscellaneous Information for Durham ...

The Federal government has assigned various identifying codes to each community, county and state. At one time or another, the US Census Bureau has used one (or more) of the following identifiers when referring to either Strafford County or the community of Durham:

• The GNIS Codes ...
  • The current system of identification is called the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). The following GNIS codes relate to Durham:
  • GNIS ID for Durham: 873584
  • GNIS ID for Strafford County: 873182
  • GNIS ID for State of New Hampshire: 1779794

• The FIPS Codes ...
  • An earlier (and largely obsolete) identification method was called the Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS):
  • State Code: 33 (New Hampshire)
  • County Code: 017 (Strafford County)
  • Place Code: 19620 (Durham)
  • State & County Code: 33/017 (New Hampshire / Strafford County)
  • State & Place Code: 33/19620 (New Hampshire / Durham)

• Misc. Census Codes ...
  • Durham is located in Census Region #1 (the Northeast Region) and Division #1 (the New England Division).

• The US Postal Service ZIP Code ...
  • While some people have used a ZIP code to identify a community, the purpose of the ZIP code was to make mail delivery more efficient by grouping addresses together. Although the ZIP Code doesn't specifically identify a community like Durham, it does identify addresses that are in (or near) Durham. It's important to remember that the boundaries of a ZIP Code can be changed, re-assigned or overlapped with other ZIP Codes.
  • The ZIP code for Durham:03824<7>

• Census ZCTA Codes ...
  • The US Census Bureau created statistical entities that they call ZIP Code Tabulation Areas (ZCTAs) and these ZCTAs are frequently confused with the ZIP codes that come from the US Postal Service (USPS).
  • ZCTAs were first created for the 2000 Census and at that time, they were based upon the USPS ZIP codes. While largely covering the same areas, the boundaries of a ZCTA do not necessarily match the boundaries of a postal ZIP code with the same number. For example, while a postal ZIP code can cross a county or state line, a Census ZCTA can not. They should be treated as separate entities with no correlation between them.

For more information about the various Federal identification codes, please visit our Misc Page for Durham.

Off-the-Road Links ...

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Durham. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for Strafford County: www.co.strafford.nh.us/

The official website for State of New Hampshire: https://www.nh.gov/

The official website of the U.S. Census Bureau

The official website of the U.S. Board on Geographic Names (BGN)

The official website of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)