Census Data for Gilford

Population ...

The most recent Census Estimate<1> was for 2019 and it gave Gilford a population of 7,247 people.

The last Decennial Census<2> was in 2010, which gave Gilford a population of 7,126 people.

The community of Gilford is located in Belknap County. The 2010 Census gave Belknap County; a population of 60,088 people. This means that Gilford had 11.86% of the county's total population, making it Belknap's 3rd most populous community.

At the same time, New Hampshire had a population of 1,316,470 people, meaning that Gilford had 0.54% of the total population of New Hampshire - making it the state's 44th most populous community.

Area ...

The 2010 Census shows that the sampling area for Gilford has a total area of 53.7 square miles [139.1 km²]. Of this total, 38.88 square miles [100.7 km²] is land, with the balance (27.6%) being water (14.82 square miles [38.4 km²]).

Belknap County has a land area of 400.2 square miles [1,036.6 km²]. At 38.88 square miles [100.7 km²], Gilford has 9.72% of the county's total land area.

• Continue Reading ...
  • When the Census Bureau conducts a census for a community like Gilford, 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 Gilford reflect the sampling area. Since the shape of the sampling area and the actual boundaries of Gilford 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° 31' 20"   (or 43.52°)
  • Lon:   -71° 22' 2"   (or -71.37°)
  • 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, Gilford had 5,111 Housing Units<3> and with its population of 7,126 people, this averages 1.39 people per Housing Unit.

• Continue Reading ...
  • The 2010 Census shows Gilford had a land area of 38.88 square miles [100.7 km²]. This translates to 95.2 Housing Units per square mile [36.75 housing units/km²].
  • From the Census of 2000: Gilford had 4,312 Housing Units, a population of 6,803 people and a land area of 38.97 square miles [100.9 km²]. This gives a density of 1.58 people per Housing Unit and 80.1 Housing Units per square mile [30.93 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 Gilford and you need to be careful when comparing between the censuses. More information about the changes can be found in the section called Census-to-Census Observations ... (see below).

Belknap County ...

Gilford is located in Belknap County<4>.

The county had a population of 60,088 people at the 2010 Census. With it's population of 7,126 people, Gilford represented 11.86% of the county's total.

In addition, where the community of Gilford has a population density of 132.7 people per square mile [51.2 people/km²], Belknap County averages 150.1 people per square mile [58 people/km²].

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

Census-to-Census Observations ...

Introduction ...

When the Census Bureau takes a census count (or enumeration) for Gilford, 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 Gilford. 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 Gilford 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 Gilford, the latitude and longitude given by the Census Bureau actually indicates the GPS location of the polygon for Gilford.

• Continue Reading ...
  • For the 2010 Census, the location was given as:
  • Lat:   43.522384°   (or 43°31'20" N)
  • Lon:   -71.367281°   (or -71°22'2" W)
  • For the 2000 Census, the location given was:
  • Lat:   43.561073°   (or 43°33'39" N)
  • Lon:   -71.396450°   (or -71°23'47" W)
  • The difference indicates that the U.S. Census Bureau moved the location of the polygon for the 2010 Census 3 miles 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 (#873603) to Gilford. This identifier also marks a GPS point on the map, and that point lies within the boundaries of Gilford. The GNIS point has been mapped to the latitude/longitude:
  • Lat:   43.547577°   (or 43°32'51" N)
  • Lon:   -71.406739°   (or -71°24'24" W)
  • The GPS location given for the 2010 Census lies 2 miles to the southeast<6> of the point given by the GNIS for Gilford. For more information about this and the relationship of the various Federal Codes, please visit our Misc Page for Gilford.

Miscellaneous Information for Gilford ...

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 Belknap County or the community of Gilford:

• The GNIS Codes ...
  • The current system of identification is called the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). The following GNIS codes relate to Gilford:
  • GNIS ID for Gilford: 873603
  • GNIS ID for Belknap County: 873174
  • 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: 001 (Belknap County)
  • Place Code: 28660 (Gilford)
  • State & County Code: 33/001 (New Hampshire / Belknap County)
  • State & Place Code: 33/28660 (New Hampshire / Gilford)

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

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

Off-the-Road Links ...

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

The official website for Belknap County: www.belknapcounty.org/

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)