Carroll County, New Hampshire

Not to be confused with Carroll, New Hampshire.

Carroll County
County
Carroll County Court House
Location within the U.S. state of New Hampshire
New Hampshire's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 43°49′21″N71°10′54″W / 43.822605°N 71.181587°W / 43.822605; -71.181587
Country	United States
State	New Hampshire
Founded	1840
Named for	Charles Carroll of Carrollton
Seat	Ossipee
Largest town	Conway
Area
• Total	993.5 sq mi (2,573 km2)
• Land	931.9 sq mi (2,414 km2)
• Water	61.6 sq mi (160 km2)  6.2%
Population  (2020)
• Total	50,107
• Density	53.8/sq mi (20.8/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	1st
Website	carrollcountynh.gov

Carroll County is a county in the U.S. state of New Hampshire. As of the 2020 census, the population was 50,107, ^[1] making it the third-least populous county in New Hampshire. Its county seat is Ossipee. ^[2] The county was created in 1840 and organized at Ossipee from towns removed from Strafford County. It was named in honor of Charles Carroll of Carrollton, ^[3] who had died in 1832, the last surviving signer of the United States Declaration of Independence.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 992 square miles (2,570 km²), of which 931 square miles (2,410 km²) is land and 61 square miles (160 km²) (6.2%) is water. ^[4] It is the third-largest county in New Hampshire by total area. Northern Carroll County is known for being mountainous. Several ski areas, including Cranmore Mountain, Attitash, King Pine, and Black Mountain, are located here. A salient along the northwestern margin of the county runs through Crawford Notch; the northern portion of the salient is within Crawford Notch State Park.

Adjacent counties

• Coos County (north)
• Oxford County, Maine (northeast)
• York County, Maine (southeast)
• Strafford County (south)
• Belknap County (southwest)
• Grafton County (west)

National protected area

• White Mountain National Forest (part)

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1850	20,157		—
1860	20,465		1.5%
1870	17,332		−15.3%
1880	18,224		5.1%
1890	18,124		−0.5%
1900	16,895		−6.8%
1910	16,316		−3.4%
1920	15,017		−8.0%
1930	14,277		−4.9%
1940	15,589		9.2%
1950	15,868		1.8%
1960	15,829		−0.2%
1970	18,548		17.2%
1980	27,931		50.6%
1990	35,410		26.8%
2000	43,666		23.3%
2010	47,818		9.5%
2020	50,107		4.8%
U.S. Decennial Census [5] 1790-1960 [6] 1900-1990 [7] 1990-2000 [8] 2010-2018 [9]

2000 census

As of the census ^[10] of 2000, there were 43,666 people, 18,351 households, and 12,313 families living in the county. The population density was 18 people per square kilometre (47 people/sq mi). There were 34,750 housing units at an average density of 14/km² (36/sq mi). The racial makeup of the county was 98.22% White, 0.17% Black or African American, 0.28% Native American, 0.38% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.17% from other races, and 0.77% from two or more races. 0.48% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 22.5% were of English, 15.6% Irish, 10.5% American, 9.7% French, 6.7% German, 5.8% Italian and 5.2% Scottish ancestry. 96.5% spoke English and 1.6% French as their first language.

There were 18,351 households, out of which 27.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.30% were married couples living together, 7.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.90% were non-families. 26.60% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.82.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 22.60% under the age of 18, 5.30% from 18 to 24, 26.50% from 25 to 44, 27.70% from 45 to 64, and 17.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 96.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.20 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $39,990, and the median income for a family was $46,922. Males had a median income of $31,811 versus $23,922 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,931. About 5.50% of families and 7.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.00% of those under age 18 and 6.70% of those age 65 or over.

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 47,818 people, 21,052 households, and 13,569 families living in the county. ^[11] The population density was 51.4 inhabitants per square mile (19.8/km²). There were 39,813 housing units at an average density of 42.8 per square mile (16.5/km²). ^[12] The racial makeup of the county was 97.5% white, 0.6% Asian, 0.3% American Indian, 0.3% black or African American, 0.2% from other races, and 1.1% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.0% of the population. ^[11] In terms of ancestry, ^[13]

The largest ancestry group in Carroll County are people of English ancestry, who make up 29.3% of people in the county. The second largest ancestry group in the county are people of Irish ancestry who make up 24.7%. The third largest group is people of French ancestry who make up 13.8% of people in the county. ^[14]

Of the 21,052 households, 24.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.2% were married couples living together, 8.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 35.5% were non-families, and 28.4% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.25 and the average family size was 2.72. The median age was 48.3 years. ^[11]

The median income for a household in the county was $49,897 and the median income for a family was $60,086. Males had a median income of $41,634 versus $32,402 for females. The per capita income for the county was $28,411. About 6.1% of families and 9.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.6% of those under age 18 and 5.5% of those age 65 or over. ^[15]

Politics and government

The county is historically Republican, but in 2008 Barack Obama received 52.39% of the county's vote. ^[16] This made him the first Democratic presidential nominee to win the county since 1912 and the first Democratic presidential nominee to win an absolute majority in the county since 1884. Joe Biden later repeated this feat in 2020. However, despite the recent Democratic trend, the county has not voted more Democratic than the nation since 1888 in terms of two-party vote.

The county is politically divided between the more conservative southern half, home to several seasonal communities along the north shore of Lake Winnipesaukee including Moultonborough, Tuftonboro, and Wolfeboro, and the more liberal northern half, with several ski towns and resort towns such as Bartlett and Conway. In both the 2012 Presidential and gubernatorial elections in New Hampshire, Democratic candidates easily won the northern half of the county, and Republican candidates easily won the southern half of the county. ^[17]

Carroll County is one of only thirteen counties to have voted for Obama in 2008, Romney in 2012, Trump in 2016, and Biden in 2020. ^[a]

United States presidential election results for Carroll County, New Hampshire ^[18]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	17,426	50.28%	16,822	48.54%	410	1.18%
2020	16,150	48.50%	16,649	50.00%	498	1.50%
2016	14,635	49.42%	12,987	43.85%	1,994	6.73%
2012	14,207	49.67%	13,977	48.87%	418	1.46%
2008	13,387	46.07%	15,221	52.39%	448	1.54%
2004	14,614	51.78%	13,319	47.19%	289	1.02%
2000	12,597	52.75%	9,852	41.26%	1,430	5.99%
1996	9,168	44.16%	8,881	42.77%	2,714	13.07%
1992	8,715	40.16%	7,258	33.44%	5,730	26.40%
1988	12,983	70.78%	5,153	28.09%	208	1.13%
1984	11,891	75.43%	3,806	24.14%	67	0.43%
1980	9,980	67.25%	3,119	21.02%	1,742	11.74%
1976	8,561	70.18%	3,374	27.66%	263	2.16%
1972	8,525	77.01%	2,395	21.64%	150	1.36%
1968	6,795	72.93%	2,163	23.22%	359	3.85%
1964	4,957	54.99%	4,058	45.01%	0	0.00%
1960	7,487	79.61%	1,918	20.39%	0	0.00%
1956	7,527	85.38%	1,281	14.53%	8	0.09%
1952	7,498	82.61%	1,578	17.39%	0	0.00%
1948	6,127	76.11%	1,869	23.22%	54	0.67%
1944	5,251	68.08%	2,461	31.91%	1	0.01%
1940	5,656	66.34%	2,870	33.66%	0	0.00%
1936	5,521	66.32%	2,769	33.26%	35	0.42%
1932	5,269	64.56%	2,873	35.20%	19	0.23%
1928	5,509	77.41%	1,592	22.37%	16	0.22%
1924	4,372	65.40%	2,213	33.10%	100	1.50%
1920	4,214	64.73%	2,279	35.01%	17	0.26%
1916	2,259	52.61%	2,003	46.65%	32	0.75%
1912	1,454	34.45%	1,820	43.12%	947	22.44%
1908	2,562	60.74%	1,591	37.72%	65	1.54%
1904	2,594	59.78%	1,683	38.79%	62	1.43%
1900	2,626	57.26%	1,859	40.54%	101	2.20%
1896	2,800	65.88%	1,214	28.56%	236	5.55%
1892	2,253	48.82%	2,267	49.12%	95	2.06%
1888	2,338	47.39%	2,434	49.33%	162	3.28%
1884	2,286	46.95%	2,443	50.17%	140	2.88%
1880	2,426	47.46%	2,639	51.62%	47	0.92%
1876	2,016	44.87%	2,474	55.06%	3	0.07%

County Commission

The executive power of Carroll County's government is held by three county commissioners, each representing one of the three commissioner districts within the county.

District	Commissioner	Hometown	Party
1	Terry McCarthy (chair)	Conway	Republican
2	Chuck McGee vice-chair	Moultonborough, New Hampshire	Republican
3	Bill Nelson clerk	Brookfield, New Hampshire	Republican

In addition to the County Commission, there are five directly elected officials: they include County Attorney, Register of Deeds, County Sheriff, Register of Probate, and County Treasurer. ^[19]

Office	Name
County Attorney	Michaela O’Rourke Andruzzi (D)
Register of Deeds	Lisa Scott (R)
County Sheriff	Domenic Richardi (R)
County Treasurer	Joseph Costello (R)
Register of Probate	Meg Lavender (R)

^[20]

Legislative branch

The legislative branch of Carroll County is made up of all of the members of the New Hampshire House of Representatives from the county. In total, as of January 2021 there are 15 members from 8 different districts.

Affiliation		Members	Voting share
	Democratic Party	5	33.3%
	Republican Party	10	66.7%
Total		15	100%

Communities

Towns

• Albany
• Bartlett
• Brookfield
• Chatham
• Conway
• Eaton
• Effingham
• Freedom
• Hart's Location
• Jackson
• Madison
• Moultonborough
• Ossipee (county seat)
• Sandwich
• Tamworth
• Tuftonboro
• Wakefield
• Wolfeboro

Township

• Hale's Location

Census-designated places

• Bartlett
• Center Ossipee
• Center Sandwich
• Conway
• Melvin Village
• North Conway
• Sanbornville
• Suissevale
• Union
• Wolfeboro

Other unincorporated communities

• Center Conway
• Chocorua
• East Conway
• East Wakefield
• Eidelweiss
• Ferncroft
• Glen
• Intervale
• Kearsarge
• Lees Mill
• Mirror Lake
• North Sandwich
• Redstone
• Silver Lake
• South Tamworth
• West Ossipee
• Wolfeboro Falls
• Wonalancet

See also

• New Hampshire portal

• Bartlett and Albany Railroad
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Carroll County, New Hampshire

Notes

1. The other twelve are Butte County, California; Teton County, Idaho; Kent County, Maryland; Kendall County, Illinois; McLean County, Illinois; Tippecanoe County, Indiana; Kent County, Michigan; Leelanau County, Michigan; Rockingham County, New Hampshire; Marion County, Oregon; Grand County, Utah; and Albany County, Wyoming.

References

1. "Census - Geograpahy Profile: Carroll County, New Hampshire". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved November 21, 2021.
2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
3. Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. pp.  70.
4. "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on December 27, 2014. Retrieved December 27, 2014.
5. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 27, 2014.
6. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved December 27, 2014.
7. "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 27, 2014.
8. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 27, 2010. Retrieved December 27, 2014.
9. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 22, 2016. Retrieved September 24, 2013.
10. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved January 31, 2008.
11. "DP-1 Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved January 12, 2016.
12. "Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 - County". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved January 12, 2016.
13. "DP02 Selected Social Characteristics in the United States – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved January 12, 2016.
14. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved October 17, 2010.
15. "DP03 SELECTED ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved January 12, 2016.
16. "David Leip's Presidential Election Database". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved April 10, 2018.
17. "President of the United States - 2012 General Election - NHSOS". sos.nh.gov. Retrieved April 10, 2018.
18. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved April 10, 2018.
19. "Departments | Carroll County NH".
20. "General Election Winners - 11/03/2020" (PDF). New Hampshire Secretary of State's Office. November 11, 2020. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 25, 2021. Retrieved December 8, 2020.

External links

• Carroll County official website
• National Register of Historic Places listing for Carroll Co., New Hampshire

43°52′N71°13′W / 43.87°N 71.21°W / 43.87; -71.21