County profile

Cheshire County

New Hampshire · ACS 2020–2024

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Latest estimates

At a glance

U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates.

Total population
77,297
Median household income
$83,329
People below poverty
8.7%
Median home value
$280,100

Income

The median income of households in Cheshire County, New Hampshire was $83,329. An estimated 3.3% of households had income below $10,000 a year and 9.9% had income of $200,000 or more.

Household Income in Cheshire County, New Hampshire in 2020-2024

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Percent
Less than $10,000 3.3
$10,000 to $14,999 2.6
$15,000 to $24,999 6
$25,000 to $34,999 6.3
$35,000 to $49,999 9.4
$50,000 to $74,999 18.2
$75,000 to $99,999 13.1
$100,000 to $149,999 20.5
$150,000 to $199,999 10.6
$200,000 or more 9.9

Median Earnings for Full-Time Year-Round Workers by Sex in Cheshire County, New Hampshire in 2020-2024

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Dollars
Male 63834
Female 52906

An estimated 74.9% of households received earnings. An estimated 39.3% of households received Social Security and an estimated 28.6 % of households received retirement income other than Social Security. The average income from Social Security was $26,090. These income sources are not mutually exclusive; that is, some households received income from more than one source.

Proportion of Households with Various Income Sources in Cheshire County, New Hampshire in 2020-2024

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Percent
Earnings 74.9
Social Security 39.3
Retirement income 28.6
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) 4.1
Cash public assistance income 2.6

Poverty and Participation in Government Programs

In 2020-2024, 8.7 % of people were in poverty. An estimated 9% of children under 18 were below the poverty level, compared with 9.1% of people 65 years old and over. An estimated 8.4% of people 18 to 64 years were below the poverty level.

Poverty Rates in Cheshire County, New Hampshire in 2020-2024

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Percent
People in poverty 8.7
Children under 18 years below poverty 9
People 65 years old and over below poverty 9.1
People 18 to 64 years below poverty 8.4

In 2020-2024, 6.3 % of households received SNAP (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program). An estimated 33.9% of households that received SNAP had children under 18, and 44% of households that received SNAP had one or more people 60 years and over. An estimated 17.9% of all households receiving SNAP were families with a female householder and no spouse present.


Among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in Cheshire County, New Hampshire in 2020-2024, 93.8% had health insurance coverage and 6.2% did not have health insurance coverage. Private coverage was 71.6% and public coverage was 37%, respectively. The percentage of children under the age of 19 with no health insurance coverage was 4.2%.


In 2020-2024, Cheshire County, New Hampshire had a total population of 77,297 - 39,151 (50.7%) females and 38,146 (49.3%) males. The median age was 43.6 years. An estimated 17.8% of the population was under 18 years, 30.1% was 19 to 44 years, 26.3% was 45 to 64 years, and 22.4 % was 65 years and older.

Population by Age and Sex for Cheshire County, New Hampshire in 2020-2024

Male Female
Under 5 1756 1695
5 to 9 1790 1758
10 to 14 2279 1966
15 to 19 2547 2634
20 to 24 2511 2575
25 to 29 2142 2026
30 to 34 2449 2422
35 to 39 2231 2341
40 to 44 2382 2147
45 to 49 1950 1980
50 to 54 2372 2421
55 to 59 2744 2855
60 to 64 2986 3040
65 to 69 2589 2878
70 to 74 2455 2588
75 to 79 1388 1394
80 to 84 824 1210
85 and over 751 1221

Hispanic Origin and Race

For people reporting one race alone, 92% were White; 0.8% were Black or African American; 14.6% were American Indian and Alaska Native; 0.9% were Asian; 0.3% were Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, and 0% were Some Other Race. An estimated 5.6% reported Two or More Races. An estimated 2.6% of the people in Cheshire County, New Hampshire were Hispanic or Latino. An estimated 91.4% of the people in Cheshire County, New Hampshire were White alone, non-Hispanic. People of Hispanic origin may be of any race.


Households and Families

In 2020-2024, there were 30,620 households in Cheshire County, New Hampshire. The average household size was 2.4 people.

Married-couple households made up 51.1% of the households in Cheshire County, New Hampshire while cohabiting couple households made up 9.6% of households. Female householders with no spouse or partner present were 23.6% of all households, while 15.7% of households had male householders with no spouse or partner present. Some households had one person, as 12.3% of households were male householders living alone, and 15.7% were female householders living alone, for a total of 28% of all households.

In Cheshire County, New Hampshire, 24.1% of all households had one or more people under the age of 18; 38.1% of all households had one or more people 65 years and over.

Types of Households in Cheshire County, New Hampshire in 2020-2024

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Percent
Married-couple households 51.1
Cohabiting Couples 9.6
Male Householder
No spouse/partner present
15.7
Female Householder
No spouse/partner present
23.6

Marital Status

Among persons 15 and older, 50.9% of males and 49.2% of females were currently married.

Population 15 years and over Percent
Males
Percent
Females
Never married 34.9 27.8
Now married, except separated 50.9 49.2
Separated 0.6 1.1
Widowed 2.5 8.7
Divorced 11.1 13.3

Grandparents and Grandchildren

In Cheshire County, New Hampshire, 861 grandparents lived with their grandchildren under 18 years old. Of those grandparents, 25.3% were responsible for the basic needs of their grandchildren.


Nativity and Foreign-Born

In 2020-2024, an estimated 97.1% of the people living in Cheshire County, New Hampshire were U.S. natives. 42.6% of the Cheshire County, New Hampshire population were living in the state where they were born.

Approximately 2.9% of Cheshire County, New Hampshire residents in 2020-2024 were foreign-born. 57.2% of foreign-born were naturalized U.S. citizens and an estimated 68.8 % entered the country before the year 2010.

Foreign-born residents of Cheshire County, New Hampshire come from different parts of the world. The bar graph below displays the percentage of foreign-born from each world region of birth in 2020-2024 for Cheshire County, New Hampshire.

Region of Birth for the Foreign-Born Population in Cheshire County, New Hampshire in 2020-2024

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Percent
Latin America 8.7
Asia 31.1
Europe 33.4
Africa 8.9
Northern America 14
Oceania 3.9

Language

Among people at least five years old living in Cheshire County, New Hampshire in 2020-2024, 3.7 % spoke a language other than English at home. Spanish was spoken by 1% of people at least five years old; 0.8% reported that they did not speak English "very well."

Percentage of the Population 5 years and over who Speak a Language other than English in Cheshire County, New Hampshire in 2020-2024

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Percent
Spanish 1
Other Indo-European languages 2
Asian and Pacific Islander languages 0.4
Other languages 0.4

Geographic Mobility

In 2020-2024, 89.3 % of the people at least one year old living in Cheshire County, New Hampshire were living in the same house one year earlier.

Geographic Mobility of Residents of Cheshire County, New Hampshire in 2020-2024

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Percent
Same house 89.3
Different house, same county 5.4
Different county, same state 1.5
Different state 3.7
Abroad 0.2

Education

In 2020-2024, 94.4 % of people 25 years and over had at least graduated from high school and 35.5% had a bachelor's degree or higher. An estimated 5.6% did not complete high school.

The total school enrollment in Cheshire County, New Hampshire was 16,886 in 2020-2024. Nursery school enrollment was 1,049 and kindergarten through 12th grade enrollment was 10,082. College or graduate school enrollment was 5,755.

Educational Attainment of People in Cheshire County, New Hampshire in 2020-2024

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Percent
Less than high school diploma 5.6
High school diploma or equivalency 31
Some college, no degree 18.1
Associate's degree 9.8
Bachelor's degree 21.6
Graduate or professional degree 14

Disability

In Cheshire County, New Hampshire, among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in 2020-2024, 14.5 % reported a disability. The likelihood of having a disability varied by age - from 5% of people under 18 years old, to 11.8% of people 18 to 64 years old, and to 29.4% of those 65 and over.


Employment Status and Type of Employer

In Cheshire County, New Hampshire, 60.3 % of the population 16 and over were employed; 37.5% were not currently in the labor force.

An estimated 79.2% of the people employed were private wage and salary workers; 13.3% were federal, state, or local government workers; and 7.3 % were self-employed in their own (not incorporated) business.

Class of worker Number Percent
Private wage and salary workers 31,131 79.2
Federal, state, or local government workers 5,241 13.3
Self-employed workers in own not incorporated business 2,872 7.3

Industries

In 2020-2024, the civilian employed population 16 years and older in Cheshire County, New Hampshire worked in the following industries:

Percent by Industry in Cheshire County, New Hampshire in 2020-2024

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Percent
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and mining 1.1
Construction 7.8
Manufacturing 14.4
Wholesale trade 3.7
Retail trade 13.5
Transportation and warehousing, and utilities 3.9
Information 1.6
Finance and insurance, and real estate and rental and leasing 5.7
Professional, scientific, and management, and administrative and waste management services 7.7
Educational services, and health care and social assistance 26.3
Arts, entertainment, and recreation, and accommodation, and food services 6.6
Other Services, except public administration 3.8
Public administration 3.7

Occupations

Occupations for the Civilian Employed Population 16 Years and over in Cheshire County, New Hampshire in 2020-2024

Civilian employed population 16 years and over Number Percent
Management, business, sciences, and arts occupations 15,282 38.9
Service occupations 5,960 15.2
Sales and office occupations 8,569 21.8
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations 3,800 9.7
Production, transportation, and material moving occupations 5,707 14.5

Commuting to Work

An estimated 74.7% of Cheshire County, New Hampshire workers drove to work alone in 2020-2024, and 7.5% carpooled. Among those who commuted to work, it took them on average 23.7 minutes to get to work.

Percent of Workers 16 and over Commuting by Mode in Cheshire County, New Hampshire in 2020-2024

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Percent
Car, truck, van -- drove alone 74.7
Car, truck, van -- carpooled 7.5
Public transportation (excluding taxicab) 0.3
Walked 3.6
Other means 0.9
Worked from home 13.1

In 2020-2024, Cheshire County, New Hampshire had a total of 35,899 housing units. Of these housing units, 71.6% were single-family houses either not attached to any other structure or attached to one or more structures (commonly referred to as "townhouses" or "row houses"). 22.2% of the housing units were located in multi-unit structures, or those buildings that contained two or more apartments. 6.2% were mobile homes, while any remaining housing units were classified as "other," which included boats, recreational vehicles, vans, etc.

Types of Housing Units in Cheshire County, New Hampshire in 2020-2024

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Percent
Single-family houses 71.6
Apartments in multi-unit structures 22.2
Mobile homes 6.2
Boat, RV, van, etc 0

6% of the housing inventory was comprised of houses built since 2010, while 27% of the houses were first built in 1939 or earlier. The median number of rooms in all housing units in Cheshire County, New Hampshire was 5.6 rooms, and of these housing units 58.2% had three or more bedrooms.


In 2020-2024, Cheshire County, New Hampshire had 30,620 housing units that were occupied or had people living in them, while the remaining 5,279 were vacant. Of the occupied housing units, the percentage of these houses occupied by owners (also known as the homeownership rate) was 72.7% while renters occupied 27.3%. The average household size of owner-occupied houses was 2.54 and in renter-occupied houses it was 2.03.

3% of householders of these occupied houses had moved into their house since 2021, while 13.4% moved into their house in 1989 or earlier. Households without a vehicle available for personal use comprised 4.7% and another 24.5% had three or more vehicles available for use.

The following chart provides the primary fuel used to heat houses in Cheshire County, New Hampshire:

House Heating Fuel Used in Cheshire County, New Hampshire in 2020-2024

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Percent
Gas 17.7
Electricity 10.4
Fuel oil, kerosene, etc 57.1
All other fuels 14.5
No fuel used 0.3

In 2020-2024, the median property value for owner-occupied houses in Cheshire County, New Hampshire was $280,100.

Of the owner-occupied households, 59.4 % had a mortgage. 40.6% owned their houses "free and clear," that is without a primary mortgage or loan on the house. The median monthly housing costs for owners with a mortgage was $1,947 and for owners without a mortgage it was $908.

For renter-occupied houses, the median gross rent for Cheshire County, New Hampshire was $1,276. Gross rent includes the monthly contract rent and any monthly payments made for electricity, gas, water and sewer, and any other fuels to heat the house.