This document provides demographic and statistical information about Carroll County, New Hampshire. It summarizes that Carroll County has a population of around 47,000 people spread across a largely rural area, with challenges such as an aging population, low wages, and a lack of affordable housing. However, the county also has strengths such as a strong sense of community involvement, high rates of volunteering, and a thriving tourism industry centered around outdoor recreation. The document aims to spark discussion around opportunities to improve quality of life for all residents.

1. CARROLL
COUNTY,
NH
DID YOU
KNOW…
Community Aspiration Forum,
November 17, 2009

2. FUN FACT!
Did you know that there are 10 other
states with a Carroll County?
Maryland Virginia
Georgia Kentucky
Arkansas Iowa
Indiana Ohio
Mississippi Illinois

3. …CARROLL COUNTY AND CONCORD ARE THE
SAME SIZE DEMOGRAPHICALLY!
Carroll
Concord…
County…
47,408 people 42,378 people
(2008 estimate)* (2006 estimate)
933.80 64
square miles square miles
51 people per 662 people per
square mile square mile
*US Bureau of Census, Population Estimate Program

4. EDUCATION
Carroll County has…
 3 public high schools
 6 private schools
 6 public school systems
(students in Sandwich go to
Interlakes High School in
Meredith, and students in
Wakefield go to Rochester)

5. OUR YOUTH…
•Kids Count measures child well-being by looking
at:
•child poverty,
•area income,
•child food stamp participation,
•family demographics,
•child death rate,
•teen birth rate,
•drop out rates, and
•the number of children in single families.
•What results is an overall score that ranks the
conditions of a town’s youth.

6. KIDS
COUNT
RESULTS
BY
TOWN,
2008
*2008 Kids Count Data Book NH, Children’s Alliance of NH with Annie E. Casey Foundation

7. THE BRIGHT SPOTS…
 Highest rate of self-employed (32.5% in 2007)
(NH average is xx.x%) (Carsey Bureau of Economic
Analysis, Regional Economic Data, Local Area
Personal Income Table CA25)
 Lowest rate of late or no prenatal care
(1.3/1,000 in 2006)
 Lowest rate of juvenile arrests (47/10,000 in
2007) (FBI Uniform Crime Reports)
 Low rate of violent crimes reported (12/10,000
in 2007)
 High number of police officers per capita
(1.82/1,000 in 2007) (FBI Uniform Crime Reports)

8. TOURISM
 Millions of people travel to Carroll
County as tourists, creating a huge
economic impact on the region.
They spent
more than
$700 million
in 2006 in the
White
Mountains
Region (2nd
highest in the
state)
and more than $600 million in
the Lakes Region.

9. Recreation on Silver Lake
Photo credit: Lori Lenart

10. FREEDOM RUBBER DUCKY RACE
Photo credit: Lori Lenart

11. AGRICULTURE…
There are 6 farmers markets
bringing community together
in Carroll County:
Jackson, Ossipee, Sandwich,
Tamworth, Wolfeboro, and
Wakefield
CSAs, farm stands, and
community gardens
provide people with locally
grown food.
Photo credits: Lori Lenart

12. SOME OF OUR
CHALLENGES…

13. NET MIGRATION OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
Total Net Migration Of NH (State to State and Foreign)
12000
10681
Total Exemptions
10000
8000 7851
6000 5852
4000 3187
2646
2000 2236
0
-298
00-01 01-02 02-03 03-04 04-05 05-06 06-07 07-08
-884
-2000
Total Net Migration

14. GROWTH IN CARROLL COUNTY

15.  Carroll County had the fewest livable
wage jobs in the state in 2007.*
 Less than half of all jobs provide wages that
are considered livable for a family with 2
working parents and 2 children.
 4 out of 5 jobs DO NOT provide a “livable”
wage for either single-parent families with 1
child or for 2-parent families (only 1
working) and 2 children.
*Carsey Institute, Fall 2008 from 2007 NH Employment Security and Labor Market Information Bureau –
NH Co. Occupation Employment and Wages

16. OTHER CHALLENGES…
 Carroll County had the lowest average
wage ($31,307 ) in the state in 2007
($44,737, NH).
 14.6% of residents had no health
insurance in 2007 (11.7%, NH).

17. A LOOK AT OUR POPULATION…
 In 2000, 5% of families are single-parents
with children (5.7%, NH)
 In 2000, 11.1% of adults 65 and older lived
alone (8.5%, NH)
 In 2007, 1,352 kids 18 years old and
younger were living in poverty (15%)* (9.5%
of the overall population living in poverty).
 The median age of the county population is
44 in 2007. (NH Office of Energy and Planning
estimate)
*US Census Bureau small Area Income and Poverty Estimates

18. OUR AGING POPULATION…
Carroll County NH 44
28
18.2
12.6
2007 2030
Carroll County has the second highest percentage
of residents 65 and older. Estimates for 2030
populations result from aging “babyboomers” and
migrating retirees.

19. OUR YOUNGER POPULATION…
Percent of population
Carroll 18 and younger
County has 22.7
the 2nd lowest
percentage of
youth 18 and
under in NH 19.5
in 2007.
2007
Carroll County NH

20. Children Eligible for Free and Reduced
Lunch (%) (08-09)
45
40 38
37
35 34
30
27 27
25
25
19
20 17
15
10
5
0
*Kids Count Data Book 2009, Children’s Alliance of NH, Annie E. Casey Foundation

21. WHAT OUR KIDS ARE DOING AFTER
HIGH SCHOOL…
100%
90% Children Entering a
less than 4-Year
80% College (%)(06-07)
70% Children Entering
4-Year College
60% (%)(06-07)
50%
HS completers in
40% the Armed Forces
(%) 06-07
30%
Unemployed HS
20% completers (%) 06-
07
10%
Employed HS
0% completers (%) (06-
07)

22. COUNTYWIDE SERVICES
 Tri-County Community Action Programs
(fuel assistance, homeless outreach, Carroll
County Transit, Dental Center, Carroll
County Collaborative, Restorative Justice
Center, Impaired Driver Intervention
Program, Weatherization, etc.)
 Northern Human Services
 Carroll County Child Advocacy Center
 Starting Point
 UNH Cooperative Extension

23. CARROLL COUNTY
IS BROKEN UP
ALONG MANY
LINES…

24. 5 chambers of commerce,

25. 3 economic development groups,

26. 2 public health/emergency planning
regions

27. 3 regional planning
commission regions

28. 2 NH Charitable Foundation regions,

29. and 2 United Way regions.

30. …CARROLL COUNTY HAS
466 NON-PROFITS…
 which means there are 10 non-profits for every 1,000
people (5.76 per 1,000, NH; 4.9 per 1,000 nationally).
 1 in 8 people are employed by nonprofits in NH
(2006).
 14.5% of NH’s GDP is generated by nonprofits
(larger than the construction and hospitality industries
combined).
 Groups include 4H, civic groups like the American
Legion, foundations, preservation groups, schools,
libraries, churches, and service providers

31. IN NH, PEOPLE CARE ABOUT THEIR
COMMUNITIES!
•36.5% of people living in rural NH volunteer
for organizations in their community.
•Between 2005 and 2007, 329,000
volunteers dedicated on average
38.9 million hours of service annually,
representing $759 million in contributed
volunteer time.

32. VOLUNTEERING, CONTINUED…
•Between 2005 and 2007, most people
volunteered for…
•educational organizations (32.5%),
•religious organizations (20.2%) and
•social service organizations (15.9%).
•Nearly 9% reported working with their
neighbors compared to 6.6% nationally.

33. How can we all work together to
make this a better community for
everyone here?
A Tri-County CAP Program
448A White Mountain Highway
Tamworth, NH 03886
603.323.8139

34. WHAT’S MISSING?
 What interesting facts didn’t you see here
today?
 Please share these with Lori Lenart or Cyndi
Paulin to help them put a better, more
complete picture of the county together.

35. CREDITS…
•Kids Count Data comes from a variety of sources, including NH Healthy
Kids, NH Department of Education, NH Employment Security, Economic and
Labor Market Information Bureau, NH Department of Health and Human
Services (Bureau of Behavioral Health, Division for Children, Youth, and
Families, and the Bureau of Health Statistics and Data Management).
•Tourism Data: NH Division of Travel and Tourism, 2007
•Demographic Data: NH Office of Energy and Planning, US Census, Carsey
Institute
•Non-profit data: NH Center for Nonprofits (IRS, The Urban Institute,
National Center for Charitable Statistics, Northeast-Midwest Institute)
(Essential: a portrait of the non-profit sector in New Hampshire)
•Volunteering data: www.volunteeringinamerica.gov