assume an immigration. While recognizing the limits of this type of esti- 

 mate, it is valuable in showing some rather significant changes which have 

 occurred among counties in the State of New Hampshire. 



Table 13. Estimated Net Migration in and out of Counties in New Hampshire 



from 1940 to 1950^ 



County Net Migration 



Belknap 599 



Carroll -148 



Cheshire 1,053 



Coos —6,439 



Grafton — 3,416 



Hillsborough 165 



Merrimack —124 



Rockingham 7,' 



Strafford 1,454 



Sullivan — 1,226 



State —84 



'New Hampshire Department of Labor, Division of Employment Security Section 

 — Economic analysis and reporting. Concord, New Hampshire. 



Coos and Grafton counties have lost the largest numbers during the 

 1940 — 1950 period. Rockingham, Strafford, and Cheshire counties have 

 gained from immigration. Rockingham and Cheshire counties are located 

 on the southern border which neighbors Massachusetts. Some of the increase 

 in these counties is probably due to a number of Massachusetts people who 

 have moved their residences into New Hampshire without necessarily chang- 

 ing their place of employment. Some is likely related to increased employment 

 at the Portsmouth Naval Yard. 



Coos and Grafton counties, which showed the greatest absolute decreases 

 in numbers, are located in the north. It is not possible from the available 

 data to determine whether residejits of these counties have moved to the 

 southern counties or have moved out of the state. From the above estimates 

 it would seem that the state as a whole has neither gained nor lost from 

 migration. 



Statements of population movement at the county level, however, do not 

 recognize any significant changes which may have occurred within these 

 counties. We shall proceed to examine in more detail, therefore, those towns 

 within counties showing the greatest population change. 



Towns with Population Decreases 



Table 14 gives towns with population in 1950 lower than in 1920. Be- 

 tween these two census dates there may have been inter-census fluctuations, 

 but this does not interfere with the fact of a decline. Towns of over 500 were 

 chosen to emphasize the more significant decreases. 



Some of the changes do not appear great in terms of numbers of people, 

 but if we assume a positive natural rate of increase, then the decrease from 

 the level that would result from this natural increase would be even greater 

 than indicated by the figures. Half of the towns are located in the northern 

 counties of Coos and Grafton. 



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