Explanatory Notes and Data Sources

Community Response
A substantial amount of the information in each community profile is supplied by New Hampshire municipalities through a survey. Their participation is vital to this effort, and greatly appreciated. Data gathered through community survey response include contact information, municipal services, emergency services, utility services, largest employers, and recreation, attractions, and events information.

U.S. Census Bureau Data
Data are extracted from the most recent decennial U.S. Census, 1-Year Population Estimates Program, and the most recent American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates. Decennial census data and 1-Year Population Estimates are used for population trends, land area, and population density. ACS data provide demographics, income and poverty, housing, and commuting to work.

Due to differing methodologies, 1-Year Population Estimates and ACS 5-Year Estimates may not match. Comparisons of estimates from these programs are not recommended.

Zoning
Dates of zoning ordinances show the original date of adoption and the most recent amendment, such as 1971/98. A single date indicates date of adoption. A blank indicates no record of a zoning ordinance.

Property Tax
Passage of RSA 76:3, the State Education Property Tax Law, established a statewide property tax for education funding, effective April 1, 1999. This tax has had a significant effect on tax rates for many communities. Although assessed and collected by each municipality, the tax rates listed do not include the statewide property tax. Further tax data is available from the New Hampshire Department of Revenue Administration at www.revenue.nh.gov/mun-prop/property/index.htm.

Property Valuation
Percentage of property valuation by type is calculated as a portion of gross valuation using data from the NH Department of Revenue Administration's Equalization Report, Tables by County. Residential land and buildings represents the percentage of net local assessed valuation for property classified as residential land, residential buildings, or manufactured housing. Commercial land and buildings represents the percentage of net local assessed valuation for property classified as commercial or industrial land or commercial or industrial buildings. Public utilities, current use, and other represents the percentage of net local assessed valuation for property classified as public utilities, including public water, gas, electric, oil, pipeline, or related utility; current use land, including farm and forest land and mature wood and timber land; or conservation easements. The full equalization report, excluding the calculated percentages, is available from the NH DRA at the above web address.

Labor Force
These data are a place of residence estimate of total labor force, the number of employed persons, the number of unemployed persons, and the unemployment rate. The data are prepared by the Economic and Labor Market Information Bureau's Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS) Program.

Employment and Wages
Covered employment and wages data are extracted from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW), a federal-state cooperative program. Data are prepared by the Economic and Labor Market Information Bureau as a by-product of the state's Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs. Only jobs covered by unemployment insurance are included. These data are subject to strict confidentiality standards. Data replaced with 'n' indicates that the data does not meet disclosure standards. The North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) is used to classify industry data, including covered employment and wages. Data for privately owned businesses is supplied for two domains: (1) Goods-Producing industries, including Agriculture, forestry, and fishing; Mining; Construction; and Manufacturing; and (2) Services-Providing industries, including Utilities; Wholesale trade; Retail trade; Transportation and warehousing; Information; Finance and insurance; Real estate and rental and leasing; Professional and technical services; Management of companies and enterprises; Educational services; Health care and social services; Arts, entertainment, and recreation; Accommodation and food services; and Other services, except public administration. Establishments classified as Government may be in any industry but are owned by a federal, state, or local government entity.

Educational Facilities
Data on New Hampshire schools was taken from the NH Department of Education listing of New Hampshire public schools and non-public schools. Further information on New Hampshire's public and private schools may be found on the Department's web site at www.education.nh.gov. Listed colleges and universities are educational institutions offering associate's degrees or higher. Further information on postsecondary institutions may be found on the Department of Education’s Division of Higher Education web site at www.education.nh.gov/highered/.

Child Care
Data on child care facilities was provided by the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services, Bureau of Child Care Licensing.

Largest Employers
Employer information was provided by the individual communities. Identifying information about employers collected by NH Employment Security is deemed strictly confidential.

Driving Distances
Approximate driving distances to the city hall of Manchester, Boston, Portland, Montreal, and New York; the nearest hospital(s); the nearest interstate/exit; and the nearest scheduled service airport were estimated from the address of each community's city/town hall.

Updated
Represents the date the last community survey response, with changes, was received.