A 19th-Century Map Still Shapes New Hampshire’s Congressional Districts

CONCORD — New Hampshire’s congressional districts have changed little since the 1880s, when lawmakers first drew a two-district map that kept the Seacoast intact while separating the state’s growing mill cities. That map, devised in an era of shifting demographics and open religious prejudice, still defines how the state elects its two members of Congress today. While proponents of the current maps say current maps are competitive, Democrats have dominated the races in recent years leaving the 48% of Granite States who have voted for a Republican candidate unrepresented in Congress for a decade.

In the nation’s early decades, New Hampshire elected its representatives at large. By 1847, federal law required districts, and the state eventually settled at two seats after the 1880 census.

NH 1876 Congressional Districts

That decade’s redistricting created an eastern district, anchored by Portsmouth and the Seacoast, and a western district, covering Nashua, Concord, and the North Country. Manchester, on its way to becoming the state’s largest city, was placed with the Seacoast. Nashua went west.

The choice reflected both demographics and politics. Portsmouth and the coastal towns were then the state’s population center, while Irish and French-Canadian Catholics were rapidly growing in the mills of Manchester and Nashua. By placing the two cities in different districts, lawmakers blunted the rising influence of immigrant communities. At the same time, the Seacoast was kept whole, underscoring its priority in the state’s political geography.

The timing of the map coincided with a period of pronounced anti-Catholic sentiment. New Hampshire’s constitution barred non-Protestants from holding office until 1877, and the mid-19th century saw the rise of the Know-Nothing movement, which ran on nativist themes and swept state elections in 1855.

By the time the two-district system was set, Catholic immigrants were an established presence in the mills, and dividing Manchester and Nashua limited their electoral clout. The configuration served both partisan and cultural purposes, and it would prove remarkably durable.

Since then, New Hampshire has redrawn its congressional map only sparingly. Court rulings in the 1960s forced states to equalize populations between districts, but lawmakers responded with only minor swaps of towns. In 2002, five towns were shifted. In 2012, just one ward in Manchester moved.

NH 1890 Congressional District Boundaries

The state Supreme Court followed the same approach in 2022, after Gov. Chris Sununu vetoed a Legislature-approved map that would have substantially reconfigured the districts. The court ordered a “least change” plan, moving only five towns to balance population.

Analysts note that aside from these small adjustments, New Hampshire’s districts look much as they did when first drawn nearly 150 years ago.

The persistence of the old design has had modern effects. Rockingham County, once the seat of the state’s economy and politics, has been split. Coastal Rockingham communities — Portsmouth, Rye, and Hampton — remain grouped with Manchester in the 1st District. But five inland Rockingham towns, including Salem and Windham, are in the 2nd.

At the same time, Manchester and Nashua, the state’s two largest cities and economic engines, are still separated.

Southern Hillsborough County, now the state’s most populous region, is divided between the districts, while the smaller Seacoast continues to be treated as a unified bloc.

The Legislature’s 2022 plan would have reshaped that arrangement, clustering Manchester and Concord into one district and leaving Nashua in the other. Supporters argued it would create clarity; opponents said it would guarantee partisan outcomes.

NH Current Congressional Districts

Sununu vetoed the bill, saying the proposed lines moved towns “for no logical reason.” The veto forced the court to step in with its minimal adjustment plan. Former U.S. Sen. Kelly Ayotte later said she disagreed with the veto and “would have taken a little different view on redistricting.”

The outcome left the state with districts nearly identical to those in place for decades.

In most states, congressional districts shift dramatically over time as populations move. New Hampshire stands out for how little has changed. The Seacoast, once the state’s population hub, has never been split. The state’s largest and fastest-growing areas, by contrast, remain divided.

That continuity has produced two competitive districts, unusual in a polarized era. But it also means the logic of the 19th century — prioritizing the Seacoast and separating the cities — still shapes representation in the 21st.

NH Population Density Map