Strafford County, New Hampshire Eviction Risk: Elevated

Strafford County carries an average eviction risk score of 6/10, placing it in the Elevated tier and ranking it 3rd of 10 counties in New Hampshire, meaning only 2 counties in the state post higher risk scores. For landlords and investors, that position in the upper third of state risk levels reflects real operational headwinds: a renter share of 41.3% of households, average rent of $1,447 per month, and a rent burden rate of 30.5% that leaves a significant slice of tenants financially stretched. These are not abstract statistics; they translate directly into higher eviction frequency, slower collections, and more contested hearings compared with the more landlord-friendly lower half of the state.

The county's 8 municipalities span scores from 4.5 to 6.1, a 1.6-point range that matters enormously when choosing which sub-market to enter. The county average of 6/10 masks that spread, so investors who treat Strafford County as a single uniform market are likely misreading the actual asset-level risk they are taking on.

The cities inside Strafford County

At the top of the risk scale, Dover (6.1/10, population 33,364) and Durham (6.1/10, population 10,681) share the county's highest scores. Dover is the county seat and one of New Hampshire's faster-growing small cities; Durham is home to the University of New Hampshire and carries the student-market volatility that typically comes with a large transient renter population. Rochester (6/10, population 33,144), Somersworth (6/10, population 12,111), and Farmington (6/10) round out the cluster of municipalities sitting at or above the county average, meaning the majority of the county's rentable housing stock sits in elevated-risk territory.

The lower end of the range offers a meaningful contrast. Milton Mills scores 4.5/10, Union scores 5.4/10, and Milton scores 5.7/10. These communities are small, with populations of 72, 131, and 356 respectively, so the available rental inventory is limited, but for investors who can find units there the risk profile is appreciably softer than in the county's two largest cities.

State-level laws that apply here

Every landlord operating in Strafford County operates under New Hampshire state law, primarily RSA § 540 (Actions Against Tenants). For non-payment, the required notice is 7 days. Lease violations and no-cause terminations both require a 30-day notice. Once a case is filed, uncontested matters typically resolve in 30 to 50 days; contested cases stretch to 60 to 120 days. The full cost of a removal, excluding any unpaid rent recovered, runs from a court filing fee of $130 to $195, a sheriff fee of $30 to $125, and attorney fees ranging from $500 to $2,500 depending on complexity. Reviewing the New Hampshire eviction process in full before acquiring property here is essential, because even an uncontested filing eats a month or more of rent at $1,447 per month average. The New Hampshire eviction costs guide breaks down those components by scenario and helps landlords model realistic worst-case holding costs.

New Hampshire does not require just cause for eviction and has no statewide rent control statute, which leaves landlords with more contractual flexibility than in many peer states. Source-of-income is a protected class under state law, enforced by the New Hampshire Commission for Human Rights, so screening policies must account for that. There is no landlord entry-notice requirement specified in state statute, though lease terms commonly address it.

With a poverty rate of 9.6% and renters making up 41.3% of households countywide, the financial fragility of the tenant pool is unevenly distributed across Strafford County's 8 cities, and the per-city scores in the grid above are the most precise tool available for sizing that exposure before committing to a specific market.