County outline
Where Grafton County is located
Area breakdown
Land accounts for 97.7% of Grafton County’s measured area and water for 2.3%. Its combined area converts to 4,531.7 square kilometers or approximately 1,119,811 acres.
Green: land · blue: water
| Measurement | Square miles | Square kilometers | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land | 1,708.61 | 4,425.28 | 1,093,510.4 |
| Water | 41.094 | 106.433 | 26,300.2 |
| Total | 1,749.704 | 4,531.713 | 1,119,810.6 |
How Grafton County compares
By original Census land area, Grafton County ranks #2 of 10 in New Hampshire and #350 of 3,222 nationally. National rankings include the 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
Its land area is 2.158 times the New Hampshire county-equivalent median of 791.6 square miles. It accounts for 19.1% of the combined county land area in the state.
See the complete New Hampshire ranking · What counts as a county equivalent?
Population and density of Grafton County
The Census Bureau estimates that 93,225 people lived in Grafton County on July 1, 2025. That ranks #664 of 3,222 county equivalents nationally and #5 of 10 in New Hampshire. Since the April 1, 2020 estimates base of 91,124, the population has grown by 2,101 (+2.3%), compared with +2.7% for New Hampshire as a whole.
With 1,708.6 square miles of land, that is 55 people per square mile (21 per km²), placing Grafton County #1,468 nationally for density and #9 in New Hampshire. The median county equivalent has 47 people per square mile; the New Hampshire median is 136. Put another way, there are about 12 acres of land per resident.
| July 1 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate | 91,193 | 90,518 | 92,918 | 92,764 | 92,993 | 93,225 |
| Change | — | −675 | +2,400 | −154 | +229 | +232 |
U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 population estimates. Estimates are revised each year and are not decennial census counts. Density divides the whole population by the whole county’s land area, so it describes an average, not how settlement is distributed within the county. Population sources and methods.
Cities and towns in Grafton County
Grafton County is divided into 40 cities and towns. In New Hampshire, county subdivisions are local governments, and together they cover all of the county’s land and residents.
The most populous is Lebanon city, with 15,481 residents (16.6% of the county). The largest by land is Lincoln town, at 130.5 mi², or 7.6% of the county’s land. The county seat, Haverhill town, has 4,667 residents. Among those with at least 1,000 residents in 2020, Lebanon city grew fastest since then (+8.3%).
| County subdivision | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lebanon city | 15,481 | +8.3% | 40.3 | 2.4% |
| Hanover town | 12,054 | +1.6% | 49 | 2.9% |
| Plymouth town | 6,721 | +0.4% | 28.1 | 1.6% |
| Littleton town | 6,003 | +0.2% | 50 | 2.9% |
| Haverhill townCounty seat | 4,667 | +1.6% | 51 | 3% |
| Enfield town | 4,470 | +0.4% | 40.3 | 2.4% |
| Canaan town | 3,833 | +1% | 53.4 | 3.1% |
| Campton town | 3,436 | +2.6% | 51.8 | 3% |
| Bristol town | 3,251 | +0.1% | 16.7 | 1% |
| Thornton town | 2,895 | +7% | 50.1 | 2.9% |
| Bethlehem town | 2,575 | +3.2% | 90.6 | 5.3% |
| Holderness town | 2,024 | +0.9% | 30.4 | 1.8% |
| Ashland town | 1,943 | +0.2% | 11.2 | 0.7% |
| Alexandria town | 1,740 | −2.1% | 43.1 | 2.5% |
| Lyme town | 1,715 | −1.7% | 53.8 | 3.1% |
Show the other 25 subdivisions
| Name | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lincoln town | 1,664 | +2.1% | 130.5 |
| Lisbon town | 1,626 | 0% | 26.2 |
| Rumney town | 1,479 | −0.9% | 41.7 |
| Woodstock town | 1,439 | +0.4% | 58.8 |
| Grafton town | 1,411 | +2% | 41.5 |
| Orford town | 1,229 | −0.8% | 46.5 |
| Bridgewater town | 1,185 | +2.3% | 21.5 |
| Franconia town | 1,143 | +5.5% | 65.5 |
| Bath town | 1,112 | +3.3% | 37.7 |
| Monroe town | 861 | +0.1% | 22.3 |
| Wentworth town | 840 | −0.6% | 41.6 |
| Warren town | 823 | −0.7% | 48.5 |
| Piermont town | 763 | −0.9% | 38.4 |
| Sugar Hill town | 687 | +6% | 17 |
| Hebron town | 657 | +3.5% | 17 |
| Groton town | 589 | +3.9% | 40.7 |
| Lyman town | 579 | −1% | 28.4 |
| Waterville Valley town | 515 | +1.6% | 64.3 |
| Landaff town | 438 | −1.1% | 28.3 |
| Benton town | 357 | −3.3% | 48.2 |
| Dorchester town | 342 | +1.5% | 44.6 |
| Easton town | 298 | +2.8% | 31.1 |
| Orange town | 288 | +2.5% | 23.1 |
| Ellsworth town | 92 | 0% | 21.4 |
| Livermore town | 0 | — | 63.8 |
Population: U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 subcounty estimates, counting only the part of each subdivision inside Grafton County. Land: 2026 Census Gazetteer. How communities are listed.
Metropolitan area
Grafton County is a central county of the Lebanon-Claremont, NH-VT Micropolitan Statistical Area. Its 4 county equivalents have 224,500 residents on 3,902.6 square miles of land; Grafton County accounts for 43.8% of the land and 41.5% of the residents. By combined land it ranks #38 of 542 micropolitan areas, and #2 by population.
| County equivalent | Population 2025 | Land mi² |
|---|---|---|
| Grafton County | 93,225 | 1,708.6 |
| Windsor CountyVermont | 57,312 | 969.1 |
| Sullivan County | 43,961 | 537.9 |
| Orange CountyVermont | 30,002 | 687 |
ZIP codes
37 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Grafton County; 36 of them have most of their land inside the county, and the others mainly cover neighboring areas.
03215032170322203223032380324003241032430324503251032620326403266032790328203285032930356103574035800358503586037400374103748037500375503765037660376803771037740377703779037800378403785
ZIP Code Tabulation Areas are the Census Bureau’s approximations of USPS ZIP Code service areas, from the 2020 Census relationship files. Lighter codes have less than half of their land in this county. Post-office-box and single-address ZIP Codes have no tabulation area.
Counties bordering Grafton County
Grafton County shares a land border with 9 county equivalents, including 4 in Vermont. It has more land than 8 of them. The largest neighbor is Coos County (1,794.6 mi²) and the smallest is Belknap County (401.9 mi²). Together with its neighbors, Grafton County forms a block of 9,275.4 mi² of land, of which it holds 18.4%.
| Bordering county equivalent | Land mi² | Size vs. Grafton | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coos County | 1,794.6 | 1.1× larger | Compare |
| Windsor CountyVermont | 969.1 | 1.8× smaller | Compare |
| Merrimack County | 932.9 | 1.8× smaller | Compare |
| Carroll County | 931.9 | 1.8× smaller | Compare |
| Orange CountyVermont | 687 | 2.5× smaller | Compare |
| Essex CountyVermont | 662.4 | 2.6× smaller | Compare |
| Caledonia CountyVermont | 649.2 | 2.6× smaller | Compare |
| Sullivan County | 537.9 | 3.2× smaller | Compare |
| Belknap County | 401.9 | 4.3× smaller | Compare |
How big is Grafton County compared with U.S. states?
Grafton County has more land than 1 of the 50 states. It is about 1.7 times the land area of Rhode Island (1,033.9 mi²), while Delaware, the next larger state, has 1.1 times as much land (1,948.6 mi²). New Hampshire’s county land could hold about 5.2 areas the size of Grafton County.
Another way to picture it: the same land area would fill a square about 41.3 miles (66.5 km) on each side. Real county shapes are rarely square, so this is a scale reference rather than a width or driving distance.
State figures are the sums of each state’s county-equivalent land measurements in the same Census release, so states and counties are compared on the same basis. Published state totals can differ slightly because of rounding. Compare all states · Counties bigger than entire states.
What stands out about Grafton County?
Grafton County has more land than 2,872 of the other 3,221 county equivalents in the dataset.
A median is the middle county-equivalent measurement, not the average of the largest and smallest. All three bars use the same linear scale. Very small areas may appear as a thin sliver; the labels retain their values.
Does including water change its rank?
Using land plus water places Grafton County at #384 nationally by total area, 34 places farther from the top than its land rank. Other county equivalents gain more area when their water measurements are included.
Its water share is 2.3%, compared with a national county-equivalent median of 1.2% — 1.2 percentage points higher. This describes the statistical geography’s land/water mix, not flood exposure or developable land.
Closest positions in the national land ranking
These entries sit immediately beside Grafton County in the national ranking. They can be in different states and are not necessarily geographic neighbors.
| Land rank | County equivalent | Land mi² | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| #349 | Brown County, South Dakota | 1,713 | Compare |
| #350 | Grafton County, New Hampshire | 1,708.6 | This county |
| #351 | El Dorado County, California | 1,707.8 | Compare |
Calculated from the same Census release as the area table. Total-area order uses original ALAND + AWATER; water shares and chart labels use published square miles. Calculation details.
Representative coordinates
The Census internal point is 43.926439, -71.842424. It represents a location inside the geography; it is not necessarily the centroid or the address of a courthouse.
Source and precision
U.S. Census Bureau, 2026 Gazetteer Files, Counties. Original ALAND: 4,425,279,994 m²; AWATER: 106,433,826 m². Rankings use ALAND; exact ties use ascending GEOID. Tables preserve Census-published square miles to three decimals, with conversions based on those values.
Common questions
How big is Grafton County?
Grafton County, New Hampshire has 1,708.6 square miles (4,425.3 km²) of land and 41.1 square miles of water, for a total area of 1,749.7 square miles. It ranks #350 of 3,222 U.S. county equivalents by land area.
Is Grafton County the largest county in New Hampshire?
No. Grafton County ranks #2 of 10 in New Hampshire by land area. The largest is Coos County, with 1,794.6 square miles of land.
What counties border Grafton County?
Grafton County shares a land border with Carroll County, Orange County, Vermont, Coos County, Caledonia County, Vermont, Belknap County, Sullivan County, Merrimack County, Windsor County, Vermont, and Essex County, Vermont.
What is the population of Grafton County?
The Census Bureau estimates Grafton County had 93,225 residents on July 1, 2025, ranking #664 of 3,222 county equivalents. That is 55 people per square mile of land.
What is the county seat of Grafton County?
The county seat of Grafton County is Haverhill.
What cities and towns are in Grafton County?
Grafton County has 40 county subdivisions (cities, towns and townships). The most populous five are Lebanon city, Hanover town, Plymouth town, Littleton town, and Haverhill town.
Is Grafton County part of a metropolitan area?
Yes. It is a central county of the Lebanon-Claremont, NH-VT Micropolitan Statistical Area, which has 4 county equivalents and 224,500 residents.
How many ZIP codes are in Grafton County?
37 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Grafton County, and 36 of them have most of their land inside the county. Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas approximate USPS ZIP Code areas.
How does Grafton County compare with U.S. states?
It has more land than 1 of the 50 states, including Rhode Island (1,033.9 square miles of land).
How many acres of land are in Grafton County?
The land measurement converts to approximately 1,093,510 acres. Including water, total area is approximately 1,119,811 acres. One square mile equals 640 acres.
Why might another source show a different area?
Check whether it reports land or total area, its Census vintage, and its rounding. Our guide explains how to reconcile county area figures.
Can this establish a property boundary?
No. Statistical measurements and generalized maps do not establish property lines. Consult the relevant local surveying or land-records authority.