Town guide

Portsmouth, New Hampshire

Portsmouth is a city in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, home to about 22,545 people across 16 square miles. Its ZIP code is 03801.

Homes sold for a median of $534 per square foot in the three months ending August 2026, a seller’s market.

Population22,5451,440 per sq mi
Median home value$688,500Census, as estimated by owners
Price per sq ft$534Sold homes, 3 months to August 2026
Sold over asking28%Latest 3 months

ZIP codes in Portsmouth

1 ZIP code

Each card is that ZIP code’s whole market, including any part outside Portsmouth. Seller’s market: under 4 months of supply; buyer’s market: over 6. Methodology

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  • History
  • What it’s like to live there
  • Getting around
  • Things to do

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Around Portsmouth

Distances

Nearest major airportPortland International Jetport (PWM)47 miles away
Closer regional airportPortsmouth International Airport at Pease (PSM)1 mile away
Nearest city of 250,000+Boston, MA52 miles away
Nearest city of 1 million+New York, NY232 miles away

Straight-line distances from the center of Portsmouth; driving is longer.

Source: Airports from OurAirports (scheduled passenger service); city centers and populations from the U.S. Census Bureau.

Who represents Portsmouth

Source: Members of Congress from the congress-legislators project; districts from the Census Bureau’s relationship files; governor and mayor from Wikidata.

Population over time

Portsmouth had 21,956 residents in the 2020 census, up 6% since 2000.

It’s the 13th largest of 242 towns in New Hampshire by population.

Rockingham County grew from 51,118 residents in 1900 to 314,176 in 2020.

Portsmouth population by census2000: 20,784, 2010: 20,779, 2020: 21,95620,784200020,779201021,9562020

Rockingham County, 1900–2020

Rockingham County population, 1900 to 20201900: 51,118, 1910: 52,188, 1920: 52,498, 1930: 53,750, 1940: 58,142, 1950: 70,059, 1960: 99,029, 1970: 138,951, 1980: 190,345, 1990: 245,845, 2000: 277,359, 2010: 295,223, 2020: 314,17651K’00’1052K’20’3058K’40’5099K’60’70190K’80’90277K’00’10314K’20

Source: U.S. Census Bureau decennial censuses (counties 1900–1990 from the Bureau’s historical county file).

Weather by month

Average highs peak around 81°F in summer, and winter lows average 16°F. About 50.9 inches of rain and melted snow fall in a typical year, with about 65 inches of snow.

Average high and low temperature and precipitation by month near PortsmouthJan: high 33°F, low 16°F, 3.6 in; Feb: high 36°F, low 18°F, 3.6 in; Mar: high 43°F, low 25°F, 4.8 in; Apr: high 56°F, low 35°F, 4.6 in; May: high 66°F, low 45°F, 4 in; Jun: high 75°F, low 54°F, 4.6 in; Jul: high 81°F, low 60°F, 3.9 in; Aug: high 79°F, low 59°F, 3.7 in; Sep: high 72°F, low 52°F, 4.1 in; Oct: high 60°F, low 41°F, 5 in; Nov: high 48°F, low 31°F, 4.1 in; Dec: high 38°F, low 22°F, 4.9 in33°16°Jan3.636°18°Feb3.643°25°Mar4.856°35°Apr4.666°45°May4.075°54°Jun4.681°60°Jul3.979°59°Aug3.772°52°Sep4.160°41°Oct5.048°31°Nov4.138°22°Dec4.9Rain and melted snow, inches

Source: NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Greenland, NH weather station (4 miles away).

Jobs in Rockingham County

152,257 jobs at 10,266 businesses in Rockingham County. The biggest industries by employees:

Largest industries in Rockingham CountyRetail trade: 25,649 jobs; Health care and social assistance: 18,619 jobs; Manufacturing: 18,400 jobs; Hotels and restaurants: 16,453 jobs; Construction: 10,633 jobs; Professional services: 10,150 jobs; Administrative and support: 8,140 jobs; Wholesale trade: 8,052 jobsRetail trade 17% Health care and social assistance 12% Manufacturing 12% Hotels and restaurants 11% Construction 7% Professional services 7% Administrative and support 5% Wholesale trade 5%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau County Business Patterns 2023 (private employers; jobs counted where people work).

Health care

1,240 doctors and other health care providers list an office in Portsmouth.

Nearest hospitals

  • Portsmouth Regional HospitalGeneral hospital · emergency room · CMS rating 3 of 5 · Portsmouth1.0 miles
  • Exeter Hospital INCGeneral hospital · emergency room · CMS rating 4 of 5 · Exeter9.0 miles
  • York HospitalGeneral hospital · emergency room · CMS rating 4 of 5 · York9.1 miles

Providers with an office here

Primary care doctors89
Specialist doctors208
Dentists72
Nurse practitioners and physician assistants182
Mental health providers510
Physical and occupational therapists127
Optometrists28
Chiropractors24
Pharmacies10

Source: Hospitals from CMS Hospital General Information (ratings are CMS overall star ratings); straight-line distances; providers from the CMS National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES), by practice address and primary specialty.

Places in and around Portsmouth

Parks (21 nearby)

  • Community Campus · 74 acres2.4 mi
  • Atlantic Height Playground · 7 acres2.2 mi
  • Prescott Park · 7 acres2.7 mi
  • Newington Town Park · 4 acres2.2 mi
  • Pannaway Park · 4 acres0.8 mi
  • Portsmouth Plains · 4 acres1.5 mi

Grocery stores (9 nearby)

  • Whole Foods Market1.3 mi
  • Market Basket1.4 mi
  • Trader Joe's1.5 mi
  • Lo's Seafood & Oriental Market1.5 mi

Pharmacies (1 nearby)

  • CVS Pharmacy1.8 mi

Libraries (4 nearby)

  • Langdon Library2.2 mi
  • Portsmouth Public Library2.3 mi
  • Portsmouth Athenaeum2.4 mi
  • Thayer Cumings Library and Archives2.6 mi

Museums (10 nearby)

  • USS Albacore Museum2.0 mi
  • Jackson House2.0 mi
  • USS Albacore2.0 mi
  • Old Parsonage Museum2.1 mi
  • Rundlet-May House Museum2.1 mi

Theaters and performance venues (6 nearby)

  • 3S Artspace2.2 mi
  • The Music Hall Lounge2.3 mi
  • The Music Hall2.3 mi
  • Seacoast Repertory Theatre2.6 mi
  • Player's Ring2.7 mi

Counts are within about 3 miles of the center of town.

Source: Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors (openstreetmap.org/copyright), as mapped by volunteers; it can miss places or include closed ones.

Colleges, teams and notable people

Established in 1630.

Sports teams

  • Seacoast United Phantoms USL League Two

Notable people born here

  • Ronnie James Dio (1942) · American heavy metal singer (1942–2010)
  • Thomas Bailey Aldrich (1836) · American poet, novelist, editor (1836–1907)
  • Ilene Woods (1929) · American actress and singer (1926-2010)
  • Elliott Coues (1842) · American ornithologist (1842–1899)
  • John Langdon (1741) · American politician and Founding Father (1741-1819)
  • Colby Stevenson (1997) · American freestyle skier
  • Brooke Astor (1902) · American philanthropist, socialite, and writer (1902–2007)
  • Fitz John Porter (1822) · American Union Army general (1822–1901)

Source: Wikidata (wikidata.org), the free knowledge base; people are listed by place of birth.

Schools in Portsmouth

Public schools here are run by Portsmouth School District, Newington School District. Check each district’s attendance zones for a specific address.

Public schools (7)
SchoolGradesStudentsTypeDistance
PEEP School - Pre School ProgramPortsmouthPre-K24Public2.7 mi
Little Harbour SchoolPortsmouthK–5325Public2.7 mi
Mary C. Dondero Elementary SchoolPortsmouthK–5328Public3.1 mi
New Franklin SchoolPortsmouthK–5247Public1.5 mi
Newington Public SchoolNewingtonK–643Public2.6 mi
Portsmouth Middle SchoolPortsmouth6–8486Public2.3 mi
Portsmouth High SchoolPortsmouth9–131,017Public2.2 mi
Private schools (1)
SchoolGradesStudentsAffiliationDistance
St Patrick AcademyPortsmouthPre-K–8216Roman Catholic2.3 mi

Source: U.S. Department of Education, NCES: Common Core of Data (2024-2025) for public schools; Private School Universe Survey (2023-2024) for private schools. Listed by address; we don’t rate schools.

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Towns near Portsmouth

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Shares ZIP codes with Newington.

Town boundaries don’t always match ZIP codes: a ZIP code can cross into neighboring towns, and a town can share a ZIP code with its neighbors. Facts describe the town itself; market figures describe whole ZIP codes.