Photo: AcrossTheAtlantic · CC BY-SA 4.0How is Durham run?
Durham’s town government spent $18.7 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $1,290 per resident. These are Census Bureau estimates: Durham didn’t report its figures, so this page shows them without comparisons.
What stands out about how Durham is run
Read from the town’s budget and official records.
Oyster River Cooperative School District
Durham’s K–12 school district, shared with Lee, Madbury. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $23,769 per pupil, $14,009 goes to the classroom (teachers, aides, supplies); the rest to buses, buildings, counselors and administration. Building projects and debt payments aren’t in the per-pupil figure.
New Hampshire districts overall: 64% local, 28% state, 8% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
About $1,290 per resident a year, or $3.53 a day
Day-to-day services only (a Census Bureau estimate). The biggest line: fire, at 29%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Durham didn’t report all of its 2024 figures to the Census Bureau, so most of these numbers are the Bureau’s estimates.
No comparison or trend for Durham yet
Every year of Durham’s figures is a Census Bureau estimate: the town reported none of its dollars for 2022–2024. Estimates are shown above, labeled, but never ranked against places that reported or drawn as a trend.
How Town Hall compares budgets →full-time in March 2025, up from 87 in 2022. Both are Census estimates.
Typical bills top $10,000 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Durham’s rate.
Can I afford it? →The median bill homeowners report to the Census survey (bills of $10,000+ are reported as “$10,000+”). The effective rate is that bill ÷ the median home value: a rough guide, not the official tax rate.
Tax bills are one input to Durham’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Durham →
Most New Hampshire towns vote on March 9, 2027
Check Durham’s own dates: some towns hold the business session on another day or vote by ballot (SB2).
Durham’s meetings aren’t in our feed yet. The town posts agendas and minutes on its website.
Town website ↗Most New Hampshire towns vote on the second Tuesday in March: officers are elected and warrant articles, including the budget, are decided.
Some towns hold the business session on another day, and some vote by ballot (SB2). Check Durham’s site for its warrant and dates.
Who’s in charge in Durham
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time town employee for every 161 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (14,473).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2025
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
How Durham voted in 2024
Official results for Durham’s own voters, as certified after the November 5, 2024 general election, with the county and the state beside them.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat71.5%6,047 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican26.9%2,270 votesOthers: 1.6% (135 votes).
Most votes in Durham: Kamala D Harris
Strafford County: Harris 55.3%, Trump 43.2% · New Hampshire: Harris 50.7%, Trump 47.9%
of Durham’s 13,330 adult citizens voted for president in 2024. Across New Hampshire: 74%.
Votes ÷ citizens of voting age (Census CVAP, 2020–24 ACS).
Most votes in Durham: Joyce Craig
Strafford County: Craig 49.9%, Ayotte 47.8% · New Hampshire: Ayotte 53.6%, Craig 44.3%
Most votes in the district: Chris Pappas
Whole-district result
President, 2024: Durham, its county and the state
| Harris | Trump | Others | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Durham | 71.5% | 26.9% | 1.6% | 8,452 |
| Strafford County | 55.3% | 43.2% | 1.5% | 76,688 |
| New Hampshire | 50.7% | 47.9% | 1.5% | 826,189 |
Official 2024 general election returns, as certified (MIT Election Data + Science Lab). Percentages are of votes for candidates; blank and spoiled ballots aren’t counted. Candidates are listed by votes, and party colors are neutral on purpose.
Portraits: Kamala D Harris: official vice-presidential portrait, Lawrence Jackson, The White House, 2021; Donald J Trump: official portrait, Shealah Craighead, The White House, 2017. All are U.S. government works in the public domain. A race shows photos only when every candidate has an official portrait; otherwise every candidate in it gets initials.
From town hall to Washington
Durham sends 4 representatives to the New Hampshire House alone.
- 1Your townTown governmentOfficials: ci.durham.nh.us ↗
- 2New Hampshire House2 districts, 5 seatsStrafford 104 seats, Durham aloneStrafford 201 seat, a floterial district shared with Dover Ward 4, Lee and MadburyMember not listed yet
- 3New Hampshire SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of New Hampshire
New Hampshire elects some House members from “floterial” districts that join several towns; districts from RSA 662:5 (2022).
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
How Durham compares with the towns next door
Durham’s own figures are Census estimates, so it isn’t placed among its neighbors. 3 of the 4 towns next door reported 2022 figures, from $740 to $9,747 per resident. Tap a town to see its page.
Day-to-day spending in 2022, the last year every government was counted, for governments that reported it; hospital and utilities left out. Tax bill: the typical homeowner’s bill (Census ACS, 2020–24).
Reach Durham’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Durham’s government
How much does Durham spend per resident?
About $1,290 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, a Census Bureau estimate (Durham didn’t report its figures). With building projects and interest, the whole budget was about $21 million.
Who runs Durham’s government?
See ci.durham.nh.us for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Durham yet.
How did Durham vote in 2024?
For president, Kamala D Harris 71.5%, Donald J Trump 26.9% (8,452 votes, official results). Strafford County: Harris 55.3%, Trump 43.2%. New Hampshire: Harris 50.7%, Trump 47.9%.
How many people work for Durham?
90 full-time and 42 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $741,230 (about $8.9M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Durham in the state legislature?
State Senate District 21 (Rebecca Perkins Kwoka); State House Strafford 10 (4 seats, Durham alone) and Strafford 20 (1 floterial seat shared with Dover Ward 4, Lee and Madbury). Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
When is town meeting in Durham?
Most New Hampshire towns vote on the second Tuesday in March (March 9, 2027). Some hold the business session on another day or vote by ballot (SB2), so check ci.durham.nh.us for Durham’s own dates.
Ask neighbors about Durham’s government
Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.
Budget and staff: U.S. Census Bureau, Census of Governments (2022, every government) and Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances (2023–24, a sample) and the Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll (for Durham, the Bureau’s estimates); day-to-day spending is current operations, with hospitals, utilities and airports apart. School district: Census school finance survey, 2023–24. Property tax: Census American Community Survey, 2020–24. Elections: official 2024 returns via the MIT Election Data + Science Lab; turnout uses Census citizen voting-age population (CVAP, 2020–24). Officials: Open States, names shown only with a current term (checked October 9, 2026). Districts: Census Bureau (119th Congress, 2024 state districts), NH RSA 662:5; legislators: Open States and congress-legislators. How Town Hall works →