Photo: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.0In Portsmouth, 79% of adult citizens voted for president in 2024, more than across New Hampshire
Portsmouth’s city government spent $169.1 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $7,443 per resident. These are Census Bureau estimates: Portsmouth didn’t report its figures, so this page shows them without comparisons.
What stands out about how Portsmouth is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
Portsmouth School District
Portsmouth’s K–12 school district. The schools are run by Portsmouth, so this money is part of the budget above.
Of the $27,140 per pupil, $17,784 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 $7,443 per resident a year, or $20.39 a day
Schools are part of the city’s budget, so they lead the receipt: 39% of day-to-day spending.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Portsmouth runs its own schools, so school spending is part of this budget.
Portsmouth 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 Portsmouth yet
Every year of Portsmouth’s figures is a Census Bureau estimate: the city 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 700 in 2022.
The typical homeowner pays $8,018 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.16% of the home’s value, vs 1.66% across New Hampshire.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Portsmouth’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 Portsmouth’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Portsmouth →
Who’s in charge in Portsmouth
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Portsmouth’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on cityofportsmouth.com ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 31 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 (22,713).
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 Portsmouth voted in 2024
Official results for Portsmouth’s own voters, as certified after the November 5, 2024 general election, with the county and the state beside them.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat69.9%10,289 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican28.4%4,187 votesOthers: 1.7% (243 votes).
Most votes in Portsmouth: Kamala D Harris
Rockingham County: Trump 50.5%, Harris 48.1% · New Hampshire: Harris 50.7%, Trump 47.9%
of Portsmouth’s 18,605 adult citizens voted for president in 2024. Across New Hampshire: 74%.
Votes ÷ citizens of voting age (Census CVAP, 2020–24 ACS).
Most votes in Portsmouth: Joyce Craig
Rockingham County: Ayotte 56.9%, Craig 41.2% · New Hampshire: Ayotte 53.6%, Craig 44.3%
Most votes in the district: Chris Pappas
Whole-district result
President, 2024: Portsmouth, its county and the state
| Harris | Trump | Others | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portsmouth | 69.9% | 28.4% | 1.7% | 14,719 |
| Rockingham County | 48.1% | 50.5% | 1.4% | 202,922 |
| 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
Portsmouth sends 4 representatives to the New Hampshire House alone.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: cityofportsmouth.com ↗
- 2New Hampshire HousePortsmouth is split between 5 districts
- 3New Hampshire SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of New Hampshire
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
How Portsmouth compares with the towns next door
Portsmouth’s own figures are Census estimates, so it isn’t placed among its neighbors. 2 of the 4 towns next door reported 2022 figures, from $1,032 to $9,747 per resident. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Greenland | $1,032 | $7,420 |
| Newington | $9,747 | $6,081 |
| New Castle | estimate | $8,509 |
| Rye | estimate | $7,519 |
| Portsmouth | estimate | $8,018 |
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 Portsmouth’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Portsmouth’s government
How much does Portsmouth spend per resident?
About $7,443 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, a Census Bureau estimate (Portsmouth didn’t report its figures). With building projects and interest, the whole budget was about $199.2 million.
What is the property tax rate in Portsmouth?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $8,018 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.16% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.66% across New Hampshire. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see cityofportsmouth.com.
Who runs Portsmouth’s government?
See cityofportsmouth.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Portsmouth yet.
How did Portsmouth vote in 2024?
For president, Kamala D Harris 69.9%, Donald J Trump 28.4% (14,719 votes, official results). Rockingham County: Trump 50.5%, Harris 48.1%. New Hampshire: Harris 50.7%, Trump 47.9%.
How many people work for Portsmouth?
723 full-time and 299 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $6.3M (about $75.7M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Portsmouth in the state legislature?
Portsmouth is split among 5 State House districts, so your address decides. The New Hampshire Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Its State Senate district is District 21 (Rebecca Perkins Kwoka). Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Portsmouth’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 Portsmouth, 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 →