Issues and Opportunities
Accommodating Future Growth 2030 Projections if 2018 Household
Composition Held Constant
Source: EMSI, ACS 2013, 2018, RKG Associates
ASSOCIATES INC
The tables to the right show two different scenarios for allocating projected
household growth to households by size. The first scenario uses Nashua’s 2018 HH Size HHs % of Total
household composition and assumes that will remain constant out to the year
2030. For example, in 2018, 30.3% of all households were 1-person and 34.6%
were 2-person. These percentages are applied in the same way to the total 1-person 1,446 30.3%
households projected for 2030 which results in 3,094 additional 1- and 2-person 2-person 1,648 34.6%
households over the next ten years. Since 3, 4, and 5+ person households
comprise a lower percentage of Nashua’s household composition those 3-person 723 15.2%
ercentages are lower than 1- and 2-person households.
P 9 P 4-person 604 12.7%
The second scenario accounts for the trends in household composition between 5-or-more person 348 7.3%
2013 and 2018 which saw 1- and 2-person households increase, and larger °
households decrease. This is not a trend unique to Nashua. Across the United Total 4,769 100%
States, smaller households are increasing at a faster rate driven by younger
residents living alone for longer periods of time and older adults living longer and
increasingly in 1- or 2-person households.
2030 Projections if Trends Continued
Using the trends over the last five years and extrapolating them out to 2030, there
is a large increase in 2-person households and a slight increase in 1-person Based on Changes from 201 3-201 8
households. Larger households do grow, but at much more limited rate than is Source: EMSI, ACS 2013, 2018, RKG Associates
projected in the first scenario. If the trends from 2013-2018 continue in Nashua,
the city will need to consider how to increase the production of smaller units to HH Size HHs % of Total
accommodate the increase in 1- and 2-person households. While smaller owner-
occupied households are projected to grow, most of the growth in smaller 1-person 1710 35.9%
households is projected to occur with renters. ,
2-person 3,148 66.0%
With Nashua’s remarkably low vacancy rate, the city will need to encourage the °
production of new housing. This may point to the continued strategy of promoting 3-person “329 “6.9%
Downtown Nashua and the designated TOD Overlay Districts as places for 4-person 199 4.2%
housing investment over time. Part of the city’s housing strategy will need to
focus on higher intensity multi-family and/or mixed-use development. S-or-more person 42 0.9%
Total 4,769 100%
Nashua Housing Study - 32
