Peterborough is a census-designated place (CDP) and the main village in the town of Peterborough, New Hampshire, United States. The population of the CDP was 3,090 at the 2020 census, out of 6,418 in the entire town.
Geography
The CDP occupies the central to west-central part of the town of Peterborough, along both sides of the Contoocook River where it is joined from the west by Nubanusit Brook. The CDP includes the Peterborough town center and extends west up Nubanusit Brook to encompass the village of West Peterborough. The CDP extends north, down the Contoocook River, as far as the area known as North Village, and it extends south, upriver, to the 19th-century factory complex known as Noone.
U.S. Route 202 runs through the eastern side of the CDP, following the Contoocook River. It leads north to Hillsborough and south to Winchendon, Massachusetts. New Hampshire Route 101 crosses US 202 south of the village center, leading east to Milford and west to Keene.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the Peterborough CDP has a total area of , of which , or 0.51%, are water.
Demographics
As of the census of 2010, there were 3,103 people, 1,442 households, and 750 families residing in the CDP. There were 1,577 housing units, of which 135, or 8.6%, were vacant. The racial makeup of the CDP was 96.3% white, 0.5% African American, 0.1% Native American, 1.8% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 0.5% some other race, and 0.8% from two or more races. 1.4% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
Of the 1,442 households in the CDP, 24.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.0% were headed by married couples living together, 11.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 48.0% were non-families. 41.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 20.3% were someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.06, and the average family size was 2.79.