Dover Leads Seacoast Rent Growth at 7% YoY — Somersworth Dips

Here's where Seacoast rents stand heading into spring. Dover and Rochester are up +7% and +6.6% year-over-year, while Portsmouth grew a more moderate 2.6%. Somersworth is the exception — rents there are down 2% YoY. All four cities showed slight month-over-month softening, consistent with the seasonal pattern before leasing season picks up. Nationally, the rental vacancy rate is at a record 7.3%, while New Hampshire's remains around 4%. The statewide two-bedroom average is $2,175.

Rents by Unit Type

Rochester studios at $1,058 are the most affordable on the Seacoast, about $500/mo less than Portsmouth's $1,522. Somersworth one-bedrooms at $1,756 run about $134/mo less than Dover's $1,890. Dover two-bedrooms have crossed $2,300 for the first time, while the same unit type in Rochester averages $2,052 and in Somersworth $1,978. At the three-bedroom level, Rochester's $2,628 average is actually higher than Portsmouth's $2,396 — reflecting limited family-sized inventory in Strafford County. Somersworth three-bedroom data was not reported this period.

Recent Small-Landlord Listings

A sampling of individual-owner and smaller-property listings spotted this week across the Seacoast.

For comparison, the Somersworth 2BR at $1,395 and the one at $1,600 are both below the city's $1,978 two-bedroom average. The Dover mill conversion starts at $1,400, well under Dover's $2,250 average.

Key Takeaways