 New Hampshire's population is rising, even in rural areas that have long struggled with decline. The Concord Monitor reports that the state's population has grown by more than 23,000 residents in the past three years. Rural areas, including parts of the White Mountains and Lakes region, have seen a post-pandemic surge in residents. Coas, Sullivan and Cheshire counties have been losing people for years, but reversed that trend since the pandemic. And the city of Lebanon grew faster than the statewide average.