The US Department of Housing and Urban Development building is seen in Washington, DC, on July 22, 2019. (Photo by Alastair Pike / AFP) (Photo credit should read ALASTAIR PIKE/AFP via Getty Images)

BOSTON – Thirteen New Hampshire cities and towns have been selected to receive a share of the $8.8 million in federal housing funds that authorities have awarded the state.

The Boston office of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced the awards Tuesday. The $8.8 million earmarked for New Hampshire is part of the $2.7 billion the agency awarded to 2,900 public housing authorities in 50 states plus the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The grants, distributed annually through HUD’s Capital Fund Program, help agencies build, renovate, and modernize their public housing units, a HUD spokesman said.

Local agencies can also apply the funding to large-scale improvements, such as replacing roofs or making energy-efficient upgrades to heating systems and installing water conservation measures.

Manchester, the state’s largest city, will receive $2.8 million, roughly $1.3 million more than Nashua’s $1.5 million award.

The other 11 New Hampshire housing authorities to receive funding, and the amount (rounded off) of their awards, follow:

Portsmouth, $969,500; Dover, $654,800; Concord, $601,000; Rochester, $488,000; Lebanon, $371,900; Somersworth, $365,200; Salem, $329,900; Exeter, $243,900; Claremont, $202,500; Newmarket, $126,000; Berlin, $110,900.

Dean Shalhoup may be reached at 594-1256 or dshalhoup@nashuatelegraph.com.