On January 29, 2026, the U.S. Census Bureau released new data offering insight into the financial well-being of Granite Staters during the 2020-2024 period. This aggregated five-year data builds on the less detailed one-year estimates for 2024 released last year, and provides a clearer view of long-term trends in the economy and income, poverty, and housing affordability across regions and demographic groups in New Hampshire.
Below are five key takeaways from the newly released data.
Median Household Income in Rockingham County Was Nearly Twice as High as in Coos County
During the 2020-2024 period, Rockingham County, New Hampshire’s second most populous county covering the southeasternmost part of the state, had a median household income of about $118,300. In contrast, Coos County, the northernmost and least populous county, had a median household income of about half that amount, at $57,700. While both counties experienced income growth compared to the previous 2015-2019 period, affordability remains a challenge for many Granite Staters. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Living Wage Calculator estimated that the cost of living for two working adults and one child was $109,665 in Rockingham County and $88,949 in Coos County in 2026.
Poverty Rates Were Highest in Northern and Western Regions of the State
During the 2020-2024 period, county-level poverty rates were the highest in Coos County, where approximately 13.2 percent of residents lived in poverty. Grafton and Sullivan Counties also experienced elevated rates of 10.4 and 10.1 percent, respectively, higher than the statewide poverty rate of 7.2 percent for the five-year period. While poverty rates were the highest in rural regions of the state, the largest number of people living in poverty resided in counties in southeastern New Hampshire due to larger population sizes. Approximately 28,200 people lived in poverty in Hillsborough County, the state’s most populous, which was about equivalent to the estimated 2024 populations of Bristol, Lebanon, and Weare combined. Although it had the lowest poverty rate (4.8 percent), Rockingham County had the second highest number of people in poverty among the counties (15,100 people).
While most county-level poverty rates remained statistically unchanged between the 2015-2019 and 2020-2024 periods, Hillsborough County (decrease from 7.8 percent to 6.7 percent) and Merrimack County (increase from 6.5 percent to 7.6 percent) both experienced slight shifts in their poverty levels.
Poverty Rates Varied by Educational Attainment, Race and Ethnicity, Disability Status, and Family Structure
Poverty rates differed substantially across demographic groups, reflecting long-standing structural barriers to economic opportunity.
Granite Staters without a high school diploma experienced a poverty rate of 20.6 percent, which was more than six times higher than those with a bachelor’s degree or higher (3.1 percent). Approximately one in six Granite Staters with a disability lived in poverty, equating to a rate of about 15.8 percent. Poverty rates were nearly twice as high among Hispanic or Latino Granite Staters (13.3 percent), higher than the rate for white and non-Hispanic or Latino Granite Staters (6.8 percent). Rates were also elevated for Black or African American (11.2 percent) and Biracial or Multiracial (10.6 percent) residents. Nearly a quarter (22.8 percent) of families with children headed by a single woman were living in poverty, more than three times higher than the statewide rate of 7.1 percent for all families with children.
Some Poverty Rates Declined from the Prior Five-Year Period
While poverty rates continue to remain elevated for some groups, there have also been some significant declines in poverty compared to the pre-COVID-19 pandemic period. Relative to data from 2015-2019, the poverty rate during the 2020-2024 period declined by about 3.1 percentage points among Hispanic or Latino Granite Staters and by 8.6 percentage points for Black or African American Granite Staters. Among families with children headed by a single woman, poverty rates also declined by about 3.4 percentage points.
Three Out of Four Renters with Low Incomes Were Cost Burdened
As housing costs continue to climb, renters with the lowest incomes face the greatest cost burdens; cost burdens occur when renters pay more than 30 percent of their incomes towards rent and utilities, based on definitions from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
During the 2020-2024 period, three out of four (76.3 percent) renters with incomes less than $35,000 per year were cost burdened by housing. More than half (55.2 percent) were severely cost burdened, devoting more than half of their incomes towards rent and utilities, an increase from the estimated 46.7 percent during the 2015-2019 period. From 2015 to 2024, the median cost of rent and utilities for a two-bedroom unit in New Hampshire increased by 58.4 percent.
Jessica Williams os a policy analyst with the NH Fiscla Policy Institute, a nonpartisan, independent research nonprofit that examines issues related to the State budget, the economy, policy decisions, and the financial security of Granite Staters, centering on issues relevant to low- and moderate-income people and families.