Lowest-earning counties in New Hampshire
Americans on the whole were doing well financially heading into 2020, with major markers like unemployment reaching 50-year lows. The pandemic changed all that: During the second quarter of the 2020 fiscal year, our nation's real GDP fell by a whopping 31.4%, a number that hasn't been seen since the Great Depression. Since then the GDP has recovered, the first quarter of 2022 was 11% above the fourth quarter of 2019.
While GDP has recovered since the height of the pandemic, wage growth has not kept pace with inflation. In 2021 average hourly wages increased 4.7% while there was 7% inflation, meaning the worker's purchasing power dropped by 2.4%.
Where you live can make a big impact on your financial situation. The highest earning county in the U.S. earns $147,111, while the lowest earns $22,292. Stacker compiled a list of the lowest-earning counties in New Hampshire using data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Counties are ranked by the Census' 2020 5-year estimate median household income.
#10. Rockingham County
--- 20.6% above state average, 44.6% above national average
- Households earning over $100k: 47.4%
--- #68 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 4.6%
--- #3,073 highest among all counties nationwide
#9. Hillsborough County
--- 5.4% above state average, 26.3% above national average
- Households earning over $100k: 41.0%
--- #152 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 5.8%
--- #2,972 highest among all counties nationwide
#8. Merrimack County
--- 0.0% above state average, 19.9% above national average
- Households earning over $100k: 36.4%
--- #250 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 7.0%
--- #2,926 highest among all counties nationwide
#7. Strafford County
--- 6.7% below state average, 11.8% above national average
- Households earning over $100k: 34.0%
--- #313 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 7.8%
--- #2,842 highest among all counties nationwide
#6. Grafton County
--- 13.4% below state average, 3.8% above national average
- Households earning over $100k: 30.3%
--- #470 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 10.1%
--- #2,676 highest among all counties nationwide
#5. Belknap County
--- 13.6% below state average, 3.6% above national average
- Households earning over $100k: 31.6%
--- #411 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 7.5%
--- #2,665 highest among all counties nationwide
#4. Carroll County
--- 14.1% below state average, 3.0% above national average
- Households earning over $100k: 29.2%
--- #540 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 8.6%
--- #2,649 highest among all counties nationwide
#3. Cheshire County
--- 17.0% below state average, 0.5% below national average
- Households earning over $100k: 27.8%
--- #642 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 7.6%
--- #2,544 highest among all counties nationwide
#2. Sullivan County
--- 18.2% below state average, 1.9% below national average
- Households earning over $100k: 24.8%
--- #912 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 7.8%
--- #2,494 highest among all counties nationwide
#1. Coos County
--- 37.2% below state average, 24.7% below national average
- Households earning over $100k: 18.1%
--- #1,948 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 11.2%
--- #1,092 highest among all counties nationwide
