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New Hampshire Is New England's Number One in Post-COVID Job Recovery – NH Journal

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2 years ago

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New Hampshire Is New England's Number One in Post-COVID Job Recovery – NH Journal


A new analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data finds New Hampshire’s economy is number one yet again in New England, with one of the highest job creation rates in the entire Northeast.

Joseph Politano, a Financial Management Analyst at the BLS, also writes about economics and labor markets. On Tuesday, he posted a chart showing the change in nonfarm payrolls by state since January 2020, when the COVID pandemic hit.

“Forty-five states and Puerto Rico have now seen job levels completely recover from COVID, with many vastly exceeding 2020 payrolls,” Politano wrote, noting that the fastest growers included Idaho, up 12.7 percent since January 2o2o, Utah (11.7 percent), and Nevada (9.9 percent).

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Among the six New England states, New Hampshire had the biggest surge in payrolls, up three percent. While that doesn’t compare favorably with Florida (up 9.6 percent), it’s the best in the region and far better than Massachusetts and Vermont. They’re still negative on job growth by -0.1 percent and -0.4 percent, respectively.

Maine closely trails the Granite State at 2.8 percent growth, followed by Rhode Island (1.2 percent) and Connecticut (0.6 percent).

The only state in the entire Northeast Corridor with higher job growth was New Jersey, at 4.4 percent.

This is just the latest ranking to place New Hampshire at the top of the economic heap in New England. Or, in some categories, the entire nation.

In just the past few months, the Granite State has been ranked number one in the best return on investment for taxpayer dollars and the most economic freedom. U.S. News and World Report ranked New Hampshire the best state in New England to live in and the second-best in the entire country. (Utah is number one.)

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And New Hampshire has consistently had among the lowest unemployment rates in the U.S., currently tied for the fourth lowest at 2.5 percent.

Why does New Hampshire consistently outpace its bigger and wealthier neighbors like Massachusetts and New York? Ross Connelly, northeast regional director with Americans for Prosperity, credits the “pro-growth policies of Gov. Chris Sununu and the legislature.”

“They are directly responsible for this success,” Connelly said. “The other New England states should take note: reducing barriers in government, whether that be regulations or taxes, helps all citizens.”

The gap between the performance of New Hampshire and Massachusetts has emerged as an issue in the race for Granite State governor.

“Because of our focus on lower taxes, fiscal responsibility and freedom, New Hampshire is the best state in New England for small businesses to thrive, grow, and create jobs,” Ayotte told NHJournal. “These new jobs numbers further prove that the New Hampshire model works — while the Massachusetts model leaves our neighbors falling behind. As Governor, I’ll keep us on the path to prosperity and stop any effort to MASS up our state with higher taxes and reckless spending.”

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Democrat Joyce Craig, on the another hand, has endorsed Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey (D) as a campaign ally.

Republican Chuck Morse is reminding voters that, as the former state Senate president, he played a key role in the tax cuts and regulatory relief that helped New Hampshire prosper over the past eight years.

“These rankings are no accident, and they are not luck either,” Morse told NHJournal. “They’re because of the conservative policies we put in place.”

“For nearly a decade, I fought on the front lines to propel New Hampshire to the top in every category,” Morse added. “And as governor, I will continue to keep our state on the right track forward.”

Asked why they think New Hampshire’s economic achievement is outpacing progressive Massachusetts, both Craig and her fellow Democratic gubernatorial candidate, Executive Councilor Cinde Warmington, declined to comment.

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Michael Skelton, president and CEO of the Business & Industry Association, spreads the credit around, including to the business owners themselves.

“The job recovery numbers are a testament to Granite State employers’ commitment to their employees and the state,” said Skelton. “New Hampshire’s low and stable taxes contribute to the success of businesses as does the state’s pragmatic regulatory structure.”

New Hampshire’s population growth in recent years is the second highest in New England after Maine. Skelton said while that is good news, there are challenges to future economic expansion. BIA’s top public policy priorities include continuing to address New Hampshire’s workforce shortage, the lack of housing for workers, and the state’s high energy costs.

“BIA is committed to leading efforts to solve these challenges to build an even stronger competitive business climate and prosperous economic future for New Hampshire,” Skelton said.

At a candidate forum hosted by the National Federation of Independent Business last week, Warmington joined the two Republicans in opposing any business tax hikes. (Craig was a no-show.)

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Asked about New Hampshire’s success, the NFIB’s Bruce Berke calls it a statewide effort.

“Remember that famous saying about ‘of the people, by the people, and for the people’? Well, in New Hampshire, we mean it,” Berke said. “Our public officials talk to and work with community and business leaders to find solutions to challenges. They do their best to keep spending down, therefore tax rates can be minimal allowing investment, growth and start-ups to be confident going forward.

“It’s not rocket science: communicating and working in a logical manner can produce positive results.”



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New Hampshire

Bill to outlaw using student IDs to vote clears NH Legislature

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7 hours ago

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March 9, 2026

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Bill to outlaw using student IDs to vote clears NH Legislature





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New Hampshire

NH cold case solved 40 years after police found man’s skull in woods

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19 hours ago

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March 8, 2026

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NH cold case solved 40 years after police found man’s skull in woods


Local News

Investigators partnered with a nonprofit genetic genealogy analysis organization to identify the man who the remains belonged to.

Warren Kuchinsky was born in 1952 and last known to be alive in the mid-1970s. New Hampshire Department of Justice

By Darin Zullo

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2 minutes to read

After nearly four decades, a man whose skull was discovered in the New Hampshire woods has been identified.

Warren Kuchinsky was born in 1952 and was last known to be alive in the mid-1970s, New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella and New Hampshire State Police Colonel Mark Hall said in a statement. In 1986, his skull was found in a wooded area in the town of Bristol.

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At the time, investigators weren’t able to identify whose skull it was, according to officials. Last year, however, the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner partnered with the DNA Doe Project, a nonprofit organization, to solve the case using forensic genetic genealogy techniques.

Kuchinsky’s identity was confirmed through DNA testing of a surviving family member, according to officials. There is no evidence that his death was caused by foul play, according to the statement.

Founded in 2017, the DNA Doe Project partners with law enforcement, medical examiners, and volunteer genealogists to apply investigative genealogy to John and Jane Doe cases. By analyzing DNA profiles and building family trees from publicly available genetic databases and historical records, the organization has helped solve more than 250 cases nationwide.

“We are honored to have partnered with the State of New Hampshire on this case,” DNA Doe Project Team Leader Lisa Ivany said in the statement. “Through the power of investigative genetic genealogy and the dedication of our volunteer genealogists, we were able to develop a critical lead in less than 24 hours. We truly hope that this identification brings long-awaited answers to Mr. Kuchinsky’s family.”

Initial DNA testing turned up only distant matches, so the DNA Doe Project selected the case to be worked on at a virtual retreat in May 2025, according to the organization’s case profile. Over the course of a weekend, more than 40 genealogists from the U.S., Canada, England, and Scotland collaborated virtually to work on the case.

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Within hours, the team discovered that the unidentified man had roots in New Hampshire and Quebec, according to the profile. They later zeroed in on Kuchinsky, who had attended school in Plymouth, N.H., but had no official proof of life past 1970.

“This identification reflects the power of partnership and scientific advancement,” Formella said in the statement. “The dedication of the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, the investigative support of the New Hampshire State Police, and the extraordinary work of the DNA Doe Project have restored a name to an individual who had been unidentified for nearly 40 years. We are grateful for their professionalism and commitment.”

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New Hampshire House Advances One of The Nation’s Most Extreme Transgender Bathroom Bans

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1 day ago

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March 8, 2026

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New Hampshire House Advances One of The Nation’s Most Extreme Transgender Bathroom Bans


The proposal would fine transgender people up to $5,000 for using bathrooms aligned with their gender identity.

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Bathroom bans targeting transgender people have been spreading rapidly across the United States. In previous years, adult bathroom bans in public buildings were limited to a handful of states with extreme laws. This year, they have become one of the primary vehicles for anti-trans legislation nationwide. Kansas was the first to act, passing a bathroom bounty hunter system and invalidating transgender people’s IDs. Idaho and Missouri began advancing their own bills. Now, the New Hampshire House of Representatives has passed its own version — one of the most extreme in the United States, which states that a trans person using the bathroom of their gender identity is a crime under the state civil rights act, violations of which carries hefty penalties. The bill passed 181-164 on Wednesday night, just weeks after Governor Kelly Ayotte vetoed a separate bathroom ban. Republicans are now sending her something far more aggressive — raising the question of whether they are trying to move the goalposts or simply daring her to veto again.

“Notwithstanding any other provision of law, with the exception of RSA 21:3, RSA 21:54, and paragraph II below, all multi-user facilities, including bathrooms, restrooms, and locker rooms located in buildings owned, leased, or operated by any municipality shall be used based on the individual’s biological sex,” reads the new bill. This prohibition is expansive: it applies to parks, rest stops, airports, civic buildings, and more, and could leave transgender people struggling to find a public place to use the restroom across the state.

The bill contains a novel enforcement mechanism not seen in any other state. It declares that a transgender person “asserting” that their gender identity allows them to use the bathroom is against the law under the state civil rights act, turning civil rights protections that were meant to be protective of transgender people into a weapon against them. “It shall be unlawful for any person to assert that their gender identity is a sex other than that defined in RSA 21:3 for the purposes of accessing places or services restricted on the basis of sex,” reads the bill. Such violations could result in fines of up to $5,000 per incident and even jail time if a person violates a resulting court injunction by continuing to use the restroom.

The bill also contains provisions for private businesses. It permits any owner or operator of a “place of public accommodation” — a category that under New Hampshire law includes hotels, restaurants, theaters, retail stores, bars, and concert venues — to restrict bathrooms by assigned sex at birth. The bill then immunizes those businesses from discrimination claims: “Adoption or enforcement of a policy pursuant to this section shall not be deemed discrimination under RSA 354-A or any other state law,” it reads.

A separate bill, HB 1217, also passed on Wednesday. That bill permits governmental buildings and businesses to classify bathrooms and locker rooms by assigned sex at birth — similar to the bathroom bans Ayotte has already vetoed. It passed by an even wider margin, 187-163. It contains no enforcement mechanism, but rather, states that bathroom bans and sports bans are not discriminatory towards transgender people under New Hampshire law.

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The bills are part of a larger movement towards bathroom bans for transgender people. Just last month, Kansas passed a bathroom ban that allows every citizen in the state to become a bounty hunter, where reporting transgender people in bathrooms can net them $1,000 per trans person caught. This law also invalidated trans people’s drivers licenses in the state. Meanwhile, Idaho and Missouri are both advancing extreme anti-trans bathroom bans of their own, with Idaho’s ban even applying to private businesses, making it against the law for a private business to allow a trans person to use the bathroom that matches their gender identity.

The bills are substantially more extreme than the one vetoed by Governor Ayotte just weeks ago. In a veto statement of a bathroom ban last month, Ayotte stated, “I believe there are important and legitimate privacy and safety concerns raised by biological males using places such as female locker rooms and being placed in female correctional facilities… At the same time, I see that House Bill 148 is overly broad and impractical to enforce, potentially creating an exclusionary environment for some of our citizens.”

It remains unclear why Republicans are pushing an even more extreme version of a bill their own governor has already vetoed three times. The bill still needs to pass the New Hampshire Senate and be signed by Ayotte to become law. One possibility is that the more extreme HB 1442 is designed as cover for HB 1217 — making that bill appear moderate by comparison and improving its chances of earning a signature. Another is that Republicans believe they can pressure Ayotte into signing, or are simply laying the groundwork for an override attempt down the line. Regardless, HB 1442 is one of the most extreme bathroom bans moving through any state legislature in the country, and transgender people across New England will be watching closely as it advances to the Senate.

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