New Hampshire
New Hampshire’s Median Household Income Increased in 2023, Poverty Remained Steady
New data released by the U.S. Census Bureau provide key insights into the economic well-being of Granite Staters. The American Community Survey’s 2023 state-level data showed that median household income recovered to 2021 levels after adjusting for inflation, following a decline in 2022. While the median household income increased, the poverty rate held steady at 7.2 percent, reflecting that nearly 100,000 New Hampshire residents had very little income despite purchasing power growing for the median household.
Household Incomes
The estimated median household income in New Hampshire was $96,838, based on data collected by the American Community Survey during 2023. This median income estimate increased from the $89,992 estimated for 2022, even after adjusting for inflation and accounting for statistical uncertainty. After taking inflation into account, the median household income effectively rebounded to about 2021 levels; in 2022, median household income fell behind inflation, and spending power dropped relative to 2021. The 2023 data show this median income recovered to 2021 levels after the inflation adjustment of 2021 dollars to 2023 purchasing power. The inflation-adjusted 2023 household incomes were higher than before the COVID-19 pandemic and prior to the Great Recession of 2007-2009, and reflected the relative speed of the post-pandemic recovery compared to the slow recovery from the Great Recession.
Of the estimated 569,493 households in New Hampshire in 2023, 25 percent, or one in four, had pre-tax incomes below $50,000 annually. About 17 percent had incomes lower than $35,000, and nearly 11 percent had estimated incomes below $25,000 during 2023. About 48 percent had incomes over $100,000, and almost 16 percent had incomes of $200,000 or more.
The average household size in New Hampshire was 2.39 people in the 2023 data. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology estimated the living wage income for a two-person household in New Hampshire in 2024 was $67,155 for two adults, $88,074 for one adult with one child, and $97,876 for two working adults with one child. The Economic Policy Institute estimated the income a family needed in 2024 for a “modest yet adequate standard of living,” which does not include costs such as paying for student loans or for homeownership as well as for any form of entertainment, ranged from $72,501 to $94,597 for a household with two adults and one child, depending on where they lived in New Hampshire.
Poverty in New Hampshire
The U.S. Census Bureau calculates poverty thresholds for different household sizes. The Official Poverty Measure poverty threshold is not adjusted for changes in living costs between the 48 contiguous United States; other measures of hardship differ, such as the regional housing cost variations incorporated into the Supplemental Poverty Measure. The Official Poverty Measure thresholds for 2023 are $15,852 for a single person under 65 years old, $21,002 for a two-person household with one child and one adult under 65, $24,526 for a three-person household with one child, and $30,900 for a four-person household with two children.
An estimated 98,000 people lived with incomes below Official Poverty Measure poverty thresholds in 2023. This estimate is slightly larger than the estimated 2023 populations of Claremont, Concord, Laconia, and Portsmouth combined. That total number of people in poverty included about 20,000 children and 21,000 older adults.
The overall poverty rate in New Hampshire was 7.2 percent, according to the Official Poverty Measure, which was the same estimated rate as 2022 and 2021, and statistically indistinguishable from the 7.3 percent poverty rate from 2019. The poverty rate for children was 8.0 percent, which was statistically indistinguishable from the 2022 rate. Poverty for older adults, at an estimated 7.6 percent, was also substantially unchanged from 2022, but remained higher than it was in 2019.
New Hampshire had the lowest Official Poverty Measure poverty rate among the states, with Utah’s 9.0 percent and both Colorado’s and Minnesota’s 9.3 percent rates as the next closest estimates. However, other measures of hardship, also published by the U.S. Census Bureau in September, complicate that conclusion. Using the Supplemental Poverty Measure, which adjusts for certain expenses, taxes and noncash benefits, household compositions, and geographic differences in housing costs, New Hampshire’s 7.4 percent poverty rate for the 2021-2023 period was higher than Maine’s 5.9 percent; Maine’s rate was statistically tied for the lowest in the country with several other states, including Minnesota and South Dakota. The Supplemental Poverty Measure, while not a replacement of the Official Poverty Measure, can capture key economic conditions impacting household well-being that are missed by the Official Poverty Measure, such as the reduction of child poverty by half in 2021 due largely to the expansion of the Child Tax Credit.
Within the Official Poverty Measure data for New Hampshire, 2023 continued to show longstanding differences in economic hardship between groups, reflecting both historical and present-day barriers to opportunity that hinder upward mobility. While data limitations prevent a reliable, comprehensive analysis of 2023 data, the estimated poverty rate for Granite Staters identifying as of two or more races was higher than for white residents who did not identify as Hispanic or Latino. The poverty rate for New Hampshire residents who identified themselves as Asian was lower than for non-Hispanic white residents. Data to be published in December 2024 will provide more reliable insights into the well-being of groups and geographies within the Granite State.
Other Key Data
Beyond these topline numbers, the American Community Survey provides a wealth of information on the lives and well-being of Granite Staters. For example, about 51 percent of the estimated 149,626 renter households in New Hampshire paid more than 30 percent of their incomes on rent and utilities during 2023. About 13 percent of workers age 16 and over commuted out of state for employment, while about 16 percent worked from home. Income inequality, as measured by the Gini Index, is not higher than it was just before the COVID-19 pandemic, but is higher than it was in 2010. These data, as well as other information recently provided by the U.S. Census Bureau, provide additional insights into the well-being of Granite Staters.
– Phil Sletten, Research Director
The federal government has activated the New Hampshire National Guard’s 157th Air Refueling Wing in connection with the war with Iran.
“I’ve had a briefing myself, a classified briefing, but it’s really important on the messaging on this that we really coordinate with the Pentagon,” Gov. Kelly Ayotte told reporters during a press briefing following Wednesday’s Executive Council meeting.
Ayotte said she was unable to share additional details about the nature of the New Hampshire National Guard’s activity related to the conflict, including how many guard members have been activated or what role they are playing.
“We’re going to respect what messaging comes out of the Pentagon just to make sure that our men and women in uniform are fully protected and that we aren’t providing any information that could be used in a way that would be harmful to them,” Ayotte said.
In a statement Thursday, Ayotte said the unit had been deployed in late February to the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility in support of the operation.
Earlier this week, Pentagon officials confirmed that members of the Vermont National Guard were involved in attacks against Iran over the weekend, though our news partners at Vermont Public were not able to confirm additional details on the nature of the operation.
During the briefing with local reporters, Ayotte also stressed her support for servicemembers and those close to them.
“I have such respect for our men and women in uniform,” Ayotte said. “As you know, I come from a military family, and they have our full support, and we appreciate them and their families, and obviously anyone who is serving right now, and my thoughts and prayers go out to those who have lost someone that they love.”
By PAULA TRACY, InDepthNH.org
CONCORD – While Republican Gov. Kelly Ayotte has said she opposes increasing highway toll rates across the state, the Senate voted Thursday to increase rates for out-of-state license plate holders.
It now goes to the House for consideration.
This would be a $1 increase for those who have out of state plates going through the tolls at Hooksett, Hampton and Bedford for out-of-state plates, a 75 cent hike for those taking Hampton’s Exit 2 and on the Spaulding turnpike at Rochester, and a 50 cent hike for those taking the exit off I-93 to Hooksett.
An analysis in the bill shows that this would increase toll revenue by $53.3 million in fiscal year 2027 and go up each year to generate $81.4 million a year in 2036.
Senate Bill 627 passed on a voice vote with two Republicans, Senators Regina Birdsell of Hampstead and William Gannon of Sandown opposing.
Senator Mark E. McConkey, R-Freedom, moved to take the bill off the table and offered an amendment.
He said the last time there was a systemwide increase to the turnpike toll was 19 years ago.
“I am sure we could all agree the cost of operations…has continued to escalate when revenue is not rising with it,” and he noted that with an enterprise fund, the state can only spend what it takes in.
The state has just completed a 10-year highway plan and there was a $400 million shortfall in projects that could not be paid for under the current income.
McConkey said the measure would not increase tolls for New Hampshire drivers with a state license plate.
“Why don’t we ask our neighbors,” to pay a toll increase. “We are getting the best of all worlds,” by passing the bill, he said, including “protecting our residents” and having resources for improvements to the turnpike system.
Sen. Gannon, R-Sandown, asked McConkey if there are any studies on impacts near the border on businesses.
If implemented, McConkey said the state will be the 27th lowest in per mile cost still. McConkey said the bill would also increase from seven to 14 days the amount of time for those with NH license plates to pay for a toll adding there are other states that also have different rates for out-of-state users.
The Hampton toll cost would go from $2 to $3, while Hooksett and Bedford would rise from $1 to $2 for out-of-state plates.
New Hampshire currently has the lowest rate per mile among states with tolls roads.
The governor said she does not support a toll increase.
“We are not going to put a burden on drivers for a toll increase,” Ayotte said. “Families are struggling.”
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