The Washington Examiner is following the key issues voters care about as they prepare to vote for the next president of the United States. The specific issues being tracked are Social Security, crime, abortion, the economy, and immigration. 

These concerns were chosen with the help of the Associated Press’s issues tracker. The Washington Examiner subsequently compared five of the key matters in Google Trends on a state-by-state basis, revealing which ones are most important to voters in swing-state contests.

Here, you can track how important these various concerns are to the voters in New Hampshire on a rolling 30-day basis. 

Social Security 

Social Security took the top spot for New Hampshire voters. The state has a median population of 43.1 years old, and approximately 20.8% of the state is 65 or older. The state is the second oldest state, tied with Vermont. By 2030, it’s estimated that there will be more adults over 65 than children, placing a shifting population right in line with social security’s potential insolvency. 

With an aging population, the state’s total eight Social Security Administration locations might wind up being slightly outnumbered. Concerns over the administration’s longevity and accessibility seem right in place in the makeup of this state. 

Crime 

Crime followed social security in importance to New Hampshire voters even though the state ranks 49th out of 50 for violent crime rate. Violent crime occurs at a rate of 126 out of 100,000 and when compared to the national average of 381, equates to a 65% decrease. New Hampshire’s property theft rate is 50% lower than the national average, and the Granite State has the lowest rates of burglary and motor theft in the nation. 

Overall, New Hampshire is one of the safest states in the country, and it isn’t surprising that the residents might want to keep it that way.  

Abortion 

Abortion was the third most searched topic in New Hampshire, where the procedure is accessible but does not have legal protection. Their law does state that abortion after 24 weeks is illegal and a parent or guardian must be notified before care is provided. However, a minor can petition a judge for permission without parental notice. 

Abortion is never mentioned in the state’s laws or protections. However, it is enshrined in the state’s Constitution that an individual’s right to privacy from governmental intrusion is essential. The state has never clarified whether that involves the right to abortion, but there have been no moves made to block access to the procedure. 

Economy 

Concerns over the economy aren’t too bad with the issue coming in fourth. The Bureau of Labor Statistics and Bureau of Economic Analysis found New Hampshire’s unemployment rate has consistently been below the national average for the last five years; the state’s current unemployment rate is 2.3% placing it sixth in the nation. 

The gross domestic product in the third quarter of 2023 was $112.5 billion in goods and services and its growth was 4.5%. New Hampshire accounted for 0.7% of the nation’s economy, ranking 40th in economy size. 

New Hampshire’s mining, oil, and gas extraction saw a 13.4% increase with a GDP of $129 million, and the construction industry had a 19% increase, bumping it up to $3.3 billion. The highest GDP of any industry was in real estate with $15.73 billion. New Hampshire’s educational services also saw a 10% increase in growth, resulting in a GDP of $2.67 billion. 

Immigration

Immigration came in last for the Granite State’s concerns. The immigrant population isn’t large in New Hampshire with the American Immigration Council reporting that 5.9% of its population being foreign born and 2.2% of its residents having at least one immigrant parent. Immigrants in New Hampshire are most likely to have India or China as their country of origin. 

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About 7% of New Hampshire’s workforce is immigrants- 11.3% of the manufacturing workforce is immigrants, and 13.4% of STEM workers are immigrants. More immigrants than U.S.-born residents have graduate degrees, and 3,767 international students contribute $161.3 million to the state’s economy. 

Immigrants in New Hampshire had a total spending power of $3.3 billion and paid $1.1 billion in taxes in 2022. Of the immigrants in the state, 61.1% are naturalized, 12,700 are eligible for naturalization, and 11.6% of immigrants are undocumented.