The New Hampshire economic landscape
Working hard should mean getting ahead.
A home you can afford. Care when you need it. A community where you can build a future. These should be within reach for everyone who calls New Hampshire home.
Our economy is shaped by choices. Together, we can demand choices that put working people first.
Start with the big picture
The bills add up.
The choices are connected.
Our 4½-minute landscape film connects the pressure on household budgets to the decisions shaping New Hampshire’s economy. Watch the story, then explore updated research and what we can change together.
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Explore the gap
Housing costs raced ahead.
Paychecks didn’t.
Compare statewide changes from 2015 to 2024. Choose a view to see how housing costs grew relative to wages and household income.
Percentage increase, 2015–2024
Home sale prices rose 113%, compared with 41% for average hourly wages. These are changes over the full period, not annual rates.
Nominal percentage changes; inflation shown separately. Wages and household income are different measures. Home price is the median single-family sale price; rent includes utilities. The chart compares growth rates, not dollar amounts or a single household’s budget.
The pressures on working people
Working hard.
Still stretched thin.
A home. Care for our families. Strong schools.
The basics shouldn’t be this hard to afford.
To afford a home
Estimated household income needed to buy a median-priced NH home in 2025.
For care for two
Average annual center-based care for an infant and a four-year-old in 2025.
Could lose coverage
Projected reduction in Granite Advantage enrollment by 2028 under new Medicaid requirements.
Teacher openings a year
Projected annual openings through 2034, mostly as educators leave the workforce or change careers.
Sources & what the numbers mean
Housing: The income estimate assumes housing costs equal 30% of household income. NHFPI housing presentation, October 16, 2026 ↗
Child care: Cost is for two children combined, not per child. NHFPI educator workforce report, October 13, 2026 ↗
Health care: NHFPI reports a projected enrollment reduction of 23,000–29,000 adults. These are potential future losses, not losses already recorded. NHFPI Medicaid brief, October 20, 2026 ↗
Education: Projection covers 2024–2034. Annual openings include replacement needs; they are not a count of currently unfilled jobs. NHFPI educator workforce report, October 13, 2026 ↗
From household bills to public choices
We feel the costs.
We deserve a say.
Working people experience these pressures together. Our public decisions should respond to them together, too.
The next question is what we choose to fund—and who we ask to contribute.
Follow the budget choices ↓Follow the choices
Tax cuts aren’t free.
The tradeoffs matter.
Taxes and budgets determine what we can invest in together—and which costs households and communities are left to cover.
Nearly two-thirds of NH public school funding comes from local property tax collections. NHFPI reports that local property taxes have increased as state aid’s share of school revenue has declined.
NHFPI: Public education funding · October 21, 2026Who contributes, and what revenue do our tax rules bring in?
What do state and local budgets fund—and what goes without?
How do those choices affect household costs and community services?
The future we’re organizing for
Reward work.
Invest in our future.
These are OEOF’s priorities: an economy where working people can afford to stay, care for their families, and help shape the decisions that affect their lives.
Lower the costs families carry.
Invest in affordable homes, accessible child care, health care, and energy efficiency that helps households use less and save more.
Strengthen what we share.
Support public schools, the care workforce, and the infrastructure communities need to thrive.
Make the rules work for us.
Ask wealthy people and large corporations to contribute more, and demand transparent decisions that put the public interest first.
People make change
This is our economy.
We all have a stake.
Go deeper
The research behind the landscape.
Independent research helps explain the pressures. OEOF’s role is to organize for a different set of priorities.
Employment gains do not automatically mean families are getting ahead.
NHFPI · September 2, 2026Housing supply, demographics, and the investments that support a workforce.
NHFPI · October 16, 2026Projected coverage losses and the choices still left to the state.
NHFPI · October 20, 2026Recruitment, retirement, pay, and affordability pressures.
NHFPI · October 13, 2026The relationship between state aid and local property taxes.
NHFPI · October 21, 2026Why one strong revenue month does not settle the long-term picture.
NHFPI · October 27, 2026About these numbers and sources
Publication dates and data years differ. Each finding links to its source, which explains the underlying data and assumptions. Estimates and projections are labeled; statewide averages do not describe every household or community.
Research reviewed October 28, 2026. NHFPI is an independent, nonpartisan research organization. The policy priorities and advocacy language on this page are OEOF’s.
Our economy. Our future.
We can choose
a better deal for working people.
Be part of the work to lower costs, strengthen our communities, and build an economy that works for us.