The local economy of New Hampshire and its counties, metro areas and cities, from official US government data, plus daily local gas prices for the state, its counties and metro areas.
Unemployment rate
2.8%
-0.3 ptsvs a year ago
Counties: lowest Carroll County 2.3%, highest Cheshire County 3.0%.
August 2026, seasonally adjusted, preliminary
Average weekly pay
$1,656
+3.0%vs a year ago
674,990 jobs at 66,121 business locations.
Q1 2026, all jobs
New homes permitted
4,987
+21.6%this year vs last year
Most in Rockingham County 1,550, Hillsborough County 699.
Homes in the last 12 months, to August 2026
People moving in
+4,050
+3.5 per 1,000residents
41,506 moved in and 37,456 moved out. Most newcomers came from Massachusetts.
Net people, 2022 to 2023, the newest year published
New Hampshire gas price
$4.31
+$1.32vs a year ago
Counties: lowest Belknap County $4.28, highest Sullivan County $4.37. Counties and metro areas
Regular, per gallon, New Hampshire, October 9, 2026
Newest data: -. Not seasonally adjusted: compare with the same month a year earlier. Click a row for the history of that area.
The state, its counties and metro areas, updated daily. A separate series from the weekly survey prices above.
Business locations, employees and payroll by industry, 2023. Click an industry for its US report.
Business locations
39K
-0.1%vs 2022
2023, places with paid employees
Employees
628K
+2.1%vs 2022
Largest sector: Health Care and Social Assistance (15.5%).
2023, mid-March
Annual payroll
$41.3B
Wages and salaries paid during the year.
2023, all industries
Average pay
$65,717
Highest sector: Utilities $123,193.
Per employee per year
Share of New Hampshire's employees, 2023
| Industry | Employees | Average pay |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurants and Other Eating Places | 50,825 | $27,005 |
| Employment Services | 41,423 | $63,588 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals | 27,753 | $75,541 |
| Grocery Stores | 21,788 | $26,271 |
| Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools | 14,712 | $56,617 |
| General Merchandise Stores, including Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters | 11,618 | $30,350 |
| Outpatient Care Centers | 11,145 | $91,834 |
| Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services | 10,867 | $115,688 |
| Building Equipment Contractors | 10,589 | $77,773 |
| Other Amusement and Recreation Industries | 10,235 | $24,422 |
| Offices of Physicians | 10,175 | $121,030 |
| Building Material and Supplies Dealers | 10,164 | $45,749 |
Most values are changed slightly to protect the privacy of single businesses; a few are withheld and shown as a range. Counties and metro areas have the same numbers in the area card above (Industries).
Cost, students and graduate earnings of the colleges in the state, from official public data.
The newest unemployment rate, pay, new home permits, moves and gas price for New Hampshire, updated as new official numbers come out.
Unemployment for New Hampshire is seasonally adjusted; for its counties, metro areas and cities it is not, so compare a month with the same month a year earlier. Pay covers all jobs that pay into unemployment insurance. Building permits count homes approved to be built, not homes sold. Moves count households by where they filed their tax returns in two years in a row. Daily gas prices are average pump prices for New Hampshire, its counties and metro areas on the day shown. The weekly gas prices in the explorer come from a separate weekly survey that publishes a price for only some states, so a state without one shows the price of its region there; the two series are never combined.
The unemployment rate in New Hampshire was 2.8% in August 2026 (seasonally adjusted, preliminary), compared with 3.1% a year earlier. 752,949 people were employed out of a labor force of 774,326. Among its counties, Carroll County had the lowest rate (2.3%) and Cheshire County the highest (3.0%, not seasonally adjusted).
Average weekly pay in New Hampshire was $1,656 in Q1 2026, up 3.0% from a year earlier, across 674,990 jobs at 66,121 business locations.
Building permits were issued for 365 new homes in New Hampshire in August 2026 (309 single-family and 36 in buildings with 5 or more units). From January to August the total was 3,361, up 21.6% from the same months last year, and 4,987 in the last 12 months. The most homes were permitted in Rockingham County (1,550), Hillsborough County (699), Strafford County (518) over the last 12 months.
Yes. From 2022 to 2023, 41,506 people moved to New Hampshire and 37,456 moved away, a net gain of 4,050 (+3.5 per 1,000 residents). Most newcomers came from Massachusetts, Maine, Florida, and most people who left went to Massachusetts, Florida, Maine.
Regular gasoline in New Hampshire averaged $4.31 per gallon on October 9, 2026, up $1.32 from a year earlier. Diesel averaged $6.35. Among its counties, Belknap County had the lowest regular price ($4.28) and Sullivan County the highest ($4.37).
Health Care and Social Assistance (97,220 employees), Retail Trade (95,663 employees), Manufacturing (68,626 employees) were the largest sectors in New Hampshire in 2023. In all, 39,298 business locations employed 628,166 people at an average pay of $65,717 a year.