8 counties · Boom Town Index

New Hampshire

Avg BTI Score
40 / 100
Population
1.3M
+0.6% avg growth
National Rank
#35 of 51

State Overview

New Hampshire's economy in 2025-2026 is navigating a period of slower, yet steady, population growth largely fueled by domestic migration from Massachusetts. This influx, particularly into southern counties near Boston, continues to exert pressure on the state's housing market, where prices remain elevated despite a deceleration in growth. State policy changes enacted in 2025 aim to address housing supply challenges by easing restrictions on residential construction, including accessory dwelling units and multi-family developments in commercial zones.

Job growth in New Hampshire has stalled in 2025, with a decline in overall employment by November 2025, a shift from stronger growth in late 2024. While the labor market has eased from the tight conditions of previous years, wage growth has not kept pace with inflation, impacting household purchasing power. Infrastructure projects, such as the I-93 Exit 4A expansion and improvements to Ocean Boulevard in Hampton Beach, are underway and are expected to influence regional development and connectivity in the coming years.

Median Household Income
$83,212
State median across 8 counties
Median Home Value
$300,200
Income-to-home ratio: 0.28
Building Permits
4,750
Total residential permits
Natural Amenity
6.3 / 10
#22 of 49 · USDA scale

New Hampshire Counties

8 counties
Rank County BTI Score Safety Proj. Growth GDP Pop Growth Income Ratio Home Price Climate P/R
01 Belknap County 64 C+ +1.9% +4.5% +0.8% +7.6% 5.7x +3.0% 0.8 14x
02 Carroll County 56 C+ +1.4% +1.9% +1.4% +8.7% 6.1x +0.0% 0.9 23x
03 Cheshire County 53 B+ +2.5% +1.7% +0.2% +10.4% 4.5x +3.9% 0.3 10x
04 Hillsborough County 42 A +1.1% +0.5% +0.5% +9.4% 4.9x +2.6% 0.1 14x
05 Merrimack County 36 B+ +0.8% +3.1% +0.6% +7.7% 4.3x +3.4% 0.0 12x
06 Grafton County 36 C+ +1.4% +1.1% -0.2% +8.4% 3.1x +3.1% 0.3 10x
07 Strafford County 19 A +1.3% -2.2% +0.3% +8.7% 6.1x +3.2% -0.1 12x
08 Rockingham County 15 A +1.3% +2.3% +0.8% +8.4% 5.1x +2.8% 0.3 14x

Capital Investment in New Hampshire

Tracked Projects · Public Records
$1.1B
Total tracked investment
655
Jobs announced
11
Projects across 4 counties

Where the money is going

Data Centers $500M 46%
Energy $270M 25%
Commercial/Residential $150M 14%
Industrial/Logistics $77M 7%
Infrastructure $50M 5%
Military/Government $50M 5%

Top counties by investment

  1. 01 Rockingham County $677M
    4 projects · 650 jobs
  2. 02 Grafton County $220M
    3 projects · 5 jobs
  3. 03 Belknap County $100M
    2 projects
  4. 04 Strafford County $100M
    2 projects

Largest projects in New Hampshire

Project County Amount Status
AI Data Center (Former Unifi Building)
White Fiber · Data Centers
Rockingham County $500M Under Construction
Groton Wind Farm
Avangrid (formerly Iberdrola Renovables) · Energy · 5 jobs
Grafton County $120M Operating
Rockingham 100 MW Solar Project
Undisclosed · Energy
Rockingham County $100M Planned
Rockingham County Municipal Building & Solar Array
Rockingham County · Industrial/Logistics
Rockingham County $77M Under Construction
Grafton County Middle Mile Project
Grafton County · Infrastructure
Grafton County $50M Under Construction
Grafton County Proposed Courthouse Project
Grafton County · Military/Government
Grafton County $50M Proposed
Colonial Theater Redevelopment
Belknap Economic Development Council (and partners) · Commercial/Residential
Belknap County $50M Under Construction
Residential New Construction Portfolio
Multiple Developers · Commercial/Residential
Belknap County $50M Under Construction
New Hampshire shaded relief terrain map
SRTM 30m shaded relief
State Spotlight · 2026-04-29

New Hampshire housing market cools as policy targets supply

Driving economic shifts

New Hampshire's economy is influenced by a consistent inflow of residents from Massachusetts, particularly in southern counties. This migration pattern contributes to sustained demand for housing, even as job growth has shown signs of slowing across the state in 2025.

Housing market right now

The median sale price for a single-family home in New Hampshire increased by approximately 3.9% in 2025, a slower pace compared to previous years. Inventory has shown slight improvement, but supply remains below levels considered balanced for the market.

Migration patterns

New Hampshire continues to experience net in-migration, primarily from Massachusetts, which has historically driven population growth. This trend, however, has seen slower overall growth since the early 2020s, with an estimated 6,800 people added to the population between July 2024 and July 2025.

Headwinds

Job growth in New Hampshire stalled in 2025, with a decline in overall employment by November. Wage growth has not kept pace with inflation, and the state faces an aging population, with more than one in three residents over 55.

Key facts

  • The median sale price of a single-family house in New Hampshire increased by about 4% from 2024 to 2025, the lowest annual increase since 2016.
  • New Hampshire's population increased by an estimated 6,800 people between July 1, 2024, and July 1, 2025.
  • In July 2025, New Hampshire enacted new laws to ease restrictions on residential construction, including expanding Accessory Dwelling Units and permitting multi-family development in commercial zones.
  • Job growth in New Hampshire stalled in 2025, with approximately 706,100 jobs reported in the state by November 2025, down from a peak of 711,600 in December 2024.
  • The I-93 Exit 4A interchange was completed in July 2025, with phases two and three of road construction connecting Londonderry to Derry continuing through 2028.