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How New Hampshire compares

New Hampshire is one of the country's higher-income states. Its median household income of $99,031 ranks 7th of 51 (the 50 states plus DC) and runs 23% above the national median of $80,734. These are nominal dollars; living costs differ between states and aren't adjusted for here.

New Hampshire's top-quarter threshold of about $163,352 compares with $141,925 across the country. 17% of households here earn $200,000+, against 13% in the US overall.

For a more recent snapshot, the 2024 one-year survey shows $99,782 (+1% against the 2020–2024 average). We use the five-year figure elsewhere because it's more reliable for smaller areas.

Income thresholds in New Hampshire

The share of New Hampshire households at $200,000 or more is about 17%. By household income, the top 25% start at about $163,352, and the top 10% sit above $200,000. The table marks lines that fall above $200,000 rather than guessing their value: the Census groups everyone above that amount together, so the exact top-5% and top-1% cutoffs can't be read from this data.

Another way to read it: a household earning exactly the national median, $80,734, would rank around the top 58% in New Hampshire — below the state's own midpoint.

A simple spread measure — top-25% line divided by the median — comes to 1.65 for New Hampshire against 1.77 for the country, narrower than the national pattern.

Earnings by age

Earnings per worker in New Hampshire peak at 45–54, with a median of $71,594, compared with $52,474 for workers aged 25–34. Compared age-for-age with the nation, the gap averages +12% and is largest at 55–64: $65,989 here, $55,860 nationwide. These figures are personal earnings (wages plus self-employment) from Census microdata, so they're lower than household income, which can combine several earners.

Married vs. single households

Household type matters as much as location. Married-couple households in New Hampshire have a median income of $137,469, 2.5 times the $55,852 for single-person and other non-family households — often two incomes against one.

Highest- and lowest-income counties in New Hampshire

County medians stretch from $57,677 in Coos County up to $118,331 in Rockingham County — a 2.1-fold range. The five highest-income counties are Rockingham County, Hillsborough County, Merrimack County, Belknap County, and Strafford County; the five lowest are Coos County, Sullivan County, Cheshire County, Carroll County, and Grafton County.

Counting counties: 9 of 10 (90%) are above the $80,734 national median, and the county in the middle of the ranking, Grafton County, reports $88,261.

About these numbers

Everything here comes from the Census's 2020–2024 American Community Survey: published tables for households across 10 counties, and 33,416 microdata records for personal earnings by age.