Unemployment in Belknap County, New Hampshire, is lower than in 90% of U.S. counties
In Belknap County, 2.8% of the labor force was out of work, on average (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Sep 2025 to Aug 2026). That is lower than in 90% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 78% of U.S. counties.
What drives Belknap County's score
In Belknap County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 66.6. Jobs are the lowest part, at 14.9. Unemployment averaged 2.8%, Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, lower than in 90% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index combines five things we measure for every county: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each gets a score from 0 to 100; the higher the score, the worse off the county is compared with others.
Belknap County isn't among the worst-off quarter of U.S. counties on any measure.
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Belknap County ranks among all 3,144 U.S. counties on that measure, as a percentile: the share of counties it is higher than. A longer bar means more trouble.
- 66.6 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorHUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027; renters, 2020–24 Census survey
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income21.9% · fiscal year 202761st percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent21.8% · 2020 to 202471st percentile
-
- 33.9 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.9% · August 202531st percentile
- People with a credit card behind5.2% · August 202546th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score17.8% · Q4 202524th percentile
-
- 28.9 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector17.1% · August 202526th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people89.2 · 202530th percentile
-
- 21.2 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line9.7% · 202411th percentile
- People with a disability15.0% · 2020 to 202440th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$88,870 · 202411th percentile
- People below the poverty line8.5% · 202411th percentile
- People without health insurance5.9% · 2020 to 202430th percentile
-
- 14.9 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working15.8% · 2020 to 202420th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average2.8% · Sep 2025 to Aug 20269th percentile
-
Sources: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and U.S. Census Bureau income; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; Urban Institute, Debt in America; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. County Distress Index by American Default Research, from data through Aug 2026.
Where the money in Belknap County comes from
The Bureau of Economic Analysis adds up all the income that reaches the people of a county and splits it three ways: pay from work, income from investments and rent, and benefit checks.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Belknap County
New Hampshire
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Belknap County in 2024, pay from work was 59 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 22 cents. Benefit checks were 19 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks have grown from 9 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In Belknap County, benefit checks rose from 9 to 19 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Belknap County, New Hampshire: 19.0% and 58.6% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 19.0% of all personal income in Belknap County, New Hampshire (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAINC4).
Benefit checks are Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid paid on people's behalf, veterans' benefits, and food and income support, so a high share usually means an older population, low pay, or both. In Belknap County, 24.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Belknap County has changed
The number of people living in Belknap County more than doubled between 1969 and 2024, from 31,636 to 65,257. The number of jobs located there grew by about 25% from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 5.7% in 1990 to 3.0% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 31,636 | 2024 65,257 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 20,658 | 2024 25,854 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.7% | 2025 3.0% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 6.8% | 2024 8.5% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $30,432 | 2024 $88,870 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 8.9% | 2024 19.0% |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices. We don't chart the distress score over time because it compares counties at one moment.
Dated events in Belknap County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 63,705, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
1999
Thunderstorm wind: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
Flash flood: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
Flash flood: $1.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
-
Since 1973
30 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Belknap County, 13 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Belknap County beside its neighbors
Of the four counties that border Belknap County, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Belknap County ranks 3rd of the five; Carroll County is highest, at 20.8%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Strafford County, NH | 24 | 8.6% | 17.3% |
| Belknap County, NH | 21 | 8.5% | 19.0% |
| Carroll County, NH | 13 | 7.9% | 20.8% |
| Merrimack County, NH | 12 | 7.5% | 19.6% |
| Grafton County, NH | 9 | 9.6% | 16.7% |
Distress score: American Default Research, County Distress Index, data through Aug 2026; each county scored against all 3,144. Poverty rate: Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024. Benefit checks: Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024. Neighbors share a border, from Census county maps.
Is Belknap County the poorest county in New Hampshire?
No, Belknap County's poverty rate was 8.5% in 2024, 5th highest of 10 in New Hampshire (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is Coos County, at 13.8%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Belknap County ranks 4th of 10 in the state.
Belknap County in photographs
Places in Belknap County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Laconia District Court — on Academy Square in Laconia, Belknap County, New Hampshire.
Photo: Ken Gallager at English Wikipedia via Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
Fire tower, Belknap Mountain, New Hampshire.
Belknap County, New Hampshire: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Belknap County, New Hampshire?
8.5% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in 12 people. Among children it was 9.7%.
Is Belknap County the poorest county in New Hampshire?
No, Belknap County's poverty rate was 8.5% in 2024, 5th highest of 10 in New Hampshire (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is Coos County, at 13.8%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Belknap County ranks 4th of 10 in the state.
What is the population of Belknap County, New Hampshire?
About 65,257 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 63,705, the most of any census.
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
We rank every U.S. county on 14 federal measures of money trouble, grouped into five equally weighted parts, and average them. The published score is the share of the other 3,143 counties with a lower average. The methodology lists every measure and its source.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Belknap County
A U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development-approved housing counselor works at a nonprofit agency approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The counseling to avoid foreclosure is free, and a counselor can help you talk to your mortgage company and understand what it offers, according to the Consumer Financial Protection BureauSourceCFPB.
-
New Hampshire Legal Assistance
Legal aid
-
603 Legal Aid
Legal aid
-
HUD-approved housing counselors
Counseling to avoid foreclosure is free. Our help directory lists 1,313 approved agencies by state.
The score, its 14 measures and their sources, in one file. Free to use with credit to American Default Research.
Download the CSV for Belknap County · Every U.S. county (CSV)
Sources and method
- American Default Research · County Distress Index Data through Aug 2026, built from HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; Urban Institute, Debt in America; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. Our methodology
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4) · income shares Where the money in Belknap County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.