Unemployment in Coos County, New Hampshire, is lower than in 86% of U.S. counties
In Coos County, 3.0% of the labor force was out of work, on average (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Sep 2025 to Aug 2026). That is lower than in 86% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 51% of U.S. counties.
What drives Coos County's score
In Coos County, income and the safety net is the highest-scoring part, at 61.6. Late payments on loans are the lowest part, at 35.8. People with a car or retail loan behind: 2.8%, August 2025, lower than in 88% 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.
Even so, Coos County is worse off than most counties on people with a disability (21.9%, 2020 to 2024) and rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (24.1%, fiscal year 2027).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Coos 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.
- 61.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line15.9% · 202443rd percentile
- People with a disability21.9% · 2020 to 202488th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$59,499 · 202472nd percentile
- People below the poverty line13.8% · 202455th percentile
- People without health insurance7.7% · 2020 to 202448th percentile
-
- 60.2 of 100
Housing costs
HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027; renters, 2020–24 Census survey
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income24.1% · fiscal year 202778th percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent16.7% · 2020 to 202441st percentile
-
- 44.7 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working25.4% · 2020 to 202475th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average3.0% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202613th percentile
-
- 43.9 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector19.6% · August 202537th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people127.5 · 202550th percentile
-
- 35.8 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind2.8% · August 202511th percentile
- People with a credit card behind6.2% · August 202562nd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score19.8% · Q4 202533rd 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 Coos 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
Coos County
New Hampshire
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Coos County in 2024, pay from work was 49 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 17 cents. Benefit checks were 34 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks have grown from 11 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In Coos County, benefit checks rose from 11 to 34 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Coos County, New Hampshire: 34.0% and 48.7% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 34.0% of all personal income in Coos 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 Coos County, 26.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Coos County has changed
The number of people living in Coos County stayed about the same between 1969 and 2024, from 34,371 to 31,094. The number of jobs located there fell by about one in 10 from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 6.1% in 1990 to 3.2% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 34,371 | 2024 31,094 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 13,885 | 2024 11,886 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.1% | 2025 3.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 10.1% | 2024 13.8% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $25,473 | 2024 $59,499 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 11.3% | 2024 34.0% |
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 Coos County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 1940 Census count of 39,274. The 2020 Census counted 31,268, 80% of the peak. Census Bureau
2011
Flash flood: $6.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2014
Flood: $1.9 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2015
Thunderstorm wind: two deaths. NOAA Storm Events Database
-
Since 1973
28 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Coos County, 13 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Coos County beside its neighbors
Coos County scores higher than all four counties that border it, in New Hampshire, Maine and Vermont. Of the group, Coos County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (34.0%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coos County, NH | 48 | 13.8% | 34.0% |
| Oxford County, ME | 44 | 11.3% | 32.5% |
| Essex County, VT | 37 | 13.8% | 31.1% |
| Carroll County, NH | 13 | 7.9% | 20.8% |
| 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 Coos County the poorest county in New Hampshire?
Yes, Coos County's poverty rate was 13.8% in 2024, the highest of 10 counties in New Hampshire (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Coos County ranks 1st of 10 in the state.
Coos County in photographs
Places in Coos County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Weeks Memorial Library, Lancaster, New Hampshire.
Photo: Unknown photographer via Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
Coös County Courthouse in Lancaster, New Hampshire, USA.
Coos County, New Hampshire: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Coos County, New Hampshire?
13.8% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in seven people. Among children it was 15.9%.
Is Coos County the poorest county in New Hampshire?
Yes, Coos County's poverty rate was 13.8% in 2024, the highest of 10 counties in New Hampshire (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Coos County ranks 1st of 10 in the state.
What is the population of Coos County, New Hampshire?
About 31,094 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 31,268, 80% of the county's peak of 39,274 in 1940.
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 Coos 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.
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 Coos County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.