Unemployment in Coos County, New Hampshire, is lower than in 89% of U.S. counties
In Coos County, 2.9% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is lower than in 89% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 52% 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 33.4. People with a car or retail loan behind: 2.8%, August 2025, lower than in 88% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Coos County: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each part is scored from 0 to 100, and a higher score means worse off than other counties.
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).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 61.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line13.8% · 202455th percentile
- Children below the poverty line15.9% · 202443rd percentile
- People with a disability21.9% · 2020 to 202488th percentile
- People without health insurance7.7% · 2020 to 202448th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$59,499 · 202472nd percentile
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- 60.2 of 100
Housing costs
Renters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent16.7% · 2020 to 202441st percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income24.1% · fiscal year 202778th percentile
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- 44.7 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year2.9% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202613th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working25.4% · 2020 to 202475th percentile
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- 43.8 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector19.6% · August 202536th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people127.5 · 202550th percentile
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- 33.4 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.2% · August 202562nd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind2.8% · August 202511th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score34.1% · second quarter of 202626th percentile
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Sources: Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey; U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and Census income; 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 Sep 2026.
Where the money in Coos County comes from
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 that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Coos County
New Hampshire
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Coos County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 34.0% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about one and a half times as much as benefit checks
In Coos County, New Hampshire, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 34.0%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Coos County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 11.4% in 2011 to 12.7% in 2012.
The share of households in Coos County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen by about a fifth
Low on the chart: 9.9% in 2009. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Coos County, New Hampshire.
How Coos County has changed
Coos County's population had its largest drop, from 32,794 in 2014 to 31,436 in 2019.
Coos County's population fell 10% from 1969 to 2024, reaching its lowest on the chart
High on the chart: 35,024 in 1979. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Coos County, New Hampshire.
The number of jobs located in Coos County had its largest drop, from 14,020 in 2005 to 12,815 in 2010.
The number of jobs located in Coos County fell by about a fifth from 1990 to 2020, reaching 10,859, then turned up in 2025
High on the chart: 14,073 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Coos County, New Hampshire.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.1% | 2025 3.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 10.1% | 2024 13.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $25,473 | 2024 $59,499 |
The table uses 3.2% for 2025; the score uses 2.9% for the latest year (Oct 2025 to Sep 2026), both from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Coos County's history
1940
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
A flash flood in August 2011 did $6.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2014
A flood in April 2014 did $1.9 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2015
A thunderstorm in August 2015 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1973
28 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Coos County, 13 of them for flooding. FEMA
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 | 47 | 13.8% | 34.0% |
| Oxford County, ME | 45 | 11.3% | 32.5% |
| Essex County, VT | 36 | 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 Sep 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.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Coos County
Housing counselors approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development work at nonprofit agencies. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau describes free foreclosure-avoidance counseling, including help with mortgage-company conversations and available options Source CFPB.
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New Hampshire Legal Assistance
Legal aid
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603 Legal Aid
Legal aid
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HUD-approved housing counselors
Our help directory lists 1,010 agencies approved for foreclosure counseling, 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 Sep 2026, built from Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. The County Distress Index is American Default Research's own calculation; the Urban Institute does not produce or endorse it. Our methodology
- Urban Institute · Debt in America Breno Braga, Signe-Mary McKernan, Samantha Atherton, and Kassandra Martinchek, "Debt in America," last updated November 20, 2025, https://datacatalog.urban.org/dataset/debt-america-2025. Licensed under ODC-By 1.0.
- Rent on a two-bedroom and household income The rent share compares HUD fair market rent for fiscal year 2027 with Census Bureau median household income for 2024. The page calls this the typical household's income.
- 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.