Unemployment in Grafton County, New Hampshire, is lower than in 95% of U.S. counties
In Grafton County, 2.5% of the labor force was out of work, on average (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Sep 2025 to Aug 2026). That is lower than in 95% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 90% of U.S. counties.
What drives Grafton County's score
In Grafton County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 69.7. Late payments on loans are the lowest part, at 9.4. People with a credit card behind: 2.8%, August 2025, lower than in 91% 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, Grafton County is worse off than most counties on rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (24.2%, fiscal year 2027).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Grafton 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.
- 69.7 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 income24.2% · fiscal year 202779th percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent19.8% · 2020 to 202460th percentile
-
- 19.4 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line8.8% · 20248th percentile
- People with a disability14.0% · 2020 to 202430th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$85,260 · 202413th percentile
- People below the poverty line9.6% · 202419th percentile
- People without health insurance5.4% · 2020 to 202424th percentile
-
- 11.6 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector13.6% · August 202513th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people50.5 · 20259th percentile
-
- 10.8 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working15.2% · 2020 to 202416th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average2.5% · Sep 2025 to Aug 20264th percentile
-
- 9.4 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind2.7% · August 202510th percentile
- People with a credit card behind2.8% · August 20258th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score14.1% · Q4 20259th 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 Grafton 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
Grafton County
New Hampshire
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Grafton County in 2024, pay from work was 58 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 26 cents. Benefit checks were 17 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 Grafton County, benefit checks rose from 9 to 17 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Grafton County, New Hampshire: 16.7% and 57.8% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 16.7% of all personal income in Grafton 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 Grafton County, 23.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Grafton County has changed
The number of people living in Grafton County grew by about 72% between 1969 and 2024, from 54,150 to 93,045. The number of jobs located there grew by about 35% from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 5.0% in 1990 to 2.7% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 54,150 | 2024 93,045 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 40,250 | 2024 54,323 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.0% | 2025 2.7% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 8.0% | 2024 9.6% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $30,507 | 2024 $85,260 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 8.5% | 2024 16.7% |
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 Grafton County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 91,118, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
1996
Flash flood: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
1998
Flash flood: $1.5 million in property damage, one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
2012
Debris flow: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
2013
Flash flood: $6.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
-
Since 1973
40 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Grafton County, 22 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Grafton County beside its neighbors
All nine counties that border Grafton County, in New Hampshire and Vermont, score higher than it does. Of the group, Grafton County gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; Coos County gets the largest, at 34.0%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coos County, NH | 48 | 13.8% | 34.0% |
| Essex County, VT | 37 | 13.8% | 31.1% |
| Sullivan County, NH | 25 | 8.7% | 21.0% |
| Belknap County, NH | 21 | 8.5% | 19.0% |
| Caledonia County, VT | 21 | 11.0% | 27.3% |
| Windsor County, VT | 15 | 9.2% | 21.4% |
| Carroll County, NH | 13 | 7.9% | 20.8% |
| Orange County, VT | 13 | 9.8% | 23.0% |
| 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 Grafton County the poorest county in New Hampshire?
No, Grafton County's poverty rate was 9.6% in 2024, 2nd 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, Grafton County ranks 9th of 10 in the state.
Grafton County in photographs
Places in Grafton County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Grafton County Courthouse in Haverhill, New Hampshire, USA.
Autumn in Grafton County, New Hampshire.
Grafton County, New Hampshire: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Grafton County, New Hampshire?
9.6% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in 10 people. Among children it was 8.8%.
Is Grafton County the poorest county in New Hampshire?
No, Grafton County's poverty rate was 9.6% in 2024, 2nd 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, Grafton County ranks 9th of 10 in the state.
What is the population of Grafton County, New Hampshire?
About 93,045 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 91,118, 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 Grafton 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.
-
Affordable Housing, Education and Development, Inc. (AHEAD)
HUD-approved housing counselor
-
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 Grafton 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 Grafton County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.