Unemployment in Grafton County, New Hampshire, is lower than in 96% of U.S. counties

In Grafton County, 2.4% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is lower than in 96% of U.S. counties.

Photo of Ross Kilburn
Data from
County Distress Index Data through Sep 2026
9th
of 10 counties in New Hampshire
9score /100

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 8.7. About one in four people (27.3%, Q2 2026) has a subprime credit score, a lower share than in 93% of U.S. counties.

The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Grafton 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, 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).

A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.

  • Housing costs

    Biggest factor
    69.7 of 100

    Renters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027

    • Renters paying half their income or more in rent
      19.8% · 2020 to 2024
      60th percentile
    • Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income
      24.2% · fiscal year 2027
      79th percentile

  • Income and safety net

    19.4 of 100

    Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey

    • People below the poverty line
      9.6% · 2024
      19th percentile
    • Children below the poverty line
      8.8% · 2024
      8th percentile
    • People with a disability
      14.0% · 2020 to 2024
      30th percentile
    • People without health insurance
      5.4% · 2020 to 2024
      24th percentile
    • Median household income (lower income, longer bar)
      $85,260 · 2024
      13th percentile

  • Collections and bankruptcy

    11.6 of 100

    Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025

    • People with unpaid debt sent to a collector
      13.6% · August 2025
      13th percentile
    • Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people
      50.5 · 2025
      9th percentile

  • Jobs

    10.8 of 100

    Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey

    • Unemployment rate, average over the latest year
      2.4% · Oct 2025 to Sep 2026
      4th percentile
    • Adults 25 to 54 not working
      15.2% · 2020 to 2024
      16th percentile

  • Late payments

    8.7 of 100

    Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026

    • People with a credit card behind
      2.8% · August 2025
      8th percentile
    • People with a car or retail loan behind
      2.7% · August 2025
      10th percentile
    • People with a subprime credit score
      27.3% · second quarter of 2026
      6th percentile

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 Grafton 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 Grafton County, 23.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.

Cents of every dollar of income, 2024

Grafton County

58 26 17

New Hampshire

65 19 16

United States

61 21 18
  • Pay from work
  • Investments and rent
  • Benefit checks
Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4), shares of all personal income received by residents, 2024. Pay from work is total income minus the other two, so the three add to 100.

In Grafton County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 16.7% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than three times as much as benefit checks

In Grafton County, New Hampshire, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 16.7%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.

  • Benefit checks
  • Pay from work
0%40%80% 196919741979198419891994199920042009201420192024 0%40%80% 196919791989199920092024
Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4), shares of all personal income received by residents, Grafton County, New Hampshire American Default Research · americandefault.org/counties/new-hampshire/grafton-county-nh/
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The share of households in Grafton County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 5.4% in 2011 to 6.3% in 2012.

The share of households in Grafton County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2016 and has since fallen to 6.4%

Low on the chart: 4.1% 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, Grafton County, New Hampshire.

0%4%8% 4.1%6.4% 2009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024 0%4%8% 4.1%6.4% 20092011201320152017201920212024
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates American Default Research · americandefault.org/counties/new-hampshire/grafton-county-nh/
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How Grafton County has changed

Grafton County's population had its largest rise, from 67,957 in 1984 to 75,167 in 1989.

Grafton County's population nearly doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 93,045, with no dip in any year shown

Smallest rise: 2014 to 2019, reaching 90,790. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Grafton County, New Hampshire.

050,000100,000 54,15093,045 196919741979198419891994199920042009201420192024 050,000100,000 54,15093,045 196919791989199920092024
Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts American Default Research · americandefault.org/counties/new-hampshire/grafton-county-nh/
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The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.

The number of jobs located in Grafton County rose by about a third to 54,628, the highest on the chart

Biggest rise: 1995 to 2000, reaching 49,155. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Grafton County, New Hampshire.

030,00060,000 40,25054,628 19901995200020052010201520202025 030,00060,000 40,25054,628 19901995200020052010201520202025
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages American Default Research · americandefault.org/counties/new-hampshire/grafton-county-nh/
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MeasureThenNowSource
Unemployment rateBLS LAUS 1990 5.0% 2025 2.7% BLS LAUS
People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE 1989 8.0% 2024 9.6% Census SAIPE
Median household incomeCensus SAIPE 1989 $30,507 2024 $85,260 Census SAIPE

The table uses 2.7% for 2025; the score uses 2.4% 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 Grafton County's history

  1. 1996

    A flash flood in July 1996 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database

  2. 1998

    A flash flood in June 1998 did $1.5 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database

  3. 2012

    A debris flow in October 2012 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database

  4. 2013

    A flash flood in July 2013 did $6.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database

  5. 2020

    The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 91,118, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau

  6. Since 1973

    40 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Grafton County, 22 of them for flooding. FEMA

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%.

CountyDistress scoreScoreRank in its state Poverty rateBenefit checks, share of incomeBenefit checks
Coos County, NH 47 1st of 10 13.8% 34.0%
Essex County, VT 36 1st of 14 13.8% 31.1%
Sullivan County, NH 24 2nd of 10 8.7% 21.0%
Belknap County, NH 20 4th of 10 8.5% 19.0%
Caledonia County, VT 20 7th of 14 11.0% 27.3%
Windsor County, VT 15 9th of 14 9.2% 21.4%
Carroll County, NH 13 7th of 10 7.9% 20.8%
Orange County, VT 12 10th of 14 9.8% 23.0%
Merrimack County, NH 11 8th of 10 7.5% 19.6%
Grafton County, NH 9 9th of 10 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 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.

If you're behind on your mortgage in Grafton 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.

New Hampshire foreclosure guide →

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)

Cite this Grafton County, New Hampshire, scores 9 on the County Distress Index (data through Sep 2026): less distressed than 90% of U.S. counties · American Default Research · americandefault.org/counties/new-hampshire/grafton-county-nh/

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 Grafton County comes from, 2024.
  • History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.