About one in 14 people in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, lives below the poverty line
In Hillsborough County, 7.0% of people lived below the poverty line. That is lower than in 95% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 82% of U.S. counties.
What drives Hillsborough County's score
In Hillsborough County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 75.2. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 10.1. About one in 15 children (6.8%, 2024) lives below the poverty line, a lower share than in 96% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Hillsborough 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, Hillsborough County is worse off than most counties on rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (24.9%, fiscal year 2027).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 75.2 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorRenters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent21.0% · 2020 to 202467th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income24.9% · fiscal year 202783rd percentile
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- 26.3 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.6% · August 202535th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.9% · August 202530th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score30.0% · second quarter of 202613th percentile
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- 23.1 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector17.2% · August 202527th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people69.5 · 202519th percentile
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- 18.4 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.2% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202623rd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working14.3% · 2020 to 202413th percentile
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- 10.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line7.0% · 20244th percentile
- Children below the poverty line6.8% · 20243rd percentile
- People with a disability11.8% · 2020 to 202413th percentile
- People without health insurance5.5% · 2020 to 202425th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$105,060 · 20244th 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 Hillsborough 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 Hillsborough County, 17.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Hillsborough County
New Hampshire
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Hillsborough County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 14.8% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about five times as much as benefit checks
In Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 14.8%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Hillsborough County getting SNAP food aid rose most sharply from its first year (5.5% in 2009) to 6.4% in 2010.
The share of households in Hillsborough County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen by about a fifth
Low on the chart: 5.5% 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, Hillsborough County, New Hampshire.
How Hillsborough County has changed
Hillsborough County's population had its largest rise, from 298,089 in 1984 to 335,057 in 1989.
Hillsborough County's population doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 430,462, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2004 to 2009, reaching 400,148. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Hillsborough County, New Hampshire.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Hillsborough County rose by about a quarter to 199,383, the highest on the chart, with most of the change between 1995 and 2000
Biggest rise: 1995 to 2000, reaching 193,265. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Hillsborough County, New Hampshire.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.0% | 2025 3.5% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 6.6% | 2024 7.0% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $39,572 | 2024 $105,060 |
The table uses 3.5% for 2025; the score uses 3.2% 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 Hillsborough County's history
1999
A thunderstorm in July 1999 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2006
A flood in May 2006 did $2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2007
A flood in April 2007 did $1.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 422,937, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2021
A flash flood in July 2021 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1973
31 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Hillsborough County, 11 of them for flooding. FEMA
Hillsborough County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Hillsborough County, in New Hampshire and Massachusetts, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Hillsborough County ranks 6th of the eight; Sullivan County is highest, at 21.0%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Worcester County, MA | 37 | 9.6% | 18.8% |
| Essex County, MA | 37 | 9.3% | 16.6% |
| Sullivan County, NH | 24 | 8.7% | 21.0% |
| Cheshire County, NH | 19 | 8.2% | 20.6% |
| Hillsborough County, NH | 17 | 7.0% | 14.8% |
| Middlesex County, MA | 13 | 7.8% | 9.9% |
| Merrimack County, NH | 11 | 7.5% | 19.6% |
| Rockingham County, NH | 7 | 5.3% | 12.3% |
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 Hillsborough County the poorest county in New Hampshire?
No, Hillsborough County's poverty rate was 7.0% in 2024, 9th 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, Hillsborough County ranks 6th of 10 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Hillsborough 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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Neighborworks of Southern New Hampshire
HUD-approved housing counselor
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New Hampshire Housing Finance Authority
HUD-approved housing counselor
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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.
Download the CSV for Hillsborough County · Every U.S. county (CSV)
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 Hillsborough County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.