Unemployment in Merrimack County, New Hampshire, is lower than in 95% of U.S. counties
In Merrimack County, 2.5% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is lower than in 95% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 88% of U.S. counties.
What drives Merrimack County's score
In Merrimack County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 61.2. Jobs are the lowest part, at 13.3.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Merrimack 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.
Merrimack County isn't among the worst-off quarter of U.S. counties on any measure.
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 61.2 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 rent18.8% · 2020 to 202453rd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income22.7% · fiscal year 202768th percentile
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- 21.9 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector15.3% · August 202519th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people77.7 · 202523rd percentile
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- 17.8 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.1% · August 202526th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.1% · August 202516th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score28.6% · second quarter of 20269th percentile
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- 14.8 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line7.5% · 20245th percentile
- Children below the poverty line7.0% · 20243rd percentile
- People with a disability14.7% · 2020 to 202437th percentile
- People without health insurance5.1% · 2020 to 202420th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$95,305 · 20247th percentile
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- 13.3 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year2.5% · Oct 2025 to Sep 20266th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working15.8% · 2020 to 202420th 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 Merrimack 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 Merrimack County, 19.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Merrimack County
New Hampshire
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Merrimack County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 19.6% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In Merrimack County, New Hampshire, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 19.6%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Merrimack County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 7.3% in 2011 to 8.6% in 2012.
The share of households in Merrimack County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen by about a quarter
Low on the chart: 5.4% 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, Merrimack County, New Hampshire.
How Merrimack County has changed
Merrimack County's population had its largest rise, from 102,483 in 1984 to 119,286 in 1989.
Merrimack County's population doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 157,869, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2009 to 2014, reaching 148,841. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Merrimack County, New Hampshire.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Merrimack County rose 40% from 1990 to 2025, reaching its highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1995 to 2000, reaching 70,421. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Merrimack County, New Hampshire.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.8% | 2025 2.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 6.2% | 2024 7.5% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $34,346 | 2024 $95,305 |
The table uses 2.8% for 2025; the score uses 2.5% 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 Merrimack County's history
1994
A thunderstorm in August 1994 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1996
A flash flood in October 1996 did $2.2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1997
Lightning in July 1997 did $3 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
A flood in February 2010 did $1.7 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 153,808, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1973
29 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Merrimack County, 12 of them for flooding. FEMA
Merrimack County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Merrimack County, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Merrimack County ranks 2nd of the seven; Sullivan County is highest, at 21.0%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sullivan County, NH | 24 | 8.7% | 21.0% |
| Strafford County, NH | 22 | 8.6% | 17.3% |
| Belknap County, NH | 20 | 8.5% | 19.0% |
| Hillsborough County, NH | 17 | 7.0% | 14.8% |
| Merrimack County, NH | 11 | 7.5% | 19.6% |
| Grafton County, NH | 9 | 9.6% | 16.7% |
| 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 Merrimack County the poorest county in New Hampshire?
No, Merrimack County's poverty rate was 7.5% in 2024, 8th 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, Merrimack County ranks 8th of 10 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Merrimack 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.
Download the CSV for Merrimack 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 Merrimack County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.