About one in 13 people in Merrimack County, New Hampshire, lives below the poverty line
In Merrimack County, 7.5% of people lived below the poverty line (Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024). That is lower than in 94% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 87% 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. Unemployment averaged 2.7%, Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, lower than in 93% 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.
Merrimack County isn't among the worst-off quarter of U.S. counties on any measure.
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Merrimack 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.
- 61.2 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 income22.7% · fiscal year 202768th percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent18.8% · 2020 to 202453rd percentile
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- 22.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector15.3% · August 202520th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people77.7 · 202523rd percentile
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- 21.2 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.1% · August 202516th percentile
- People with a credit card behind4.1% · August 202526th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score16.6% · Q4 202519th percentile
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- 14.8 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line7.0% · 20243rd percentile
- People with a disability14.7% · 2020 to 202437th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$95,305 · 20247th percentile
- People below the poverty line7.5% · 20245th percentile
- People without health insurance5.1% · 2020 to 202420th percentile
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- 13.3 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working15.8% · 2020 to 202420th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average2.7% · Sep 2025 to Aug 20266th percentile
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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 Merrimack 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
Merrimack County
New Hampshire
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Merrimack County in 2024, pay from work was 63 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 17 cents. Benefit checks were 20 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks have grown from 8 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In Merrimack County, benefit checks rose from 8 to 20 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Merrimack County, New Hampshire: 19.6% and 63.1% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 19.6% of all personal income in Merrimack 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 Merrimack County, 19.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Merrimack County has changed
The number of people living in Merrimack County grew by about 98% between 1969 and 2024, from 79,699 to 157,869. The number of jobs located there grew by about 41% from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 4.8% in 1990 to 2.8% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 79,699 | 2024 157,869 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 54,522 | 2024 77,147 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.8% | 2025 2.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 6.2% | 2024 7.5% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $34,346 | 2024 $95,305 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 8.1% | 2024 19.6% |
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 Merrimack County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 153,808, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
1994
Thunderstorm wind: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
1996
Flash flood: $2.2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1997
Lightning: $3 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
Flood: $1.7 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1973
29 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Merrimack County, 12 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
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 | 25 | 8.7% | 21.0% |
| Strafford County, NH | 24 | 8.6% | 17.3% |
| Belknap County, NH | 21 | 8.5% | 19.0% |
| Hillsborough County, NH | 19 | 7.0% | 14.8% |
| Merrimack County, NH | 12 | 7.5% | 19.6% |
| Grafton County, NH | 9 | 9.6% | 16.7% |
| Rockingham County, NH | 8 | 5.3% | 12.3% |
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 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.
Merrimack County in photographs
Places in Merrimack County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Index to Aerial Photography of Merrimack County, New Hampshire 3 - DPLA - aa1bd2f797000a86f6210313c50bc37b.jpg.
Merrimack County, New Hampshire: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Merrimack County, New Hampshire?
7.5% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in 13 people. Among children it was 7.0%.
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.
What is the population of Merrimack County, New Hampshire?
About 157,869 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 153,808, 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 Merrimack 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.
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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
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 Merrimack 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 Merrimack County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.