About one in 19 people in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, lives below the poverty line
In Rockingham County, 5.3% of people lived below the poverty line (Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024). That is lower than in 99% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 91% of U.S. counties.
What drives Rockingham County's score
In Rockingham County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 69.7. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 4.7. About one in 27 children (3.7%, 2024) lives below the poverty line, a lower share than in 99% 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.
Rockingham 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 Rockingham 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 income23.0% · fiscal year 202771st percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent21.2% · 2020 to 202468th percentile
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- 17.3 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working14.4% · 2020 to 202413th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average3.2% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202620th percentile
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- 13.8 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector12.5% · August 20259th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people66.7 · 202517th percentile
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- 9.7 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind2.4% · August 20257th percentile
- People with a credit card behind3.2% · August 202513th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score13.7% · Q4 20257th percentile
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- 4.7 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line3.7% · 20240th percentile
- People with a disability11.5% · 2020 to 202411th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$119,559 · 20241st percentile
- People below the poverty line5.3% · 20240th percentile
- People without health insurance4.1% · 2020 to 20249th 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 Rockingham 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
Rockingham County
New Hampshire
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Rockingham County in 2024, pay from work was 69 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 19 cents. Benefit checks were 12 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks have grown from 6 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In Rockingham County, benefit checks rose from 6 to 12 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Rockingham County, New Hampshire: 12.3% and 68.8% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 12.3% of all personal income in Rockingham 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 Rockingham County, 20.4% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Rockingham County has changed
The number of people living in Rockingham County more than doubled between 1969 and 2024, from 133,505 to 322,433. The number of jobs located there grew by about 67% from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 5.8% in 1990 to 3.4% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 133,505 | 2024 322,433 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 93,950 | 2024 157,028 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.8% | 2025 3.4% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 4.7% | 2024 5.3% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $40,455 | 2024 $119,559 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 6.1% | 2024 12.3% |
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 Rockingham County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 314,176, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
1638
Thomas Wilson. Wikipedia
1638
Grist mill. Wikipedia
1990
SIG Sauer. Wikipedia
1991
Thunderstorm wind: three deaths. NOAA Storm Events Database
1996
Flash flood: $4.8 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2000
Thunderstorm wind: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
Tornado: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1972
35 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Rockingham County, 13 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Rockingham County beside its neighbors
All five counties that border Rockingham County, in New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Maine, score higher than it does. Of the group, Rockingham County gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; Merrimack County gets the largest, at 19.6%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essex County, MA | 38 | 9.3% | 16.6% |
| Strafford County, NH | 24 | 8.6% | 17.3% |
| Hillsborough County, NH | 19 | 7.0% | 14.8% |
| York County, ME | 13 | 7.5% | 19.5% |
| Merrimack County, NH | 12 | 7.5% | 19.6% |
| 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 Rockingham County the poorest county in New Hampshire?
No, Rockingham County's poverty rate was 5.3% in 2024, the lowest 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, Rockingham County ranks 10th of 10 in the state.
Rockingham County in photographs
Places in Rockingham County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Rockingham County Courthouse, Brentwood New Hampshire.
Rockingham County, New Hampshire: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Rockingham County, New Hampshire?
5.3% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in 19 people. Among children it was 3.7%.
Is Rockingham County the poorest county in New Hampshire?
No, Rockingham County's poverty rate was 5.3% in 2024, the lowest 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, Rockingham County ranks 10th of 10 in the state.
What is the population of Rockingham County, New Hampshire?
About 322,433 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 314,176, 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 Rockingham 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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The Housing Partnership
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
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 Rockingham 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 Rockingham County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.