Unemployment in Strafford County, New Hampshire, is lower than in 95% of U.S. counties
In Strafford 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 77% of U.S. counties.
What drives Strafford County's score
In Strafford County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 91.6. Jobs are the lowest part, at 10.8.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Strafford 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, Strafford County is worse off than most counties on rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (30.3%, fiscal year 2027) and renters paying half their income or more in rent (24.8%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 91.6 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 rent24.8% · 2020 to 202486th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income30.3% · fiscal year 202797th percentile
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- 26.5 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.6% · August 202534th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.9% · August 202531st percentile
- People with a subprime credit score30.1% · second quarter of 202613th percentile
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- 24.3 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector19.2% · August 202535th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people57 · 202513th percentile
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- 17.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line8.6% · 202412th percentile
- Children below the poverty line8.1% · 20246th percentile
- People with a disability13.7% · 2020 to 202428th percentile
- People without health insurance5.2% · 2020 to 202421st percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$82,816 · 202416th percentile
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- 10.8 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 working14.9% · 2020 to 202415th 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 Strafford 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 Strafford County, 17.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Strafford County
New Hampshire
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Strafford County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 17.3% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about four times as much as benefit checks
In Strafford County, New Hampshire, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 17.3%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Strafford County getting SNAP food aid moved most in two steps: 6.4% in 2009 to 7.8% in 2010; 10.6% in 2015 to 9.2% in 2016.
The share of households in Strafford County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen by about a third
Low on the chart: 6.4% 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, Strafford County, New Hampshire.
How Strafford County has changed
Strafford County's population had its largest rise, from 92,485 in 1984 to 103,898 in 1989.
Strafford County's population doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 134,202, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1989 to 1994, reaching 105,574. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Strafford County, New Hampshire.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Strafford County rose by about a quarter from 1990 to 2025, reaching 46,615, with most of the change between 1990 and 1995
High on the chart: 46,826 in 2015. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Strafford County, New Hampshire.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.5% | 2025 2.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 7.7% | 2024 8.6% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $32,299 | 2024 $82,816 |
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 Strafford County's history
1981
A tornado in June 1981 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1993
A thunderstorm in August 1993 did $5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1996
A flash flood in October 1996 did $1.8 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2006
A thunderstorm in September 2006 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 130,889, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1973
25 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Strafford County, 6 of them for flooding. FEMA
Strafford County beside its neighbors
Strafford County scores higher than all five counties that border it, in New Hampshire and Maine. For the share of income from benefit checks, Strafford County ranks 5th of the six; Carroll County is highest, at 20.8%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Strafford County, NH | 22 | 8.6% | 17.3% |
| Belknap County, NH | 20 | 8.5% | 19.0% |
| Carroll County, NH | 13 | 7.9% | 20.8% |
| York County, ME | 12 | 7.5% | 19.5% |
| 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 Strafford County the poorest county in New Hampshire?
No, Strafford County's poverty rate was 8.6% in 2024, 4th 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, Strafford County ranks 3rd of 10 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Strafford 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 Strafford 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 Strafford County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.