On the last Friday of each month, the New Hampshire Fiscal Policy Institute’s research team shares a curated list of books, research papers, podcasts, and more that are helping to shape our understanding of the economic wellbeing of the Granite State and beyond.

Here are our picks for September 2026:

 Housing is New Hampshire’s Future – New Hampshire Housing  

“…the statewide median effective rent reached $2,011 in 2026 year-to-date…To afford that rent without spending more than 30% of income on housing, a household would need to earn $80,440 annually, or $38.67 per hour, which is 48% above New Hampshire’s estimated median hourly wage of $26.10.”  

 2026 State Fact Sheet: Head Start in New Hampshire – First Five Years Fund  

Only 20% of New Hampshire children in households eligible for Head Start were enrolled during Federal Fiscal Year 2025.  

 The Teacher Pay Penalty Remained High in 2025 – Economic Policy Institute  

Based on aggregated Current Population Survey data from 2020-2025, New Hampshire teachers earned 33.8% less than comparable college graduates. This gap was larger than the national average of 25.2%, and the fifth highest teacher pay penalty across all fifty states and the District of Columbia.  

 Up to 2.3 Million Young Adults Ages 19 to 24 Could Lose Medicaid Under OBBBA’s Work Requirements and More-Frequent Redeterminations – Urban Institute  

An estimated 2,000 to 6,000 New Hampshire young adults ages 19-24 could lose Medicaid coverage by 2028 under federal work requirements and more frequent coverage redeterminations.  

 Thirty Years of Evidence Show TANF Policies Reduced Access to Cash Assistance, Deepened Poverty, and Did Not Promote Stable Employment – Center on Budget and Policy Priorities  

“Using longitudinal Census data from the Survey of Income and Program Participation over the 1996 to 2007 period, the early period of TANF implementation, researchers find that TANF’s stringent time limits and rules that take away benefits for not meeting a work requirement failed to substantially improve recipients’ income and financial well-being, even when they find increases in employment.”   

 Have you read something that should be on our radar? Share it with us at info@nhfpi.org — we’d love to hear from you!