First published in New Hampshire Bulletin, June 12, 2026.

Where will our next generation of bright minds and young talent end up?

The good news: about half of the 2,046 new tax filers the Granite State gained between 2022 and 2023 were younger working age adults. This population, age 26 to 44, adds to the state’s labor force and contributes to our local communities and economy.

What’s concerning, however, is the number of the Granite State’s youngest residents that are moving away. Nearly 1,000 tax filers under age 26 left New Hampshire in 2024. For this younger generation of Granite Staters, New Hampshire’s steep affordability challenges can make it difficult to gain a foothold here, start a family, and build a future.

At the New Hampshire Fiscal Policy Institute, we’ve highlighted the top three financial challenges for young workers and families in the Granite State, as well as the public policy decisions and investments that may help them stay.

1) High housing costs put home ownership out of reach for many

Homeownership has long been a pathway to financial stability and opportunity, but rising housing costs are putting that goal out of reach for many New Hampshire families. In 2025, a family purchasing a median sale price single-family house in New Hampshire would have needed to earn over $158,000 (approximately $76/hour for someone working 40 hours a week) to afford the monthly mortgage and property taxes, using the benchmark of spending no more than 30% of annual income on housing costs. From 2019 to 2025, the median price of a single-family house in New Hampshire increased by 78.3%, with wages falling far behind those cost increases. Consequently, many families are finding it harder to enter into the homeownership market.

Increasing housing construction, through both infrastructure investments and regulatory or zoning changes, may help increase the availability of homes on the market and in turn bring down costs. Increasing the availability and variety of housing available could also provide new homebuyers with options to meet their differing housing and financial needs. Additionally, support for current homeowners or renters, such as mortgage or rental assistance or property tax relief, could help families remain in their homes and better afford other essential costs.

2) Rising childcare expenses impact family planning and work decisions

Access to affordable and high-quality childcare can have direct impacts on workforce participation, household financial security, and healthy child development and growth. The price of childcare remains a key concern for young Granite Staters looking to start or grow a family and can impact their ability to remain in the state. During 2025, the average price for an infant and a 4-year-old in center-based care was nearly $30,000 per year, or 24% of the median household income for a married couple with at least two children under five. Since 2017, tuition costs have increased by about 30%.

Expanding support for childcare providers could help stabilize the workforce and increase the availability of care options across the state. Additional investment and support for financial assistance programs, such as the New Hampshire Child Care Scholarship Program, could help keep young parents in the workforce and reduce financial strain on household budgets.

3) Limited state investment in higher education may make out-of-state opportunities more appealing

Continued workforce development may also help retain more young workers in the Granite State. In 2020, approximately 56% of the state’s high schoolers left New Hampshire for a four-year college or university, with job and networking opportunities providing incentives for these young adults to stay out of the state after graduation.

Higher education affordability may affect the decisions of young Granite Staters to leave. New Hampshire provided the smallest amount of state and local funding for four-year public higher education per enrolled student of any state in the nation during fiscal year 2024, placing steep higher education costs on students who may choose more affordable options in other state. Increased support for higher education, such as expanded scholarships for in-state students and more investments in internship-to-career pathways, could help encourage more young adults to stay in New Hampshire.

Building a New Hampshire that can support the next generation

With more deaths than births in the state since 2017 and more New Hampshire residents choosing to move abroad in the most recent tax filing data, bringing and keeping young workers and families will be critical to the Granite State’s future. Improving affordability will be key to growing the workforce and larger economy. Because affordability challenges have developed over decades, solutions will require significant and long-term structural investments in things like housing, workforce development, and the childcare sector.

So, while it may be difficult to determine what exactly the future holds, we at least know how public policy investments in the Granite State can make it easier to stay.