In 2015, a typical family earning the state’s median household income could pay for a few essential costs — housing, child care, food, gasoline and health care — and still have money left over. Today, that same family has $17,349 less left at the end of the year after paying for those same few basic expenses.
A new analysis from the New Hampshire Fiscal Policy Institute found that the typical New Hampshire family has lost major ground over the past decade, as the cost of basic necessities has risen substantially faster than household incomes.
The typical New Hampshire family has lost major ground over the past decade, as the cost of basic necessities has risen far faster than household incomes. The median four-person family’s disposable income — what’s left after paying for just a few basic essentials like housing, food, child care, health care, and gasoline — has dropped by $17,349 since 2015.
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 August 2025.
New Hampshire’s child care system is in crisis. Families pay high tuition, early childhood educators earn low wages, and providers struggle to break even. Recent data show these problems are not improving and, in some areas, they’re getting worse.
A new analysis finds that New Hampshire continues to rank last in the nation for public higher education funding, raising concerns about rising tuition costs, cuts to education services, and the future of the state’s workforce.
