When it comes to the economy, many have long believed that “a rising tide lifts all boats,” that economic growth benefits all of the workers and investors who contribute to it.  In recent decades, that belief has not held true, as low- and moderate-income families and individuals have not fully shared in the affluence they helped to create.  As a result, they have found it harder not only to make ends meet on a daily basis, but to save for their children’s futures or to prepare for their own retirement.

NHFPI endeavors to shed light on trends in wages, poverty, and other economic measures, on their implications for working New Hampshirites, and on public policies designed to foster economic opportunity and prosperity here in the Granite State.

Latest State Economy Publications

• Proposed Database Purchase Costly, Duplicative and Potentially Less Effective than Existing Safeguards May 2, 2012 NHFPI looks at the eligibility determination system and verification protocols currently used to ensure funds for New Hampshire's Financial Assistance to Needy Families program, Medicaid and Food Stamps are used appropriately. Lawmakers are considering adding a new layer of enforcement. More specifically, HB 1658, presently before the Senate Finance Committee, would require the state to buy or build a new computerized income and identity verification system. A closer examination of the proposal reveals several potential concerns, including evidence that the proposed database searches are likely to lead to false positives because they flag information that is flawed or irrelevant to eligibility.
• Capping Assistance Would Affect Few but Add to Economic Hardship for Some Children February 6, 2012 In any given month in 2010, some 11,000 people looked to New Hampshire’s Financial Assistance for Needy Families (FANF) program for help in meeting everyday needs. Of that number, nearly three in four were children, many of whom are being cared for by relatives in the absence of a parent. The cash benefits available under FANF are temporary in nature, generally contingent upon meeting some form of work or education requirement, and fall well short of securing even the most basic of essentials. In fact, the average monthly FANF payment of $507 amounts to less than half the poverty level for a parent and child.
• Statement of Executive Director Jeff McLynch on Legislative Briefings on New Hampshire Economy December 13, 2011 As state lawmakers meet this week to examine the condition of the New Hampshire’s economy and its ramifications for state revenue, they should remain mindful of the consequences that the current state budget has had for individuals and families across the state, according to NHFPI Executive Director Jeff McLynch. “Should revenue collections for the fiscal year 2012-2013 biennium fall short of expectations, policymakers should not rely on further spending cuts. Rather, they should take a more balanced approach that seeks to generate additional revenue and forestall further cuts to critical services,” he said.
• Poverty Continues to Climb in the United States, Remains Above Pre-Recession Levels in New Hampshire September 13, 2011 While New Hampshire's poverty rate is markedly lower than that of the nation, it is still substantially higher than it was several years ago, reflecting the state's ongoing difficulties in bouncing back from the recession. According to preliminary Census Bureau figures, approximately 94,000 Granite Staters - or 7.2 percent of the state's population - lived in poverty during the two-year period from 2009 to 2010. For the nation as a whole, 46.2 million people had incomes below the poverty line in 2010, resulting in a poverty rate of 15.1 percent.
• Poverty on the Rise Across the US and in New Hampshire September 16, 2010 The US Census Bureau’s annual report on income, poverty, and health insurance coverage reveals a sizable increase in the national poverty rate in 2009 with a similarly sharp upturn in poverty in New Hampshire. A poverty rate of 7.4 percent suggests that roughly 97,000 people in New Hampshire had incomes below the official poverty line during the 2008-2009 period.