The county economy from official statistics, with source and year on every table.
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By AtiveSite · Published 07/11/2026 · Updated 07/11/2026 · Every figure is linked to its source below.
Merrimack County is a county of New Hampshire with 155,967 residents. Its economy produced $13,792 million in 2024 (ranked #3 of 10 counties) and had 77,147 jobs with an average annual pay of $68,857 (#4 for pay). The unemployment rate was 1.7% in 2026M09. It is part of the Concord, NH micropolitan area (central county).
Merrimack County produced about $13,792 million of goods and services in 2024, which is 11.6% of the combined output of the 10 counties of New Hampshire that BEA reports (about 11.2% of the state's population lives here), and ranks it 3rd of 10 on that measure. Per resident that is $88,431, 3% above the state average; the average for all counties of the state taken together is $85,554. In current dollars output grew 6.5% from 2023 to 2024, before adjusting for inflation.
BLS counts 77,147 jobs located in Merrimack County on average in 2024, spread over 5,546 employer sites (about 14 jobs per site). That is 0.49 jobs for every resident, above the 0.40 of the typical county in New Hampshire, which tells you whether the county is a place people mostly commute to for work or a place they commute from. The average annual pay per job was $68,857, 4% below the average of all counties in the state ($68,857 against $71,477). Average pay is total wages divided by jobs, so it is pulled up by high earners and counts part-time jobs as whole jobs; it is not the pay of a typical worker. The number of jobs rose 0.5% from 2023 to 2024.
The three largest private industries are health care and social assistance (19.3% of private jobs, $71,553 a year on average), retail trade (14.6% of private jobs, $44,080 a year on average), manufacturing (9.1% of private jobs, $77,753 a year on average). Together they hold 43.1% of private-sector jobs. Among industries with at least 3% of jobs, the best paying is finance and insurance at $116,891 a year, followed by professional and technical services ($107,402). The county is specialised in an industry: other services (except public administration) (1.4 times the US share, 3,261 jobs). A location quotient above 1 means an industry employs a larger share of workers here than in the whole country, so these are the industries where local employers compete hardest for skills. Several of the biggest employers pay well below the county average: retail trade ($44,080), accommodation and food services ($29,221). Jobs there are plentiful but the pay is lower than the headline average suggests.
In 2026M09 the unemployment rate in Merrimack County was 1.7%, 13% below the average of the state's counties (1.7% against 1.9%). The labour force (people working or looking for work) numbered 82,494. Over the last 12 months it ranged from 1.7% (2026M09) to 3.0% (2025M11); the latest month is preliminary and BLS revises it. These county rates are not seasonally adjusted, so compare the same month across years.
The median household income was $97,004 (ACS 2020–2024), about the same as the state median ($97,004 against $99,031). The guide covers 7 cities with this as the main county: Concord, Franklin, South Hooksett, Hooksett, Suncook, Tilton Northfield, Henniker. Open any of them for rent, home values, commuting and climate. Within the county, median rent runs from $998 in Tilton Northfield to $1,811 in Hooksett, so where you live matters as much as which county you pick.
Counties close to Merrimack County in output are Hillsborough County, Rockingham County, Grafton County, Strafford County. Compare their jobs, pay and unemployment on their own pages.
| Measure ⇅ | Value ⇅ | Rank among the 10 counties of New Hampshire ⇅ |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 155,967 | 3 of 10 |
| GDP 2024 | $13,792 million | 3 of 10 |
| GDP per resident | $88,431 | 4 of 10 |
| Jobs (QCEW 2024) | 77,147 | 3 of 10 |
| Average annual pay | $68,857 | 4 of 10 |
| Job change vs 2023 | +0.5% | 6 of 10 |
| Unemployment rate (lower is better) | 1.7% | 3 of 10 |
| Median household income | $97,004 | 3 of 10 |
Federal jobs in New Hampshire (127) →All cities of New HampshireState guide: New Hampshire
These links go to official sources and open in a new window. The first one is the government's or company's own site as listed in Wikidata (property "official website"); check it before relying on it.
Cities of this guide whose main county is Merrimack County.
| City ⇅ | Population ⇅ | Median household income ⇅ | Median rent ⇅ | Median home value ⇅ | Bachelor's+ ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Concord | 44,375 | $84,902 | $1,441 | $350,900 | 42.3% |
| Franklin | 8,799 | $71,648 | $1,110 | $262,200 | 19.1% |
| South Hooksett | 5,902 | $130,000 | $1,471 | $433,200 | 37.9% |
| Hooksett | 5,876 | $101,053 | $1,811 | $348,100 | 41.4% |
| Suncook | 5,432 | $79,836 | $1,091 | $361,100 | 31.4% |
| Tilton Northfield | 3,101 | $66,705 | $998 | $250,000 | 28.4% |
| Henniker | 2,993 | $76,326 | $1,056 | $296,400 | 24.4% |
| Industry ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Share of private jobs ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Concentration vs US (location quotient) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health care and social assistance | 11,818 | 19.3% | $71,553 | 1.07 |
| Retail trade | 8,949 | 14.6% | $44,080 | 1.16 |
| Manufacturing | 5,577 | 9.1% | $77,753 | 0.88 |
| Accommodation and food services | 5,422 | 8.9% | $29,221 | 0.77 |
| Construction | 3,927 | 6.4% | $82,830 | 0.97 |
| Wholesale trade | 3,912 | 6.4% | $94,952 | 1.29 |
| Professional and technical services | 3,522 | 5.8% | $107,402 | 0.66 |
| Administrative and waste services | 3,515 | 5.7% | $65,784 | 0.77 |
| Other services (except public administration) | 3,261 | 5.3% | $58,546 | 1.40 |
| Finance and insurance | 2,376 | 3.9% | $116,891 | 0.76 |
| Educational services | 1,925 | 3.1% | $54,103 | 1.21 |
| Arts, entertainment, recreation | 1,776 | 2.9% | $27,923 | 1.37 |
| Transportation and warehousing | 1,717 | 2.8% | $63,480 | 0.53 |
| Real estate and rental | 1,135 | 1.9% | $75,985 | 0.95 |
| Management of companies | 746 | 1.2% | $129,508 | 0.57 |
| Information | 545 | 0.9% | $93,271 | 0.38 |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing | 492 | 0.8% | $55,891 | 0.79 |
| Utilities | 316 | 0.5% | $146,219 | 1.08 |
| Mining, oil and gas | 216 | 0.4% | $97,708 | 0.74 |
A location quotient above 1 means the industry is more concentrated here than in the US. BLS withholds sectors with too few employers.
| Measure ⇅ | Value ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Labour force | 82,494 |
| Employed residents | 81,103 |
| Unemployed residents | 1,391 |
| Unemployment rate | 1.7% |
| Jobs located in the county (QCEW) | 77,147 |
| Employer sites | 5,546 |
Residents employed and jobs located here differ: many residents commute to other counties.
| County ⇅ | Population ⇅ | GDP 2024 ⇅ | GDP per resident ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Unemployment ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hillsborough County | 426,378 | $38,133 million | $89,434 | 201,342 | $79,660 | 2.2% |
| Rockingham County | 319,082 | $32,666 million | $102,374 | 157,028 | $73,537 | 2.1% |
| Merrimack County | 155,967 | $13,792 million | $88,431 | 77,147 | $68,857 | 1.7% |
| Strafford County | 132,575 | $7,984 million | $60,225 | 46,517 | $64,687 | 1.7% |
| Grafton County | 92,120 | $9,869 million | $107,135 | 54,323 | $73,105 | 1.6% |
| Cheshire County | 77,297 | $5,175 million | $66,952 | 31,134 | $59,392 | 1.9% |
| Belknap County | 64,659 | $4,296 million | $66,437 | 25,854 | $56,999 | 1.7% |
| Carroll County | 51,804 | $3,405 million | $65,734 | 19,693 | $51,660 | 1.7% |
| Sullivan County | 43,715 | $2,200 million | $50,332 | 13,867 | $58,062 | 1.5% |
| Coos County | 31,271 | $1,816 million | $58,074 | 11,886 | $53,380 | 1.7% |
155,967 (Census Bureau ACS 2020–2024).
$13,792 million in 2024 (BEA, current dollars).
1.7% in 2026M09 (BLS, not seasonally adjusted; the latest month may be revised).
77,147 jobs on average in 2024 with an average annual pay of $68,857 (BLS QCEW).