How many jobs were lost in New Hampshire last month?
Refreshed monthly
New Hampshire lost 1,500 jobs in August 2026, ranking it 42nd among states in job growth. Those figures come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' state employment report, which tracks monthly job changes. Job numbers can swing month to month as local economies expand or contract, but over the past five years the state has averaged about 590 new jobs per month. These figures are often revised in later months as more complete data rolls in.
-1.5K
month to month change in number of jobs (August 2026)
42nd
rank among states in monthly job growth (August 2026)
August 2026's loss of 1,500 jobs was the second consecutive month of negative job growth in New Hampshire. Monthly job growth was down from the 700 lost jobs in July 2026.
During the latest five year period (September 2021 to August 2026), New Hampshire gained jobs in 33 out of 60 months. August 2026 had the sixth-lowest job growth during this period. The highest gains during this period occurred in October 2021 (+6,900) while job growth was weakest in June 2022 (-2,000).
There were 1,500 fewer jobs in August 2026 in New Hampshire than the previous month.
Monthly change in nonfarm employment, September 2021–August 2026, seasonally adjusted
Which New Hampshire sectors and industries had the best and worst job growth in August 2026?
The three supersectors with the highest job growth in August 2026 were health care and social assistance, durable goods, and state government. Health care and social assistance added 200 jobs, more than the entire economy. Durable goods gained 200 jobs, while state government added 100. The remaining supersectors either posted smaller gains or lost jobs during the month.
The three lowest-performing supersectors were accommodation and food services, wholesale trade, and administrative and support and waste management and remediation services. Accommodation and food services lost 600 jobs in August 2026, while wholesale trade lost 400 jobs and administrative and support and waste management and remediation services lost 300 jobs.
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The health care and social assistance sector gained 200 jobs during August 2026.
Change in jobs since previous month with circle size representing number of sector jobs in New Hampshire (August 2026)
How has New Hampshire's job growth changed over time?
In 2025, New Hampshire lost an average of 733 jobs every month. That's lower than the 2024 average monthly increase of 292, and the lowest since 2020. The 2025 average ranks as third-lowest in job growth since 2007.
When excluding the two pandemic-affected years of 2020 and 2021, job growth ranged from a loss of 1,500 on average every month in 2009 to a gain of 1,600 on average every month in 2022.
In 2025, New Hampshire lost an average of 733 jobs every month.
Average monthly change in the number of jobs, seasonally adjusted
Monthly job growth, by metro area
Metro areas where at least one of its primary counties are within New Hampshire
| Metro area | Change in jobs | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | -300 | |
| 2. | -12,800 |
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Methodology
USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.
Page sources
USAFacts endeavors to share the most up-to-date information available. We sourced the data on this page directly from government agencies; however, the intervals at which agencies publish updated data vary.
