The poorest town in New Hampshire, as identified in recent reports, is Ashland. This designation comes from an analysis that considered median household income among towns in the state.
Ashland’s median household income is approximately $33,365, which is significantly lower than New Hampshire’s state median of around $83,449. This substantial income gap highlights the economic challenges facing the town.
Ashland also exhibits other indicators of economic difficulty, such as a relatively low percentage of adults holding a bachelor’s degree or higher (around 17.3%, compared to the state average of 38.2%) and a higher proportion of households receiving SNAP benefits at about 14.1%, more than double the state’s average of 6.1%.
The median home value in Ashland stands at about $160,600, which, while lower than the state median of $288,700, reflects the financial constraints on residents’ ability to afford housing.
With a population of roughly 1,778 people, Ashland’s economic profile exemplifies the struggles of smaller, less affluent communities within New Hampshire.
The town’s designation as the poorest in the state underscores broader regional disparities and points to the need for targeted economic development and social support initiatives to help improve living standards and opportunities for its residents.
Ashland’s ranking is part of a larger study examining income and poverty levels across New England towns.
Sources
[1] https://www.boston25news.com/news/local/new-report-names-poorest-town-each-new-england-state/ZHOP5XJSXFBLXCNAGNKY7ZSKOA/
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Hampshire_communities_by_household_income
[3] https://stacker.com/stories/new-hampshire/cities-new-hampshire-most-living-poverty
[4] https://247wallst.com/income/2025/01/17/the-poorest-town-in-every-state-in-america/
[5] https://nhfpi.org/topic/income-poverty/
