Merrimack County vs. New Hampshire
Comparative Trends Analysis:
Average Earnings Per Job Growth and Change, 1969-2022
Introduction
Merrimack County vs. New Hampshire
Merrimack County:
2022 Avg. Earnings = $74,608
2022 Percent of State = 98.33%
New Hampshire:
2022 Avg. Earnings = $75,878
The United States economy has generated an impressive number of jobs since the 1970s. The contrast between the nation's vigorous employment growth and the modest performance of other major industrial countries is striking. Despite this rosy track record, the real (inflation adjusted) wages and salaries of many workers have stagnated or slipped in recent years. This development has provoked concerns about the quality of new jobs. Structural shifts in the composition of employment--from high-wage goods-producing to low-wage services-related sectors--is the culprit most often cited for the deteriorating quality of jobs.
Regions vary greatly in the make-up of their labor force, in their industry composition of employment, and their economic experience. Reviewing and examining recent developments in average earnings per job in Merrimack County with comparisons to New Hampshire and the nation is an important first step in understanding the economic forces at play in Merrimack County.
Discussion: Average Annual Earnings Per Job are computed by dividing BEA total industry earnings estimates by the BEA total full- and part-time jobs estimates. No convenient or adequate means exist at the county or regional level for converting the job estimates to a full-time equivalent measure. So, interpret the average earnings per job estimates with caution in consideration of the following issues:
Average earnings per job within industries involving more part-time work is lower than industries involving more full-time work, although there could be little difference in the underlying wage of full-time workers. Such differences could also prevail between counties and regions. An increase in the proportion of part-time jobs over time may erode average earnings per job estimates, although full-time earnings per worker may have remained unchanged.
As with per capita income, average earnings per job may be subject to extreme short-run variation, especially in smaller counties. Major construction projects relating to building dams, nuclear power plants, and private plant construction projects have caused extreme fluctuations in many smaller counties. Such changes typify both small and large agriculture-dependent counties owing to the extreme annual variations in farm incomes. Also, Since average earnings per job are just a simple average, it does not account for variations in the distribution of earnings among high- vs. low-wage jobs.
Merrimack County Average Earnings Per Job, 1970-2022
Current vs. Constant Dollars
Merrimack County Average Earnings Per Job, 1970-2022
Current vs. Constant Dollars
Figure 1.
Figure 1 depicts Merrimack County's annual average earnings per job over 1970-2022 in current and constant (2017) dollars. Constant dollar measurements remove the effects of inflation. They allow for comparison of changes in the real purchasing power of Merrimack County over time.
When measured in current dollars, Merrimack County's average earnings per job increased 1,056.85%, from $6,449 in 1970 to $74,608 in 2022. When measured in constant 2017 dollars to adjust for inflation, it advanced 97.05%, from $32,628 in 1970 to $64,293 in 2022.
Real Average Earnings Per Job, 1969-2022
Real Average Earnings Per Job, 1969-2022
Figure 2.
Figure 2 tracks Merrimack County's and New Hampshire's annual real average earnings per job for the period 1969-2022 to illustrate real average earnings per job patterns over time. During this 54-year period, Merrimack County's real average earnings per job rose from $31,673 in 1969 to $64,293 in 2022, for a net gain of $32,620, or 102.99%. In comparison, New Hampshire's real average earnings per job advanced from $32,080 in 1969 to $65,387 in 2022, for a net gain of $33,307, or 103.82%.
Real Average Earnings Per Job Indices (1969=100): 1969-2022
Real Average Earnings Per Job Indices (1969=100): 1969-2022
Figure 3.
Figure 3 portrays Merrimack County's real average earnings per job growth in a broader context by offering direct comparisons across time with New Hampshire, the United States. The growth indices shown here express each region's real average earnings per job in 1969 as a base figure of 100, and the real average earnings per jobs in later years as a percentage of the 1969 base figure. This method allows for more direct comparison of differences in real average earnings per job growth between regions that may differ vastly in size.
Merrimack County's overall real average earnings per job growth was 102.99% over 1969-2022 trailed New Hampshire's increase of 103.82%, and outpaced the United States' increase of 62.26%.
Average Earnings Per Job as a Percent of the U.S. Average: 1969-2022
Average Earnings Per Job as a Percent of the U.S. Average: 1969-2022
Figure 4.
Figure 4 depicts the trends for average earnings per job relative to the national average by tracing Merrimack County and New Hampshire average earnings per job as a percent of the national average over 1969-2022.
In 1969, Merrimack County's average earnings per job amounted to 83.31% of the national average; in 2022, it approximated 104.22%. Similarly, in 1969, New Hampshire's average earnings per job totaled 84.38% of the national average; in 2022, it consisted of 105.99%.
Merrimack County Real Average Earnings Per Job:
Annual Percent Change, 1970-2022
Merrimack County Real Average Earnings Per Job:
Annual Percent Change, 1970-2022
Figure 5.
Figure 5 highlights the short-run pattern of Merrimack County's real average earnings per job growth by tracking the year-to-year percent change over 1970-2022. The average annual percent change for the entire 53-year period is also traced on this chart to provide a benchmark for gauging periods of relative high--and relative low--growth against the backdrop of the long-term average.
On average, Merrimack County's real average earnings per job grew at an annual rate of 1.49% over 1970-2022. The county posted its highest growth in 2001 (32.69%) and posted its lowest growth in 2013 (-6.92%). In 2022, Merrimack County's real average earnings per job declined by -2.69%
Merrimack County Real Average Earnings Per Job:
Annual Percent Change and Decade Averages Over 1970-2022
Merrimack County Real Average Earnings Per Job:
Annual Percent Change and Decade Averages Over 1970-2022
Figure 6.
Over the past five decades some counties have experienced extreme swings in growth, and often such swings have tended to coincide with the decades themselves. Figure 6 again depicts the annual percent change in Merrimack County's real average earnings per job since 1970, but this time they are overlayed with average growth rates for the decade of the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, 2010s, and 2020-2022.
During the 1970s, Merrimack County's annual real average earnings per job growth rate averaged 1.14%. It averaged 1.71% throughout the 1980s, 1.53% throughout the 1990s, 4.02% in the 2000s, -1.02% in the 2010s, 1.77% thus far this decade (2020-2022).
Real Average Earnings Per Job Growth:
Average Annual Percent Change by Decade
Real Average Earnings Per Job Growth:
Average Annual Percent Change by Decade
Figure 7.
Figure 7 compares the decade average growth rates for Merrimack County noted in the previous graph with the corresponding decade averages for New Hampshire and the nation. As the chart reveals, Merrimack County's average annual real average earnings per job growth outperformed New Hampshire's average in the 1970s (1.14% vs. 0.89%), amounted to less than New Hampshire's average during the 1980s (1.71% vs. 1.81%), recorded under New Hampshire's average in the 1990s (1.53% vs. 1.96%), outpaced New Hampshire's average during the 2000s (4.02% vs. 1.25%), amounted to less than New Hampshire's average throughout the 2010s (-1.02% vs. 1.05%), and outperformed New Hampshire's average over the 3 year period of the current decade, 2020-2022 (1.77% vs. 1.33%).
Finally, relative to nationwide real average earnings per job growth trends, Merrimack County surpassed the nation in the 1970s (1.14% vs. 0.89%), recorded above the nation over the 1980s (1.71% vs. 0.71%), posted below the nation during the 1990s (1.53% vs. 1.68%), recorded above the nation throughout the 2000s (4.02% vs. 0.72%), trailed the nation over the 2010s (-1.02% vs. 1.01%), and outpaced the nation over 2020-2022 (1.77% vs. -0.24%).
   
 
Real* Average Earnings Per Job Growth:
Average Annual Percent Change
 
 
 
1.49
1.14
1.71
1.53
4.02
-1.02
1.77
-2.69
 
1.39
0.89
1.81
1.96
1.25
1.05
1.33
-6.76
 
0.93
0.89
0.71
1.68
0.72
1.01
-0.24
-4.51
 
   

Interactive TableTip: To augment your analysis click on the column headers in the following table to rank and/or sort the data.

   
 
Merrimack County:
Average Earnings Per Job, 1969-2022
 
1969
 
5,981
0.189
31,673
100.0
N
98.73
83.31
1970
 
6,449
0.198
32,628
103.0
3.01
100.51
84.90
1971
 
6,990
0.206
33,925
107.1
3.97
102.33
86.27
1972
 
7,436
0.213
34,897
110.2
2.87
101.87
85.56
1973
 
7,884
0.225
35,108
110.8
0.61
101.57
84.44
1974
 
8,418
0.248
33,952
107.2
-3.29
102.47
84.79
1975
 
9,141
0.269
34,031
107.4
0.23
102.76
85.33
1976
 
9,801
0.283
34,592
109.2
1.65
101.61
84.87
1977
 
10,433
0.302
34,575
109.2
-0.05
101.23
84.06
1978
 
11,387
0.323
35,280
111.4
2.04
100.93
84.62
1979
 
12,446
0.351
35,414
111.8
0.38
101.26
85.43
1980
 
13,128
0.389
33,724
106.5
-4.77
99.39
83.85
1981
 
14,328
0.424
33,780
106.7
0.16
100.07
83.95
1982
 
15,029
0.448
33,570
106.0
-0.62
98.61
83.55
1983
 
16,149
0.467
34,599
109.2
3.07
98.19
85.36
1984
 
17,246
0.484
35,603
112.4
2.90
99.22
85.45
1985
 
18,260
0.501
36,426
115.0
2.31
99.13
86.42
1986
 
19,500
0.512
38,073
120.2
4.52
99.31
88.33
1987
 
21,826
0.528
41,336
130.5
8.57
101.08
94.38
1988
 
23,056
0.549
42,023
132.7
1.66
100.58
94.46
1989
 
23,885
0.573
41,713
131.7
-0.74
100.01
93.82
1990
 
24,379
0.598
40,785
128.8
-2.22
100.25
91.65
1991
 
25,312
0.618
40,975
129.4
0.46
99.94
91.92
1992
 
26,307
0.634
41,480
131.0
1.23
98.86
89.55
1993
 
27,290
0.650
41,984
132.6
1.22
100.29
90.66
1994
 
28,163
0.664
42,442
134.0
1.09
100.67
91.12
1995
 
29,050
0.678
42,876
135.4
1.02
99.94
91.92
1996
 
30,295
0.692
43,776
138.2
2.10
100.01
92.33
1997
 
31,615
0.704
44,903
141.8
2.57
99.21
92.39
1998
 
33,009
0.710
46,513
146.9
3.59
95.94
91.66
1999
 
34,901
0.720
48,472
153.0
4.21
95.95
92.45
2000
 
37,403
0.738
50,667
160.0
4.53
94.20
93.74
2001
 
50,625
0.753
67,230
212.3
32.69
120.64
122.06
2002
 
52,011
0.763
68,175
215.2
1.41
120.77
122.65
2003
 
49,463
0.779
63,500
200.5
-6.86
112.96
113.30
2004
 
49,703
0.798
62,264
196.6
-1.95
109.55
109.34
2005
 
51,424
0.821
62,615
197.7
0.56
110.18
110.24
2006
 
57,174
0.844
67,710
213.8
8.14
116.67
118.03
2007
 
55,962
0.866
64,616
204.0
-4.57
114.29
113.32
2008
 
55,565
0.892
62,314
196.7
-3.56
112.71
110.47
2009
 
60,831
0.889
68,410
216.0
9.78
120.01
121.56
2010
 
66,624
0.905
73,606
232.4
7.60
124.71
127.65
2011
 
64,660
0.928
69,674
220.0
-5.34
119.06
120.56
2012
 
62,813
0.945
66,445
209.8
-4.63
114.72
114.08
2013
 
59,236
0.958
61,845
195.3
-6.92
108.07
106.09
2014
 
57,001
0.971
58,691
185.3
-5.10
101.49
100.02
2015
 
55,548
0.973
57,090
180.2
-2.73
97.67
95.76
2016
 
56,477
0.983
57,463
181.4
0.65
97.39
96.58
2017
 
58,407
1.000
58,407
184.4
1.64
97.79
96.81
2018
 
60,574
1.020
59,359
187.4
1.63
97.90
97.54
2019
 
63,286
1.035
61,138
193.0
3.00
96.79
98.24
2020
 
68,389
1.046
65,360
206.4
6.90
97.14
101.50
2021
 
72,020
1.090
66,073
208.6
1.09
94.22
102.27
2022
 
74,608
1.160
64,293
203.0
-2.69
98.33
104.22
Source: Calculations by the New Hampshire Regional Economic Analysis Project (NH-REAP)
with data provided by the U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Economic Analysis
November 2023
REAP_PI_CA1400_1400_PSN
 
   

Interactive TableTip: To augment your analysis click on the column headers in the following table to rank and/or sort the data.

   
 
New Hampshire:
Average Earnings Per Job, 1969-2022
 
1969
 
6,058
0.189
32,080
100.0
N
84.38
1970
 
6,416
0.198
32,461
101.2
1.19
84.47
1971
 
6,831
0.206
33,152
103.3
2.13
84.30
1972
 
7,299
0.213
34,257
106.8
3.33
83.99
1973
 
7,762
0.225
34,566
107.7
0.90
83.13
1974
 
8,215
0.248
33,135
103.3
-4.14
82.75
1975
 
8,895
0.269
33,117
103.2
-0.06
83.03
1976
 
9,646
0.283
34,044
106.1
2.80
83.52
1977
 
10,307
0.302
34,156
106.5
0.33
83.04
1978
 
11,282
0.323
34,955
109.0
2.34
83.84
1979
 
12,291
0.351
34,974
109.0
0.06
84.37
1980
 
13,208
0.389
33,930
105.8
-2.98
84.36
1981
 
14,317
0.424
33,755
105.2
-0.52
83.89
1982
 
15,241
0.448
34,043
106.1
0.85
84.72
1983
 
16,447
0.467
35,237
109.8
3.51
86.93
1984
 
17,381
0.484
35,882
111.9
1.83
86.12
1985
 
18,419
0.501
36,744
114.5
2.40
87.17
1986
 
19,636
0.512
38,336
119.5
4.33
88.94
1987
 
21,593
0.528
40,895
127.5
6.67
93.37
1988
 
22,923
0.549
41,781
130.2
2.17
93.92
1989
 
23,883
0.573
41,709
130.0
-0.17
93.81
1990
 
24,319
0.598
40,684
126.8
-2.46
91.43
1991
 
25,327
0.618
40,999
127.8
0.77
91.97
1992
 
26,610
0.634
41,959
130.8
2.34
90.58
1993
 
27,211
0.650
41,864
130.5
-0.23
90.40
1994
 
27,975
0.664
42,159
131.4
0.71
90.51
1995
 
29,066
0.678
42,900
133.7
1.76
91.97
1996
 
30,290
0.692
43,770
136.4
2.03
92.32
1997
 
31,868
0.704
45,262
141.1
3.41
93.13
1998
 
34,405
0.710
48,481
151.1
7.11
95.54
1999
 
36,373
0.720
50,518
157.5
4.20
96.35
2000
 
39,705
0.738
53,785
167.7
6.47
99.50
2001
 
41,964
0.753
55,728
173.7
3.61
101.18
2002
 
43,066
0.763
56,450
176.0
1.30
101.56
2003
 
43,787
0.779
56,214
175.2
-0.42
100.30
2004
 
45,369
0.798
56,834
177.2
1.10
99.81
2005
 
46,672
0.821
56,829
177.1
-0.01
100.05
2006
 
49,006
0.844
58,036
180.9
2.12
101.16
2007
 
48,963
0.866
56,535
176.2
-2.59
99.15
2008
 
49,297
0.892
55,285
172.3
-2.21
98.01
2009
 
50,687
0.889
57,002
177.7
3.11
101.29
2010
 
53,425
0.905
59,024
184.0
3.55
102.36
2011
 
54,308
0.928
58,519
182.4
-0.86
101.26
2012
 
54,752
0.945
57,918
180.5
-1.03
99.44
2013
 
54,812
0.958
57,227
178.4
-1.19
98.17
2014
 
56,163
0.971
57,827
180.3
1.05
98.55
2015
 
56,874
0.973
58,453
182.2
1.08
98.05
2016
 
57,991
0.983
59,004
183.9
0.94
99.16
2017
 
59,727
1.000
59,727
186.2
1.23
99.00
2018
 
61,872
1.020
60,631
189.0
1.51
99.63
2019
 
65,384
1.035
63,165
196.9
4.18
101.50
2020
 
70,401
1.046
67,282
209.7
6.52
104.49
2021
 
76,442
1.090
70,130
218.6
4.23
108.55
2022
 
75,878
1.160
65,387
203.8
-6.76
105.99
Source: Calculations by the New Hampshire Regional Economic Analysis Project (NH-REAP)
with data provided by the U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Economic Analysis
November 2023
REAP_PI_CA1400_1400_PSN
 
   

Interactive TableTip: To augment your analysis click on the column headers in the following table to rank and/or sort the data.

   
 
United States:
Average Earnings Per Job, 1969-2022
 
1969
 
7,179
0.189
38,018
100.0
N
1970
 
7,596
0.198
38,430
101.1
1.08
1971
 
8,103
0.206
39,326
103.4
2.33
1972
 
8,691
0.213
40,786
107.3
3.71
1973
 
9,336
0.225
41,579
109.4
1.94
1974
 
9,928
0.248
40,044
105.3
-3.69
1975
 
10,713
0.269
39,883
104.9
-0.40
1976
 
11,549
0.283
40,761
107.2
2.20
1977
 
12,412
0.302
41,131
108.2
0.91
1978
 
13,457
0.323
41,694
109.7
1.37
1979
 
14,568
0.351
41,454
109.0
-0.58
1980
 
15,657
0.389
40,220
105.8
-2.98
1981
 
17,066
0.424
40,237
105.8
0.04
1982
 
17,989
0.448
40,181
105.7
-0.14
1983
 
18,920
0.467
40,535
106.6
0.88
1984
 
20,181
0.484
41,663
109.6
2.78
1985
 
21,130
0.501
42,152
110.9
1.17
1986
 
22,078
0.512
43,104
113.4
2.26
1987
 
23,126
0.528
43,799
115.2
1.61
1988
 
24,408
0.549
44,487
117.0
1.57
1989
 
25,460
0.573
44,462
117.0
-0.05
1990
 
26,599
0.598
44,498
117.0
0.08
1991
 
27,537
0.618
44,577
117.3
0.18
1992
 
29,378
0.634
46,323
121.8
3.92
1993
 
30,101
0.650
46,309
121.8
-0.03
1994
 
30,909
0.664
46,580
122.5
0.59
1995
 
31,605
0.678
46,646
122.7
0.14
1996
 
32,810
0.692
47,411
124.7
1.64
1997
 
34,218
0.704
48,600
127.8
2.51
1998
 
36,011
0.710
50,743
133.5
4.41
1999
 
37,751
0.720
52,432
137.9
3.33
2000
 
39,903
0.738
54,053
142.2
3.09
2001
 
41,477
0.753
55,080
144.9
1.90
2002
 
42,406
0.763
55,584
146.2
0.92
2003
 
43,655
0.779
56,045
147.4
0.83
2004
 
45,456
0.798
56,943
149.8
1.60
2005
 
46,648
0.821
56,800
149.4
-0.25
2006
 
48,442
0.844
57,368
150.9
1.00
2007
 
49,382
0.866
57,019
150.0
-0.61
2008
 
50,298
0.892
56,407
148.4
-1.07
2009
 
50,041
0.889
56,276
148.0
-0.23
2010
 
52,191
0.905
57,661
151.7
2.46
2011
 
53,633
0.928
57,792
152.0
0.23
2012
 
55,061
0.945
58,245
153.2
0.78
2013
 
55,837
0.958
58,296
153.3
0.09
2014
 
56,990
0.971
58,680
154.3
0.66
2015
 
58,005
0.973
59,615
156.8
1.59
2016
 
58,480
0.983
59,501
156.5
-0.19
2017
 
60,329
1.000
60,329
158.7
1.39
2018
 
62,102
1.020
60,856
160.1
0.87
2019
 
64,419
1.035
62,233
163.7
2.26
2020
 
67,378
1.046
64,393
169.4
3.47
2021
 
70,421
1.090
64,606
169.9
0.33
2022
 
71,586
1.160
61,690
162.3
-4.51
Source: Calculations by the New Hampshire Regional Economic Analysis Project (NH-REAP)
with data provided by the U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Economic Analysis
November 2023
REAP_PI_CA1400_1400_PN
 
   
Copyright © 2023. Pacific Northwest Regional Economic Analysis Project (PNREAP). All Rights Reserved.

Please stay tuned...
while your request is processing:

Please wait while your request is being processed...
To offer the most comprehensive set of interactive options in support of your research, NH-REAP calculates and crunches most of the data and generates the narrative and graphic analysis on demand in response to your request.
Your request will soon be available.
Just a few more seconds....Your request has been generated and is now loading the results.