NH Workers Saw Small, Spotty Pay Increases In 2010

Justin R. / Flickr

Pay raises for NH workers between 2009-2010 were by and large modest--at best.

Using data on salaries and wages recently released by the federal Bureau of Economic Analysis, Kathleen Callahan of the New Hampshire Business Review breaks down the payday picture for Granite Staters.

And while it’s not dismal, it’s also not the best.

“Total employment compensation in New Hampshire increased by 1.8 percent in 2010, but it didn’t increase in all of the state’s 10 counties, according to the U.S. Commerce Department.

Two New Hampshire counties saw a decrease in their total compensation in 2010. Belknap experienced the largest dip, with a 1.3 percent decrease, followed by Cheshire, with a 0.2 percent dip…

New Hampshire’s growth fell behind the national average of 2.7 percent, but kept pace with inflation, which also increased by 1.8 percent.”

There are also some clear differences in compensation growth based on industry:

“In 2010, compensation in New Hampshire increased in retail, manufacturing – particularly machinery manufacturing — finance and insurance, health care and hospitality. Industries where compensation decreased included utilities, construction and information services, including publishing and telecommunications.”

Callahan notes that out of New England’s 67 counties, 53 saw an uptick in pay–even if it was modest in some cases.  Putting the region into perspective, however, she points out that New England only makes up 6 percent of wages and salaries paid in the US.

We’ve used Callahan’s reporting on the BEA data to generate this handy county-by-county chart of compensation changes.  Run your mouse over each bar to see the percent change: