It seems like almost every local business is hiring right now. New Hampshire is experiencing a 2.4% unemployment rate, which means that workers are hard to come by, and attracting young people to the state has become more important than ever. We can guess what factors may induce young professionals to move to New Hampshire, but a recent survey adds clear insight on this issue, bringing to light key factors that are influencing our young workforce’s choices to stay or leave the state—decisions that will impact New Hampshire’s economy for decades to come.
In January 2023, Stay Work Play New Hampshire collected survey data from Granite State residents aged 20 through 40. This data was compared to a similar survey completed in 2017; the combined results highlight our state’s greatest assets, and point out factors that are negatively affecting the vitality of our local workforce. “There’s a lot to learn from these survey results,” said Chamber President, Tim Sink. “This is an opportunity to make informed choices on the state’s priorities, turn around some negative trends, and show young professionals what a gem New Hampshire really is.” Stay Work Play New Hampshire is a nonprofit organization that works to attract and retain more young people in the Granite State.
“What we found is a bit of a peak and valley effect when it comes to how young people feel about the quality of life in New Hampshire, and it all depends on where one is in the 20-40 age span,” said Stay Work Play Executive Director, Will Stewart. “Those in their early 20s, who are in school or in their first jobs, and have likely spent their childhoods in New Hampshire have a positive opinion of the state, especially when it comes to staying and playing. But satisfaction begins to decline in the mid 20s to early 30s, when young people get their second and third jobs and begin to build their careers and when they want to earn a sufficient salary to start a family, buy a house, etc. Those in this age group look around and find that being able to have the quality of life they want is very challenging here in NH. In their mid to late 30s, however, satisfaction with life in New Hampshire rebounds as young people become more established in their careers and families and have a stronger focus on areas where New Hampshire excels, things like outdoor recreation and the environment, good schools, and lower crime,” continued Stewart.
The survey data clearly shows New Hampshire’s greatest assets—recreation, safety, outdoors, and the environment—and indicates that satisfaction in these areas is growing stronger. “You just can’t buy the outstanding natural resources that New Hampshire proudly advertises,” said Sink. New Hampshire’s proximity to the ocean and White Mountains, along with praise of the state’s safety and primary education schools is highlighted on choosenh.com, a website managed by the New Hampshire Division of Economic Development, that encourages families to move to the state. According to Population Reference Bureau (PBR), New Hampshire’s median age of first marriage has substantially increased over the past few years, and birth rates have dropped at a comparable rate. These statistics are similar to the rest of the U.S. but New Hampshire stands out in one unique way; converse to trends in the country overall, our state has seen an increase in the percentage of adults living alone over the past few years. This means that resources related to building community have become more valuable. “This survey tells us that recreation, safety, outdoors, and the environment can make an impact on a young family’s choice to move or stay in New Hampshire. But there are additional factors that may have more meaning for the wide range of individuals represented in our workforce,” said Chamber Vice President, Bryanna Marceau—a former member of the Governor’s Millennial Advisory Council and member of New Hampshire Union Leader’s 2020 class of 40 Under 40.
For quality-of-life traits that relate strongly to community-building, New Hampshire has suffered. 82% of respondents believe that our state is worse or about the same as other places to live for its social life. The survey showed that other factors such as retail/restaurants, diversity, culture, nightlife, and community in general have declined since 2017. This is clearly stated in one survey response, “This state is scenic, but aside from that… it lacks culture and diversity, [and] is boring.” The survey data includes word clouds that visually depict the frequency of specific words used in respondents’ answers to open-ended questions. For the question asking individuals to explain their reasons for staying in New Hampshire, the word “family” stands out clearly above all others; this strong social motivator may serve well to keep people in New Hampshire, but cannot do much to encourage new individuals without family or social ties to move to or stay in the state. For those who are not living with family or a spouse, that 82% social life dissatisfaction rate jumps to 89%.
In the word cloud depicting reasons to leave New Hampshire, many words made the top of the list, including things we cannot change—“weather”, “cold” and “winter”—along with other factors that give us a glimpse into the mindset of young people in this state. “Opportunity”, “taxes”, “housing”, “job”, “diversity”, “conservative”, and “politics” were also extremely prominent. Stay Work Play has honed in on some of these issues in their non-partisan advocacy efforts that address housing affordability, childcare, student debt, outdoor recreation, and diversity, equity, and inclusion. These priorities for young people will be a part of ongoing conversations at the Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce forums, and are likely to be key issues in New Hampshire legislative sessions for years to come.
One way we can support young people in our state is to connect them to New Hampshire’s great assets and resources that already exist, particularly social resources. It’s easy to find outdoor recreation in the state, but very difficult for young individuals to create social networks. “Encourage your colleagues to attend an event with CYPN,” said Marceau. Young professional groups are scattered across the state, and Concord Young Professionals Network (CYPN) is the hub for Concord. “We’ve collected so many stories over the years about how CYPN has helped individuals find jobs, apartments, roommates, and permanent friends in the area,” continued Marceau. CYPN typically attracts 50-90 attendees at their monthly networking events, which is a healthy number, but does not nearly reflect the number of young individuals who live and work in Greater Concord. There’s work to be done to spread the word about these social events, and groups across the state are teaming up to tackle the issue.
This recent survey presents an opportunity for us to listen to young Granite Staters, and work to make our communities more accessible and welcoming—both through tangible changes such as building new housing units, and through fostering a dynamic and inclusive business climate that encourages unique restaurants to be built, supports our arts and cultural organizations, and invites young people to participate in leadership roles and join our social communities. “I love this state,” wrote a survey respondent. “It’s my home,” wrote another. New Hampshire can be an incredible place to build a life, and our efforts to foster a young thriving workforce will sustain this beauty for years to come.
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Incorporated in 1919, New Hampshire’s state capital chamber of commerce—the Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce—develops economic opportunities, strengthens the business climate and enhances quality of life in the Capital region.
Photo cutline: CYPN partnered with Five Rivers Conservation Trust to host a Saturday hike and trail cleanup for Earth Day. Photo credit: Liza Poinier/ Five Rivers Conservation Trust.