Metro Job Market Pulse · General Market Conditions · October 2026
General Market Conditions Labor Market Report: Manchester-Nashua, NH MSA — October 2026
Manchester wages outpace the state while unemployment edges above it.
Hillsborough County's 6.1% wage growth leads New Hampshire even as the Manchester-Nashua metro's 3.0% unemployment rate now sits above the statewide 2.6% figure.
Free archive edition. Published by WageScape as sent to subscribers; data as of October 2026.
Key indicators
- Metro unemployment rate: 3.0% — vs 2.6% statewide, 4.1% national
- Hillsborough County wage growth: 6.1% — Highest of any NH county; $1,719 avg weekly wage
- NH nonfarm employment growth, Jan-Jul 2026: 1.1% — vs 0.2% national growth over same period
- NH unemployment claims vs. two years prior: +23% — Jan-Jul 2026 claims volume, signals longer job searches
Key takeaways
Hillsborough County's wage lead may not generalize metro-wide.
A 6.1% increase in average weekly wages outpaces every other New Hampshire county and the 4.7% statewide figure, but gains concentrate in healthcare and smaller firms under 20 employees, which drove 79% of net private job growth statewide in 2025. Chamber and economic development messaging built on this figure should specify which sectors are actually driving it.
Metro unemployment sits above the state rate for the first time in recent memory.
A 3.0% metro rate against New Hampshire's 2.6% statewide figure is a gap worth tracking, since Manchester-Nashua has historically tracked close to or below state averages. Widening separation could signal the metro absorbing a disproportionate share of any statewide softening, relevant for regional economic development targeting.
Public-sector contraction is a state story more than a metro one so far.
Federal employment fell 3.3% and state government 3.5% statewide, while local government employment rose 0.2% — a divergence that matters for municipal budget planning in Manchester and Nashua specifically. Local government stability may cushion the metro from the public-sector drag visible in national WARN data (Intel, PayPal, and other large filings).
Real wage erosion is a New England-wide pattern.
New England nominal wages grew just 2.3% against regional inflation, the slowest of nine census divisions, translating to a real decline near 1.9%. Hillsborough's 6.1% nominal gain stands out against that backdrop, suggesting the county may be a regional outlier worth highlighting in any comparative economic development pitch.
Median advertised pay by role — Manchester-Nashua, NH MSA
| Role | 25th percentile | Median advertised pay | 75th percentile | Metro trend | National median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail Sales Associate | $29,999 | $34,840 | $37,388 | Stable | $33,340 |
| Retail Cashier | $30,395 | $34,239 | $36,400 | Stable | $31,268 |
| Warehouse/Fulfillment Associate | $34,320 | $39,520 | $43,680 | Stable | $38,480 |
| CDL Truck Driver | $56,260 | $73,138 | $83,980 | Moderate increase | $78,872 |
| Delivery Driver | $33,626 | $39,000 | $43,680 | Moderate decline | $34,826 |
| Construction Laborer | $41,600 | $47,840 | $52,000 | Stable | $40,727 |
| Electrician | $70,700 | $83,200 | $93,600 | Stable | $71,835 |
| Manufacturing Production Worker/Assembler | $37,324 | $42,198 | $45,760 | Stable | $39,520 |
| Customer Service Representative | $35,360 | $41,600 | $46,638 | Stable | $39,520 |
| Food Service Worker | $30,828 | $35,547 | $40,560 | Moderate decline | $33,764 |
| Certified Nursing Assistant / Home Health Aide | $38,480 | $46,800 | $50,154 | Moderate increase | $41,600 |
| Administrative Assistant/Office Clerk | $39,520 | $46,800 | $49,899 | Moderate increase | $44,552 |
| HVAC Technician | $72,800 | $82,000 | $83,200 | Significant decline | $71,406 |
| Registered Nurse | $92,505 | $111,762 | $119,600 | Moderate increase | $102,252 |
| Software Engineer | $114,022 | $153,544 | $161,512 | Moderate increase | $154,403 |
| Data Engineer | $98,320 | $126,807 | $136,544 | Significant decline | $138,000 |
| Accountant | $61,786 | $73,382 | $79,000 | Stable | $72,000 |
| Financial Analyst | $76,237 | $85,528 | $100,000 | Stable | $94,646 |
| HR Generalist/Manager | $62,500 | $73,201 | $75,841 | Significant increase | $74,477 |
| Marketing Specialist | $41,911 | $62,595 | $76,221 | Significant decline | $62,916 |
| Operations Manager * | $70,000 | $75,000 | $85,000 | No data | $86,294 |
| Elementary/Secondary School Teacher | $38,480 | $55,892 | $68,188 | Moderate decline | $55,908 |
| Account Manager | $74,843 | $94,956 | $104,064 | Moderate increase | $94,009 |
| Warehouse Manager | — | — | — | No data | $75,000 |
| Business Analyst | $84,949 | $100,515 | $117,991 | Moderate decline | $98,302 |
* State-level figure shown where metro postings were too few.
WageScape's median is calibrated to correct for spurious low-value postings (reported as the 60th percentile of raw advertised pay). Download: CSV · JSON
Industry snapshot
| Sector | Median advertised pay | Pay trend | Postings trend |
|---|---|---|---|
| Construction | $71,821 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Manufacturing | $76,606 | Stable | Significant increase |
| Retail Trade | $37,354 | Stable | Significant increase |
| Transportation, Warehousing & Utilities | $52,876 | Significant decline | Significant increase |
| Information | $106,410 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Financial Activities | $56,160 | Moderate decline | Significant increase |
| Professional & Business Services | $70,616 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Education & Health Services | $70,375 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Leisure & Hospitality | $36,247 | Stable | Significant increase |
| Government | $59,514 | Stable | Significant increase |
Local market conditions
Manchester-Nashua's unemployment rate held near 3.0% through mid-2026, roughly half a point above the 2.6% statewide figure but still well below the national 4.1%, with Hillsborough County posting the strongest wage growth in New Hampshire at 6.1% year-over-year against a $1,719 average weekly wage. Momentum remains concentrated in healthcare and smaller firms, while national softness in information, professional services and financial activities, combined with a slowing national labor force driven by retirements and immigration policy constraints, raises questions about whether the metro's labor supply can keep pace with demand once broader hiring picks up.
What it means
Wage growth outpacing the state average signals a tightening local labor market even as national real wages erode, a combination that affects consumer purchasing power and the fiscal planning assumptions local governments and chambers build budgets around. Public-sector softness at the federal and state level, offset by local government stability, suggests municipal finance officers should model payroll costs separately from private-sector wage trends, since the two can move independently. Current conditions suggest commerce leaders evaluate whether Hillsborough County's wage acceleration reflects durable demand or a narrow set of sectors before using it as a general indicator of business climate strength.
Looking ahead
Data release to watch: October metro-level unemployment and employment figures for Manchester-Nashua have not yet posted as of early November; the September reading of roughly 3.0% will be the baseline against which any shift gets measured when BLS releases catch up.
Emerging pressure point: Statewide unemployment claims through mid-2026 ran 23% above two years prior, and the Lebanon-Claremont micropolitan area posted the tightest labor conditions in the state. Watch whether Manchester-Nashua shows similar claims pressure once October data arrives, which would bear on regional workforce development funding priorities.
Policy signal: Federal WARN filings tied to companies like Intel and PayPal reflect national restructuring, distinct from local events, but New Hampshire's own WARN activity remains low at 8 notices affecting 694 workers statewide through October. A meaningful uptick in state filings would be a early sign of the national slowdown reaching the metro.
Demographic watch: Labor force participants aged 20-34 continue declining locally while workers 35-plus gain share, even as New Hampshire remains the only New England state with labor force growth over the past year. Commerce and workforce development leaders should track whether that statewide gain is reaching the Manchester-Nashua labor pool or concentrating elsewhere in the state.
Sources
- New Hampshire Public Radio (NHPR) — Hillsborough County wage growth of 6.1%, $1,719 average weekly wage
- Bureau of Labor Statistics — Manchester-Nashua MSA unemployment near 3.0% through mid-2026
- USAFacts via Bureau of Labor Statistics — New Hampshire unemployment at 2.6% in September 2026, 3rd lowest nationally
- New Hampshire Fiscal Policy Institute — Public-sector employment changes: federal -3.3%, state -3.5%, local +0.2%
- Bureau of Labor Statistics — New England nominal wage growth of 2.3%, slowest of nine census divisions
- New Hampshire Fiscal Policy Institute — NH unemployment claims 23% higher than two years prior through mid-2026
Methodology
Advertised pay from active employer job postings, not survey data. WageScape's median is calibrated to correct for spurious low-value postings: distribution analysis shows roughly the lowest 10% of raw values are erroneous entries, so the reported median is the 60th percentile of raw advertised pay. WageScape observes 98% of U.S. job openings daily.
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