Comparable baseline
New Hampshire at a glance
| Population | 1,415,342 | July 1, 2025; +2.7% since 2020 |
|---|---|---|
| Business applications | 1,947 | July 2026, seasonally adjusted |
| Trailing-12-month applications | 19,691 | 1,391.3 per 100,000 residents |
| High-propensity applications | 538 | 27.6% of July applications |
| Projected employer formations | 142 | Census four-quarter projection for July's cohort |
| Small businesses | 145,314 | SBA 2025 profile; underlying employer and nonemployer data are from 2022 |
| Small-business employment | 309,420 | 50.3% of private employment in 2022 |
| Employer establishments | 39,298 | 2023 County Business Patterns |
Application rankings cover the 50 states and use unrounded figures. Applications are qualifying EIN filings, not confirmed business openings. Measurement years differ because federal datasets are released on different schedules.
New Hampshire had the Northeast’s fastest recent business-application growth. The state recorded 19,691 applications during the 12 months ending July 2026, 23.1% more than in the preceding 12 months. That growth ranked first among the nine Northeastern states and 14th nationally.
The level is less exceptional. New Hampshire’s trailing-year rate was 1,391.3 applications per 100,000 residents, 38th among states. Its story is regional momentum from a lower application base, not national leadership in application intensity.
Two annual comparisons point upward
The Census Bureau recorded 1,947 seasonally adjusted applications in July 2026. That was 37.3% more than in July 2025, placing New Hampshire 12th nationally on the same-month growth measure. July was 3.0% below June, so the month-to-month movement does not carry the same message.
The trailing-year result is more stable and confirms that the annual rise was not limited to one July. It also exceeded the Northeast’s median growth of 13.0%. July applications were 143.4% above July 2019, adding longer context without establishing an all-time record.
New Hampshire’s population reached 1,415,342 in July 2025, up 2.7% from the 2020 base. That ranked fourth within the Northeast and 25th nationally. Population is useful context, not a demonstrated cause of application growth.
Applications are qualifying EIN filings, not confirmed business openings. Census classified 538 July applications as high propensity, 27.6% of the total and rank 17. Its model projected 142 employer formations within four quarters, equal to 7.29 per 100 applications and seventh among states; the ratio is modeled rather than an observed opening rate.
Small firms provide just over half of private employment
The SBA’s 2025 profile reports 145,314 small businesses using underlying 2022 data. That includes 30,411 small employer firms and 114,903 nonemployer establishments. Nonemployers represented 79.1% of the combined count.
Small employer firms provided 309,420 jobs, or 50.3% of private employment and rank 15 among states. The 145,314 total therefore describes a much broader universe than the 30,411 small firms with payroll in the source framework.
Southern counties hold most employer employment
New Hampshire’s 2023 County Business Patterns data counted 39,298 employer establishments and 628,166 employees. Hillsborough County held 186,868 employees, or 29.7%; Rockingham County held 152,257, or 24.2%; and Merrimack County held 62,841, or 10.0%.
Together, the three counties accounted for 64.0% of measured private employment, the ninth-highest top-three share among states. Hillsborough and Rockingham alone held 54.0%, making the southern labor-market concentration central to the state picture. The data count jobs at workplaces and do not measure where workers live; cross-border commuting may matter but is not measured here.
Health care and social assistance was the largest sector at 97,220 employees. Retail trade followed closely with 95,663 and a state employment share 1.32 times the 50-state share. Manufacturing employed 68,626, with a more modest location quotient of 1.23. Neither sector explains the application rise.
Official New Hampshire business resources
- The Secretary of State’s Corporation Division and NH QuickStart handle registration, records, and annual reports. Covered entity reports are generally due April 1; verify applicability.
- The Department of Revenue Administration explains Business Profits and Business Enterprise taxes and lists tax licenses and permit routes.
- The Office of Professional Licensure and Certification covers regulated professions.
- The NH SBDC provides individualized, confidential advising at no charge.
These routes cover different obligations; a completed entity filing is not a substitute for applicable tax or professional registrations.
Source and calculation note
July figures use the seasonally adjusted July 2026 BFS release. The trailing-year total sums unadjusted applications from August 2025 through July 2026 and compares them with the prior 12 months. Rates use New Hampshire’s July 1, 2025 population estimate; national ranks compare 50 states using unrounded values, while regional claims compare the nine Census Northeast states. Small-business figures use 2022 SBA profile components, and county/industry figures use 2023 CBP. Sources were retrieved or checked September 3, 2026.