New Hampshire is one of 21 states that maintains the same minimum wage as the current federal minimum wage, which was set at $7.25 in 2009. However, the living wage needed to live in New Hampshire now is considered to be at least $11.43.
State lawmakers considered legislation in 2016 that would bump up New Hampshire's minimum wage to $12 per hour, but the bill failed in the state Senate. In New Hampshire, the median hourly earnings is $14.56. Yet, for 11,000 people, they are making at or below the minimum wage.
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In 2015, the New Hampshire House and Senate voted down a bill to increase the minimum wage.
According to the Concord Monitor, Wolfeboro Sen. Jeb Bradley, the Republican majority leader, said, “Lifting up the economy, that is how we solve this problem.” This was in response to whether or not the state should increase the minimum wage to $10 per hour by 2018.
Gov. Maggie Hassan disagreed with Bradley’s points, responding, “It is disappointing that Senate Republicans voted down a commonsense measure to restore and increase New Hampshire’s minimum wage. … Individuals working full time in New Hampshire should be able to earn enough to pull themselves above the federal-poverty threshold and support their families.’”
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When looking at the breakdown of possible household dynamics, the living wage increases exponentially when kids are mixed in to the equation. For example, one adult with one child needs $24.24 per hour, but with three kids, that number goes up to $34.67, according to the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s living wage calculator.
Even two working adults need to average more than $8.91 per hour together in order to make a living wage, which obviously two working adults making only minimum wage would fall short of making.
The highest paying industries that far exceed the living wage needed in New Hampshire are management at $96,000, computer and mathematical at $76,000, and architecture and engineering for nearly $70,000. The lowest paying markets were food preparation and serving related, which many minimum wage jobs fall under, as well as personal care and service, which both hover around $20,000 annually.
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