About

How we got here

Background

NH regularly sits near the top of state rankings for quality of life, partly for how historical values of local democracy and yankee independence combine with a robust and innovative economy. The tradition of local governance in the more than 200 cities and towns dates back to colonial times. 

But some of the decisions we’ve made, town by town, at the local level have contributed to dramatic demographic changes over the last 30 years. NH has moved from middle of the pack–ranking 28th in median age 30 years ago–to second-oldest state in the nation. Gaining seniors and losing young people, NH has been aging more rapidly than any other state— including Maine. Northern New England, not Florida, has become the oldest region in the country, with Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont now the three oldest states. 

Unintended consequences of local decisions, fueled in part by persistent though disproven myths, have altered the human ecology of our state. New Hampshire’s unbalanced age profile carries serious social and economic consequences. The overall positive economy of recent years is threatened by widespread worker shortages, and declining school enrollments. The dramatic increase in elderly population, without accompanying growth of working-age residents to provide the services required by the entire population, threatens the sustainability of our economy and quality of life. 

Leading the list of contributing factors are the shortage and high and rising costs of housing, and the high cost of public higher education. High education costs result in some of the highest student loan burdens in the country. Students and graduates are drawn to states where higher wages, lower cost of living—or both, make building a life more attainable. For housing, nearly intractable opposition to housing types favored by and affordable to younger people, working families–and ironically, most seniors, has led to a severe deficit in needed housing stock, driving up the cost of all housing.  

These issues are receiving increasing attention, but action is slow to follow. We travelled to towns and cities throughout the state to speak with residents of all ages, within and outside of local government, who are joining forces to tackle the arduous task of reversing these trends in their communities. Moving from talk to action, people are finding innovative solutions for attracting working people, creating jobs within communities, and revitalizing and enhancing communities by better meeting the needs of all ages and all walks of life. They are helping to nudge our human ecology back into a thriving balance by welcoming all people of all ages.