N.H. poverty rate lowest in nation CONCORD — New Hampshire had
the lowest poverty rate among both individuals and families in
the nation last year, but the rate has been rising over the past
few years, according to new U.S. Census data. In 2011, 8.8
percent of individuals - 112,700 people — were living below the
poverty line, the lowest percentage in the U.S. The data found
that 5.6 percent of New Hampshire families were living below the
poverty line, also the lowest rate in the country. The figures
come from the American Community Survey, an ongoing survey that
helps the state and federal government determine where to
distribute funding. The Granite State poverty rates were roughly
half the national averages. The average poverty rate in the U.S.
last year was 11.7 percent for families — more than double New
Hampshire’s rate — and 15.9 percent for individuals, nearly two
times New Hampshire’s rate. While New Hampshire has the nation’s
smallest share of impoverished people, its poverty rate is
actually at its