New Hampshire Uncharted

As 2025 winds down, New Hampshire residents are feeling the effects of rising costs, major federal policy changes, and a constrained State Budget. In this special year-in-review episode, host Gene Martin sits down with NHFPI Research Director Phil Sletten and Policy Analyst Jessica Williams to break down the year’s biggest policy developments related to health care, housing, taxes, child care, and more.

New Hampshire’s newest graduates are stepping into a job market filled with both opportunity and uncertainty. Even with low unemployment, many young people are beginning adulthood already in the red, as housing, health care, and child care costs continue rising faster than wages. At the same time, slowing job growth and persistent underemployment are reshaping the workforce and forcing young Granite Staters to grapple with difficult choices about where they can afford to build their futures.  In this episode of New Hampshire Uncharted, host Gene Martin unpacks these challenges with:  Nicole Heller, Senior Policy Analyst, New Hampshire Fiscal Policy Institute  Marc Lewis, Professor of Accounting, Franklin Pierce University  Aria Caputo, Junior, Franklin Pierce University 

The cost of purchasing a house in New Hampshire has surged more than 275 percent over the last quarter-century, forcing a reshaping the finances of families, employers, and entire communities. A typical single-family house that sold for about $137,000 in 1999 now sells for roughly $514,000. Wages haven’t kept up, leaving more Granite Staters priced out of ownership and straining renters as well.  In this episode of New Hampshire Uncharted, host Gene Martin digs into what’s driving the crisis, and what can be done, with three people on the front lines:  Nick Taylor, Director, Housing Action NH  Sarah Wrightsman, Manager, Community Engagement & Education, New Hampshire Housing  Jessica Williams, Policy Analyst, New Hampshire Fiscal Policy Institute 

Food insecurity in New Hampshire is rising…again. After the COVID-19 pandemic aid briefly lowered hunger rates, food insecurity has rebounded to pre-pandemic levels, with more than 42,000 Granite State households struggling to afford enough to eat. The effects are far-reaching, ranging from health challenges to educational setbacks for children.  A recent analysis from the New Hampshire Fiscal Policy Institute warns that the problem could worsen. Under recently passed federal changes in the new federal reconciliation law passed in July, 4,000 Granite Staters could lose SNAP food assistance due to new work requirements and red tape, and more program costs will be shifted onto the state.  In the latest episode of New Hampshire Uncharted, host Gene Martin sits down with three leaders on the frontlines of fighting hunger:  Laura Milliken, Executive Director, NH Hunger Solutions  Elsy Cipriani, Executive Director, NH Food Bank  Kyle Repucci, Principal, Broken Ground School in Concord 

New Hampshire is aging faster than nearly every other state in the country — and that shift is reshaping everything from our housing market to our workforce. In the latest episode of New Hampshire Uncharted, host Gene Martin sits down with three experts to unpack what the Granite State’s aging population means for communities, caregivers, businesses, and policy.  Joining the conversation:  Lily Wellington, Executive Director, NH State Commission on Aging  Christina Fitzpatrick, State Director, AARP New Hampshire  Jessica Williams, Policy Analyst, NH Fiscal Policy Institute