DURING the 2023 season, 77% of retail small business owners say they weren’t seeing increased sales and 55% say profit margins were down, Goldman Sachs found in a survey. In addition, 70% of respondents said the state of the economy and their financial outlook were negatively affecting their own households’ buying power and holiday spending. A total of 67% believe consumers seemed to have less disposable income during the season than what was expected.

ABOUT one in five Americans aged 65 and older (19%) were employed this year, according to a recent Pew Research Center Study — almost double the share of those working 35 years ago. In 1987, the typical worker 65 and up earned $13 an hour but today earns $22 an hour. Older workers are also working more full-time hours on average, and are more likely to have a four-year college degree.

IN November 2023, rent asking prices in the U.S. dropped 2.09% year-over-year from late 2022, according to analysts at Rent. Research. It was the first time in more than 3.5 years that year-over-year prices dropped by more than a single percent. The current national median rent price is $1,967, while prices peaked in August 2022 at $2,054. New Hampshire has experienced some of the greatest year-over-year change at 13.07%.

ACCORDING to a study by Shoreline Immigration, New Hampshire was named the safest state to immigrate to in 2024 based on factors like health care quality, average salaries, housing prices and the rate of violent crime per 100,000 people. The average salary in the Granite State is $74,663, nearly 19% higher than the national average of $62,777.

COLLEGE student loan debt in the U.S. has exceeded $1,737 billion in the third quarter of 2023, WalletHub recently reported. The average individual student loan debt is just over $40,000, while the top age group holding loans are those aged 35-49, with a total debt of $535.7 billion. New Hampshire residents hold a total of $6.2 billion in student loan debt, placing the state on the low end of states in debt.