New Hampshire prevailing wage rates, by county
What contractors must pay each trade on federally funded jobs in New Hampshire, county by county. Wage plus fringe, next to what the same trade earns on private work.
Look up the prevailing wage in your New Hampshire county
Rates by county for the main trades
Rates are set by county, not by city. The New Hampshire metros with their own pay pages are Boston (Rockingham, Strafford). Click any county below for every trade on its determination.
| County | Electrician | Plumber | Carpenter | Construction laborer | Heavy equipment operator | Ironworker | Sheet metal worker | Painter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belknap | $59.04 | $33.84* | $25.00* | $25.80* | $24.69* | $59.77 | $50.59* | $20.62* |
| Carroll | $34.70* | $34.21* | $22.75* | $27.63* | $23.34* | $59.77 | $36.66* | $18.89* |
| Cheshire | $59.04 | $35.00* | $25.68* | $46.83 | $24.69* | $59.77 | $50.59* | $20.62* |
| Coos | $46.12* | $34.21* | $36.76* | $23.39* | $23.34* | $59.77 | $36.66* | $18.89* |
| Grafton | $29.20* | $35.04* | $37.68* | $24.01* | $23.34* | $59.77 | $36.66* | $18.89* |
| Hillsborough | $59.04 | $33.65* | $30.92* | $27.32* | $28.83* | $36.80* | $43.92* | $26.27* |
| Merrimack | $59.04 | $33.84* | $35.25* | $46.83 | $24.69* | $59.77 | $50.59* | $20.62* |
| Rockingham | $59.04 | $32.28* | $33.02* | $46.83 | $28.27* | $59.77 | $30.34* | $26.27* |
| Strafford | $59.04 | $34.00* | $38.19* | $30.64* | $28.27* | $36.58* | $30.34* | $26.27* |
| Sullivan | $59.04 | $35.00* | $25.68* | $46.83 | $24.69* | $59.77 | $50.59* | $20.62* |
Building construction, wage + fringe per hour, current revision. * = survey rate. Not the official determination: the lookup gives the determination number and a link to the official text.
Prevailing wage vs market pay in New Hampshire
The prevailing wage is what federally funded jobs must pay. The market median is what New Hampshire employers report paying across all work, with no benefits in it. Every trade in the state is ranked on the highest-paying trades in New Hampshire page, and every state is compared on the prevailing wage rates by state page.
| Trade | Market median $/hr | Prevailing wage $/hr (wage + fringe) | Rate type | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrician in New Hampshire | $30.21 | $59.04 | Union | +$28.83 |
| Plumber in New Hampshire | $32.12 | $34.11 | Survey | +$1.99 |
| Carpenter in New Hampshire | $29.42 | $31.97 | Survey | +$2.55 |
| Construction laborer in New Hampshire | $24.03 | $46.83 | Union | +$22.80 |
| Heavy equipment operator in New Hampshire | $29.91 | $24.69 | Survey | $-5.22 |
| Ironworker in New Hampshire | $28.81 | $59.77 | Union | +$30.96 |
| Sheet metal worker in New Hampshire | $28.75 | $40.29 | Survey | +$11.54 |
| Painter in New Hampshire | $23.88 | $20.62 | Survey | $-3.26 |
Prevailing wage is the typical Davis-Bacon rate across counties with one, Building construction. The market median has no benefits in it, so the gap is bigger than the difference in take-home pay. Not the official determination.
Questions this page answers
What is the prevailing wage in New Hampshire?
On federally funded construction in New Hampshire, it is the Davis-Bacon rate: a wage plus a fringe amount for benefits, set by county and trade in 32 wage determinations covering Building, Residential, Heavy and Highway work. Electricians are on a union rate in 7 of the 10 counties with a Building rate, and the typical union rate is $59.04 an hour, wage and fringe together.
How many Davis-Bacon wage determinations cover New Hampshire?
32 active determinations cover New Hampshire: 9 Building, 11 Heavy, 10 Highway, 2 Residential. The Building ones list rates for 10 counties, shown on this page. This page covers the federal rates; state-funded jobs may fall under New Hampshire's own prevailing wage law.
How often do the rates change?
The Department of Labor publishes changes most Thursdays. The latest change to a New Hampshire determination in our data is dated 2026-05-18. New determination numbers come out each January.
Sources and notes
- SAM.gov Davis-Bacon wage determinations for New Hampshire, current revisions as of 2026-11-13: Residential 2, Heavy 11, Building 9, Highway 10.
- BLS OEWS May 2025 for market medians.
- Trade names simplified from the official classification labels by Skilled Wages; where a determination lists several electrician or laborer classes, the journeyman or general class is shown. The official text governs.