The Granite State: A Place Where We All Belong
Let’s start with a definition — because here in New Hampshire, we like things to be clear and orderly (not to mention I was a philosophy major in college, focusing on metaphysics and language, as I was attracted to understanding meaning). “Belonging” isn’t just a fuzzy, warm feeling like sipping maple syrup by a woodstove. Belonging means being accepted and included as your full self. It means being:
Recognized for your contributions.
Respected regardless of where you’re from or what accent you carry.
Included in decision-making.
Safe from bias, discrimination and invisibility.
Needed, not just tolerated.
Without Belonging, Who’s Left to Milk the Cows?
Now, let’s talk about work, because in New Hampshire, we also like to get things done. The truth is, without immigrants and newcomers, a whole lot of necessary work simply wouldn’t get done in this state. We’re not talking about fancy tech jobs or Wall Street consulting gigs. We’re talking elder care, dairy farms, restaurants, janitorial services, construction and child care. The work that keeps the economy from collapsing like a snowbank in April.
Take farming: According to the USDA, New Hampshire farms rely heavily on migrant and immigrant labor, especially in dairy and produce operations. Some local farmers report that over 70% of their workforce is foreign-born. And let’s be honest, no offense to the “Live Free or Die” crowd, but very few born-and-bred Yankees are signing up to muck stalls at 4 a.m. in February.
Health care? Same deal. A 2020 report by the New Hampshire Fiscal Policy Institute revealed that immigrants make up nearly 13% of health care support workers statewide. That includes home health aides, nursing assistants and personal care workers — jobs we desperately need to fill in a state where more than 20% of the population is over age 65, making New Hampshire one of the oldest states in the country. (Insert your own “aging like a fine cheddar” joke here.)
Low Unemployment ≠ Plenty of Workers
“But wait!” you say. “Doesn’t New Hampshire have one of the lowest unemployment rates in the nation?” Indeed, we do. In fact, as of early 2025, it hovers just under 2.6%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. But low unemployment isn’t the same as high enthusiasm. Many jobs remain vacant simply because New Hampshire residents don’t want them — or in some cases, can’t physically or logistically do them. And the unemployment rate we usually hear about is just the U-3 rate (those who filed for unemployment this month). That does not even account for those who have stopped looking for one reason or another, which are included in the U-6 rate, currently at 4.5%.
It’s not that people are lazy. It’s that people — especially native-born Granite Staters — are often older, more settled or in possession of a job that doesn’t require lifting 50 pounds repeatedly while wearing thermal socks. These “unfilled” jobs aren’t unfillable; they just need to be filled by people who are new, willing and able.
But What About the Robots?
Another common refrain: “Aren’t machines going to take all these jobs anyway?” Well, not yet. Despite the hype about automation and AI flipping burgers or providing elder care, the bots are still notoriously bad at cleaning bedpans or coaxing a colicky baby to sleep. In sectors like health care, agriculture and food service, human labor is still irreplaceable and deeply undervalued.
Even in tech-heavy industries, someone still has to maintain the buildings, deliver the lunch, clean the classrooms and drive the shuttle. That someone is often a first- or second-generation immigrant.
No Belonging, No Reputation
Here’s the kicker: When people don’t feel like they belong, they leave. Or worse, they never come in the first place. And that, friends, is how New Hampshire gains a reputation as “that pretty but prickly state where everyone’s cousin is on the planning board and no one waves back at the grocery store.”
We are already seeing the signs. School districts are shrinking. Businesses are struggling to hire. Community services are thinning. And for all our natural beauty and high quality of life, New Hampshire ranks 47th in racial diversity and has a growing reputation (deserved or not) as a state that’s suspicious of “outsiders,” which increasingly includes Americans from other states, not just immigrants.
You don’t have to be fluent in equity-speak to understand this: If people don’t feel welcome, they won’t stay. And if they don’t stay, they won’t work, raise families or start businesses. They won’t volunteer at the library or run for school board. They won’t pay taxes or shovel the neighbor’s walk.
Belonging isn’t just a moral issue. It’s an economic survival strategy.
Let’s Get Belonging Right
So, what can we do? Well, we could start by:
- Pronouncing people’s names correctly.
- Supporting multilingual services in schools and hospitals.
- Hiring people from different backgrounds (not just racial) and not just for “diversity” roles.
- Backing community events where newcomers are more than an add-on act with drumming (no slight to my friend, the well-known Theo Martey and The Akwaaba Ensemble).
- And maybe, just maybe, waving back at the grocery store.
Belonging isn’t a program. It’s a culture. It’s built by small acts, honest welcomes, and a commitment to see new faces not as threats, but as neighbors, colleagues and future co-hosts of the potluck.
Because in New Hampshire, we like things that last: rock walls, maple syrup and, hopefully, communities. And if we want to keep what we love, we need to make room for new people to belong — not just to survive but to thrive.
Otherwise, we may find ourselves with beautiful empty towns, a surplus of jobs no one wants, and a future that is dark because people didn’t feel welcome.
Now pass the cider and make room at the table — we’ve got company!
This article was featured in 603 Diversity.
603 Diversity’s mission is to educate readers of all backgrounds about the exciting accomplishments and cultural contributions of the state’s diverse communities, as well as the challenges faced and support needed by those communities to continue to grow and thrive in the Granite State.
