Economic Reports
Business Retention and Expansion Program: Final Report October 2017
The City of Portsmouth, with the help of almost a hundred volunteers and UNH experts, surveyed a very large portion of our local businesses to get a pulse on their past, present, and future. A healthy local economy and an improved business climate are the goals of the Business Retention and Expansion (BR&E) Visitation program. The program promotes job growth by helping communities identify the concerns and barriers to survival and growth facing local businesses. This approach focuses on existing businesses. Studies show that 40% to 80% of all new jobs are created by existing firms rather than by new business attraction. Furthermore, business attraction efforts are less likely to be successful if existing businesses are unhappy with the local business climate. This report includes an overall summary, notes from the UNH faculty review, and survey results.
A Community Profile
The City of Portsmouth (population: 21,463) is a seaport community on the Piscataqua River, divides New Hampshire and Maine. It is a regional economic and cultural hub for seacoast New Hampshire and lies 57 miles north of Boston, Massachusetts, and 51 miles south of Portland, Maine.
Read Portsmouth's Community Profile
Fiscal Year 14 Economic Conditions Report
The City of Portsmouth serves as the economic center of northeastern Rockingham County and provides a large share of employment in the region. Portsmouth has excellent accessibility via ground, water, and air transportation. Situated on Interstate 95, U.S. Route 1, and NH Route 16, Portsmouth serves as a gateway into New Hampshire from Maine while also providing easy access to Manchester, Nashua, Concord, and Boston. The city is also home to the Port of New Hampshire, one of the oldest working waterfronts in the country, as well as the Pease International Tradeport and airport.