When it comes to which towns are suffering the most economically from the fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic — unfortunately, no surprise — the poorest are feeling the pain far worse than the wealthiest.
The latest unemployment data shows just how that is the case in the Upper Valley.
Canaan, Claremont, Newport and Charlestown — working-class communities where many residents work in the hard-hit fields of manufacturing, retail and construction — are seeing their unemployment rates soar into the double digits while wealthier communities such as Hanover, Lyme and New London all have jobless rates in the single digits.
And in the case of Hanover, the low, low single digits.
Hanover enjoys — if that is the right word — the lowest level of its residents applying for unemployment benefits in the Granite State, according to data from New Hampshire Employment Security, which administers the state’s unemployment benefits program.
The college town has a “COVID-19 Affected Unemployment Rate” of 2.9% as of April 18, the lowest level among New Hampshire’s 224 towns and cities, the state’s April 30 unemployment report shows. As of Thursday, a total of 145,600 new claims for unemployment have been filed in the state since March 15, according to NHES.
Based upon New Hampshire’s total workforce of 677,600, that suggests a current unemployment rate of about 21.5%.
Unemployment claims are reported by an individual’s place of residence, not place of employment. The Hanover data likely reflects the large proportion of residents who are current and retired Dartmouth faculty and residents who work at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon.
But many of the people who work in Hanover’s restaurants and businesses reside out of town.
Unemployment rates among other Upper Valley cities and towns are: Canaan (15.7%), Claremont (14.6%), Newport (14.5%), Lebanon (11.7%), Charlestown (11.2%), Enfield (10.7%), Grantham (10.3%), New London (9.8%) and Lyme (8.1%).
As grim as those unemployment rates are, they are not as high as Manchester’s at 19.4%. New Hampshire cities Keene (15.5%), Portsmouth (15.1%) and Nashua (13.5%) also are reporting steep levels of unemployment.
Municipalities seeing 20% or greater unemployment include Dalton, Franklin, Gorham, Laconia, Littleton, Lyman, Madison, Meredith, Northfield, Ossipee, Pittsburg, Randolph, Shelburne, Stratford, Tamworth, Tilton, Whitefield and Woodstock.
The highest unemployment rates are reported in Jackson (38%) and Lincoln (37%), both White Mountain towns that rely heavily on tourism.
Also on Thursday, the Vermont Department of Labor reported that another 5,117 residents filed new claims for unemployment as of April 25, which is 1,481 fewer than new claims filed for the week prior but nonetheless brings that state’s current claims total to 81,574.
Based on Vermont’s total workforce of 342,381 people, that suggests a current unemployment rate of at least 23.8%.
Vermont’s Department of Labor does not provide a breakdown of the number of unemployment claims filed by town, but a spokesperson for the department said it’s under consideration.
The restaurant business has been crushed during the pandemic but one Hanover restaurant owner is already adapting his business in anticipation of what he hopes will be the green light to reopen by Memorial Day.
Jimmy Van Kirk, owner of Candela Tapas Lounge, this past week has been busy working with Strafford contractor Blake Spencer to build wood panel partitions between the tables in his restaurant to create private booth-like space for diners. The partitions, which will be stained and polyurethaned for easy wiping and disinfecting, create a barrier so customers can dine in a “more safe and secure environment,” according to Van Kirk.
“Of course it’s not 100% (fool-)proof but you will have your own private space and not have to worry about other customers coughing or sneezing on you,” Van Kirk explained. He thinks the partitions are an idea that other small and medium-size restaurants might consider doing in order to “help bring those doubtful or anxious customers” back.
A former partner in Woodstock’s Melaza Caribbean Bistro, Van Kirk opened Candela in 2013 in the lower level of the Rosey Jekes building on Lebanon Street. Van Kirk had to furlough his seven employees when he closed his restaurant on March 17, but Van Kirk said he just had his Paycheck Protection Program loan from the federal government approved and, with his landlord willing to forgo rent for the months of April and May, he thinks he’ll be able to bridge the pause in business as he hopes to reopen within a few weeks.
Reach John Lippman at jlippman@vnews.com.
