New Hampshire business data / Original analysis

Rockingham County gained 20 bookkeeping and other accounting offices from 2018 to 2023, the most in New Hampshire

Which New Hampshire counties added bookkeeping and other accounting offices over the last five years of Census data? We counted bookkeeping and other accounting establishments in all ten counties, every year from 2018 to 2023, using the U.S. Census Bureau's County Business Patterns.

By Ledger House Bookkeeping & Tax · Published October 10, 2026
Data years: 2018 to 2023 · Sources retrieved October 10, 2026

Rockingham County led the state

Rockingham County had 72 bookkeeping and other accounting establishments in 2023, up from 52 in 2018. That gain of 20 was the largest of any New Hampshire county.

The county's employer businesses grew 3.9% over the same years, so the rate rose too, from 5.26 to 7.01 per 1,000 businesses. Hillsborough County, which has the most businesses in the state, went from 51 to 53.

Rockingham CountyHillsborough County

2018

2019

2020

2021

2022

2023

Bookkeeping and other accounting establishments (NAICS 541219), 2018 to 2023, from Census Bureau County Business Patterns data.

Every county, per 1,000 businesses

Measured against each county's business base, Carroll County had the highest rate in 2023 at 7.38 per 1,000 businesses. Rockingham was next at 7.01, and Hillsborough had 4.81. Coos County had no bookkeeping and other accounting establishments listed in the 2023 file.

Bookkeeping and other accounting establishments per 1,000 employer businesses

Carroll

7.38

Rockingham

7.01

Sullivan

5.23

Hillsborough

4.81

Merrimack

4.75

Strafford

4.40

Cheshire

4.00

Belknap

3.67

Grafton

3.08

New Hampshire counties, 2023, from Census Bureau County Business Patterns data.

Most are small shops

In 2023, 44 of Rockingham County's 72 bookkeeping and other accounting establishments had fewer than five employees.

What this means if you're choosing a bookkeeper

More offices means more choice, and most of them are small. A firm's industry code says nothing about how it works month to month, so ask.

Ask whether your accounts are reconciled every month, and by what date you'll see a profit and loss statement.
Find out what your tax preparer receives at year end, and in what state the books arrive.
If the bookkeeper works remotely, ask how you'll share documents and how quickly they reply.

How we got these numbers

We downloaded the Census Bureau's County Business Patterns county files for each year from 2018 to 2023 and read the rows for all ten New Hampshire counties. We used the employer establishment count (est) for 541219 Other Accounting Services, the code that includes bookkeeping services. The CSV also carries 5412, the full accounting, tax preparation, bookkeeping and payroll group. The fewer-than-five-employees figures come from the file's n<5 column.

Industry establishments ÷ all employer establishments in the county × 1,000

For example, Rockingham County in 2023: 72 ÷ 10,266 × 1,000 = 7.01. Percentage changes compare 2018 with 2023 and are rounded to one decimal place.

The 2023 County Business Patterns release is the latest the Census Bureau's dataset directory listed when we checked on October 10, 2026. These are 2023 counts, not 2026 counts.

What this study does not measure

Self-employed accountants and bookkeepers. County Business Patterns covers businesses with paid employees. Sole proprietors with no staff are not in these counts.
Companies. An establishment is one business location. A firm with two offices counts twice.
Where clients are. Firms are counted where they are located. A firm may serve clients in other counties or states.
Demand, quality or prices. These are counts of business locations only.
Small numbers. With counts this small, one office opening or closing moves the rate noticeably, so read single-year changes with care.

Every county, industry and year

Employer establishments by county, industry and year. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns; rates by Ledger House Bookkeeping & Tax.
Year	County	Industry	Establishments	Fewer than 5 employees	All businesses	Per 1,000 businesses
2018	Belknap County	Bookkeeping and other accounting	Not listed	n/a	1,804	n/a
2018	Belknap County	All accounting, tax, bookkeeping and payroll	15	8	1,804	8.31
2018	Carroll County	Bookkeeping and other accounting	12	8	1,878	6.39
2018	Carroll County	All accounting, tax, bookkeeping and payroll	27	18	1,878	14.38
2018	Cheshire County	Bookkeeping and other accounting	5	3	1,924	2.60
2018	Cheshire County	All accounting, tax, bookkeeping and payroll	28	19	1,924	14.55
2018	Coos County	Bookkeeping and other accounting	Not listed	n/a	851	n/a
2018	Coos County	All accounting, tax, bookkeeping and payroll	6	4	851	7.05
2018	Grafton County	Bookkeeping and other accounting	10	6	2,926	3.42
2018	Grafton County	All accounting, tax, bookkeeping and payroll	38	19	2,926	12.99
2018	Hillsborough County	Bookkeeping and other accounting	51	40	11,030	4.62
2018	Hillsborough County	All accounting, tax, bookkeeping and payroll	164	111	11,030	14.87
2018	Merrimack County	Bookkeeping and other accounting	22	18	4,102	5.36
2018	Merrimack County	All accounting, tax, bookkeeping and payroll	63	48	4,102	15.36
2018	Rockingham County	Bookkeeping and other accounting	52	33	9,885	5.26
2018	Rockingham County	All accounting, tax, bookkeeping and payroll	140	94	9,885	14.16
2018	Strafford County	Bookkeeping and other accounting	12	10	2,628	4.57
2018	Strafford County	All accounting, tax, bookkeeping and payroll	31	20	2,628	11.80
2018	Sullivan County	Bookkeeping and other accounting	4	4	923	4.33
2018	Sullivan County	All accounting, tax, bookkeeping and payroll	9	9	923	9.75
2019	Belknap County	Bookkeeping and other accounting	Not listed	n/a	1,835	n/a
2019	Belknap County	All accounting, tax, bookkeeping and payroll	16	10	1,835	8.72
2019	Carroll County	Bookkeeping and other accounting	11	7	1,862	5.91
2019	Carroll County	All accounting, tax, bookkeeping and payroll	26	16	1,862	13.96
2019	Cheshire County	Bookkeeping and other accounting	6	4	1,932	3.11
2019	Cheshire County	All accounting, tax, bookkeeping and payroll	27	18	1,932	13.98
2019	Coos County	Bookkeeping and other accounting	Not listed	n/a	843	n/a
2019	Coos County	All accounting, tax, bookkeeping and payroll	6	4	843	7.12
2019	Grafton County	Bookkeeping and other accounting	7	5	2,933	2.39
2019	Grafton County	All accounting, tax, bookkeeping and payroll	36	19	2,933	12.27
2019	Hillsborough County	Bookkeeping and other accounting	55	42	11,049	4.98
2019	Hillsborough County	All accounting, tax, bookkeeping and payroll	163	104	11,049	14.75
2019	Merrimack County	Bookkeeping and other accounting	23	21	4,123	5.58
2019	Merrimack County	All accounting, tax, bookkeeping and payroll	63	52	4,123	15.28
2019	Rockingham County	Bookkeeping and other accounting	54	36	9,918	5.44
2019	Rockingham County	All accounting, tax, bookkeeping and payroll	144	100	9,918	14.52
2019	Strafford County	Bookkeeping and other accounting	14	12	2,648	5.29
2019	Strafford County	All accounting, tax, bookkeeping and payroll	33	22	2,648	12.46
2019	Sullivan County	Bookkeeping and other accounting	3	3	911	3.29
2019	Sullivan County	All accounting, tax, bookkeeping and payroll	9	9	911	9.88
2020	Belknap County	Bookkeeping and other accounting	3	3	1,859	1.61
2020	Belknap County	All accounting, tax, bookkeeping and payroll	17	11	1,859	9.14
2020	Carroll County	Bookkeeping and other accounting	11	7	1,846	5.96
2020	Carroll County	All accounting, tax, bookkeeping and payroll	26	16	1,846	14.08
2020	Cheshire County	Bookkeeping and other accounting	8	6	1,912	4.18
2020	Cheshire County	All accounting, tax, bookkeeping and payroll	28	19	1,912	14.64
2020	Coos County	Bookkeeping and other accounting	Not listed	n/a	823	n/a
2020	Coos County	All accounting, tax, bookkeeping and payroll	6	4	823	7.29
2020	Grafton County	Bookkeeping and other accounting	7	3	2,885	2.43
2020	Grafton County	All accounting, tax, bookkeeping and payroll	35	17	2,885	12.13
2020	Hillsborough County	Bookkeeping and other accounting	51	35	10,997	4.64
2020	Hillsborough County	All accounting, tax, bookkeeping and payroll	160	103	10,997	14.55
2020	Merrimack County	Bookkeeping and other accounting	27	24	4,092	6.60
2020	Merrimack County	All accounting, tax, bookkeeping and payroll	69	56	4,092	16.86
2020	Rockingham County	Bookkeeping and other accounting	58	39	9,888	5.87
2020	Rockingham County	All accounting, tax, bookkeeping and payroll	152	105	9,888	15.37
2020	Strafford County	Bookkeeping and other accounting	15	11	2,687	5.58
2020	Strafford County	All accounting, tax, bookkeeping and payroll	33	22	2,687	12.28
2020	Sullivan County	Bookkeeping and other accounting	3	3	894	3.36
2020	Sullivan County	All accounting, tax, bookkeeping and payroll	8	8	894	8.95
2021	Belknap County	Bookkeeping and other accounting	5	4	1,870	2.67
2021	Belknap County	All accounting, tax, bookkeeping and payroll	20	15	1,870	10.70
2021	Carroll County	Bookkeeping and other accounting	11	8	1,879	5.85
2021	Carroll County	All accounting, tax, bookkeeping and payroll	24	15	1,879	12.77
2021	Cheshire County	Bookkeeping and other accounting	7	5	1,972	3.55
2021	Cheshire County	All accounting, tax, bookkeeping and payroll	26	18	1,972	13.18
2021	Coos County	Bookkeeping and other accounting	Not listed	n/a	821	n/a
2021	Coos County	All accounting, tax, bookkeeping and payroll	6	4	821	7.31
2021	Grafton County	Bookkeeping and other accounting	7	4	2,907	2.41
2021	Grafton County	All accounting, tax, bookkeeping and payroll	34	19	2,907	11.70
2021	Hillsborough County	Bookkeeping and other accounting	51	37	11,040	4.62
2021	Hillsborough County	All accounting, tax, bookkeeping and payroll	158	103	11,040	14.31
2021	Merrimack County	Bookkeeping and other accounting	26	22	4,184	6.21
2021	Merrimack County	All accounting, tax, bookkeeping and payroll	71	57	4,184	16.97
2021	Rockingham County	Bookkeeping and other accounting	62	43	9,986	6.21
2021	Rockingham County	All accounting, tax, bookkeeping and payroll	153	106	9,986	15.32
2021	Strafford County	Bookkeeping and other accounting	14	11	2,710	5.17
2021	Strafford County	All accounting, tax, bookkeeping and payroll	30	20	2,710	11.07
2021	Sullivan County	Bookkeeping and other accounting	4	4	928	4.31
2021	Sullivan County	All accounting, tax, bookkeeping and payroll	10	10	928	10.78
2022	Belknap County	Bookkeeping and other accounting	7	6	1,887	3.71
2022	Belknap County	All accounting, tax, bookkeeping and payroll	21	16	1,887	11.13
2022	Carroll County	Bookkeeping and other accounting	14	10	1,904	7.35
2022	Carroll County	All accounting, tax, bookkeeping and payroll	26	14	1,904	13.66
2022	Cheshire County	Bookkeeping and other accounting	8	6	1,996	4.01
2022	Cheshire County	All accounting, tax, bookkeeping and payroll	28	18	1,996	14.03
2022	Coos County	Bookkeeping and other accounting	Not listed	n/a	822	n/a
2022	Coos County	All accounting, tax, bookkeeping and payroll	7	4	822	8.52
2022	Grafton County	Bookkeeping and other accounting	8	5	2,906	2.75
2022	Grafton County	All accounting, tax, bookkeeping and payroll	33	19	2,906	11.36
2022	Hillsborough County	Bookkeeping and other accounting	51	38	11,057	4.61
2022	Hillsborough County	All accounting, tax, bookkeeping and payroll	153	100	11,057	13.84
2022	Merrimack County	Bookkeeping and other accounting	23	19	4,249	5.41
2022	Merrimack County	All accounting, tax, bookkeeping and payroll	67	54	4,249	15.77
2022	Rockingham County	Bookkeeping and other accounting	67	45	10,232	6.55
2022	Rockingham County	All accounting, tax, bookkeeping and payroll	147	97	10,232	14.37
2022	Strafford County	Bookkeeping and other accounting	11	9	2,765	3.98
2022	Strafford County	All accounting, tax, bookkeeping and payroll	30	19	2,765	10.85
2022	Sullivan County	Bookkeeping and other accounting	5	5	946	5.29
2022	Sullivan County	All accounting, tax, bookkeeping and payroll	13	13	946	13.74
2023	Belknap County	Bookkeeping and other accounting	7	7	1,905	3.67
2023	Belknap County	All accounting, tax, bookkeeping and payroll	23	20	1,905	12.07
2023	Carroll County	Bookkeeping and other accounting	14	8	1,896	7.38
2023	Carroll County	All accounting, tax, bookkeeping and payroll	25	12	1,896	13.19
2023	Cheshire County	Bookkeeping and other accounting	8	6	2,001	4.00
2023	Cheshire County	All accounting, tax, bookkeeping and payroll	27	17	2,001	13.49
2023	Coos County	Bookkeeping and other accounting	Not listed	n/a	809	n/a
2023	Coos County	All accounting, tax, bookkeeping and payroll	7	5	809	8.65
2023	Grafton County	Bookkeeping and other accounting	9	6	2,920	3.08
2023	Grafton County	All accounting, tax, bookkeeping and payroll	35	17	2,920	11.99
2023	Hillsborough County	Bookkeeping and other accounting	53	39	11,028	4.81
2023	Hillsborough County	All accounting, tax, bookkeeping and payroll	158	99	11,028	14.33
2023	Merrimack County	Bookkeeping and other accounting	20	17	4,213	4.75
2023	Merrimack County	All accounting, tax, bookkeeping and payroll	65	51	4,213	15.43
2023	Rockingham County	Bookkeeping and other accounting	72	44	10,266	7.01
2023	Rockingham County	All accounting, tax, bookkeeping and payroll	148	91	10,266	14.42
2023	Strafford County	Bookkeeping and other accounting	12	10	2,729	4.40
2023	Strafford County	All accounting, tax, bookkeeping and payroll	31	21	2,729	11.36
2023	Sullivan County	Bookkeeping and other accounting	5	5	956	5.23
2023	Sullivan County	All accounting, tax, bookkeeping and payroll	13	13	956	13.60

The CSV download also includes the full NAICS 5412 group for every county.

Sources and update record

U.S. Census Bureau County Business Patterns county files (ZIP), one per year: 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023. Release list: County Business Patterns datasets.

October 10, 2026: first publication. When the Census Bureau releases a newer year, this page is recalculated and reviewed before any figure changes. Spotted an error? Tell us.