Employee Cost: Georgia vs New Hampshire (2026)

Side-by-side comparison of employer costs, payroll taxes, SUTA rates, and workers' comp.

At a $60,000 salary

Georgia saves $146/employee/year

$65,446 in Georgia vs $65,592 in New Hampshire

Georgia

$65,446

1.09x salary

New Hampshire

$65,592

1.09x salary

Cost Breakdown Comparison

Based on $60,000 annual salary

Cost Component GA NH Diff
Base Salary $60,000 $60,000
Social Security (6.2%) $3,720 $3,720
Medicare (1.45%) $870 $870
FUTA (0.6%) $42 $42
SUTA (State Unemployment) $166 $210 -$44
Workers' Compensation $648 $750 -$102
Total Employer Cost $65,446 $65,592 -$146

Tax Rate Comparison

Rate Georgia New Hampshire
SUTA Rate Range 0.4% – 5.4% 0.1% – 7.0%
SUTA Typical Rate 1.75% 1.5%
SUTA Wage Base $9,500 $14,000
Workers' Comp Rate 1.08% 1.25%
State Income Tax Yes No

What This Means for Employers

For a business hiring at a $60,000 salary, choosing Georgia over New Hampshire saves $146 per employee per year in employer-side payroll costs alone. For a team of 10, that's $1,458 annually.

The biggest difference comes from workers' compensation rates — Georgia charges 1.08% vs New Hampshire's 1.25%. Note that federal taxes (Social Security, Medicare, FUTA) are identical in both states.

These numbers reflect employer-side costs only and don't include benefits, overhead, or the employee's own tax burden. Use the interactive Employee Cost Calculator to model different salary levels and benefits packages.

Cost Comparison at Different Salary Levels

How the gap changes from $30K to $150K

Salary GA Total NH Total Difference
$30,000 $32,827 $32,922 -$95
$40,000 $43,700 $43,812 -$112
$50,000 $54,573 $54,702 -$129
$60,000 $65,446 $65,592 -$146
$75,000 $81,756 $81,927 -$171
$100,000 $108,938 $109,152 -$214
$125,000 $136,121 $136,377 -$256
$150,000 $163,303 $163,602 -$299

Click any amount to see the full cost breakdown for that salary and state. Amounts shown from the perspective of GA.

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