Governor Kelly Ayotte and the New Hampshire Department of Business and Economic Affairs (BEA) today announced the launch of the state's Opportunity Zone 2.0 (OZ 2.0) nomination process, opening the next designation cycle for communities seeking to become federally designated Qualified Opportunity Zones.
Communities across New Hampshire are encouraged to submit recommendations for eligible census tracts as part of a statewide initiative to prepare for the next round of Opportunity Zone designations. Recommendations can be submitted through BEA's Opportunity Zone webpage.
“Opportunity Zones are a powerful tool to attract private investment, create jobs, and strengthen communities across New Hampshire," said Governor Kelly Ayotte. "As we begin this new designation cycle, I encourage our local and regional partners to help us identify places where this program can expand economic opportunity, support workforce housing, and drive long-term growth. Together, we can ensure New Hampshire maximizes our potential for this investment and remains a beacon of economic opportunity for years to come.”
Originally created under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, the Opportunity Zone program was designed to encourage investors, businesses, developers, and financial institutions to reinvest capital gains into rural and low-income communities. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025 permanently authorized the program in the federal tax code and established Opportunity Zone 2.0, refining eligibility requirements while continuing to incentivize investment in underserved areas.
Under the updated program, rural Opportunity Zones will receive an enhanced tax incentive, providing investors with a 30 percent basis step-up—creating additional opportunities to finance transformational projects such as workforce housing, industrial and commercial development, infrastructure improvements, and business expansion.
"Opportunity Zone 2.0 represents a tremendous opportunity for New Hampshire communities to position themselves for future investment," said BEA Commissioner Lucy Lange. "Our goal is to ensure every eligible community understands the program, participates in the nomination process, and has the information needed to compete for this important economic development tool. Through our outreach efforts, we're working directly with local officials and regional partners to identify projects and communities where Opportunity Zone designation can have the greatest impact."
OZ Stats
- Nationwide, the original Opportunity Zone program has designated 8,764 census tracts.
- Home to more than 31.5 million Americans.
- The average poverty rate across designated zones is nearly 28 percent.
- Median family income across designated zones averages approximately $43,000 compared to $136,000 nationally,
- Opportunity Zones also include more than 2,200 food deserts, 47 historically black colleges and universities, and 16 tribal colleges.
BEA is hosting informational sessions with municipalities, regional planning commissions, economic development organizations, and other stakeholders throughout the state to explain the Opportunity Zone 2.0 nomination process and gather public input through July 2026. Following the outreach period, BEA will prepare recommendations for Governor Ayotte's consideration before the federal nomination deadline.
Governors nationwide began submitting Opportunity Zone nominations on July 1, 2026. The U.S. Department of the Treasury will review and designate Qualified Opportunity Zones by December 31, 2026, with new designations taking effect on January 1, 2027. Going forward, Opportunity Zones will be nominated and designated every ten years.
Under the revised federal law, eligibility criteria have become more targeted, including a requirement that qualifying census tracts have a median family income below 70 percent of the applicable benchmark and eliminating the previous provision allowing contiguous census tracts to qualify.
To learn more about Opportunity Zone 2.0, view preliminary eligibility maps, review outreach events, or submit a census tract recommendation, visit:
https://www.choosenh.com/choosenh/work/business-resources/opportunity-zones.
About the New Hampshire Department of Business and Economic Affairs:
The Department of Business and Economic Affairs (BEA) is dedicated to enhancing the economic vitality of the State of New Hampshire while promoting it as a destination for domestic and international visitors. BEA oversees programs in economic development, international commerce, outdoor recreation industry development, planning and community development, travel and tourism, visitor services, and workforce development. For more information, visit
www.nheconomy.com.