The local economy of New Mexico and its counties, metro areas and cities, from official US government data, plus daily local gas prices for the state, its counties and metro areas.
Unemployment rate
4.7%
+0.6 ptsvs a year ago
Counties: lowest Los Alamos County 2.2%, highest Luna County 11.4%.
August 2026, seasonally adjusted, preliminary
Average weekly pay
$1,235
+2.7%vs a year ago
867,405 jobs at 67,081 business locations.
Q1 2026, all jobs
New homes permitted
7,746
-1.9%this year vs last year
Most in New Mexico Balance of State 2,704, Bernalillo County 1,720.
Homes in the last 12 months, to August 2026
People moving in
-1,508
-0.9 per 1,000residents
53,433 moved in and 54,941 moved out. Most newcomers came from Texas.
Net people, 2022 to 2023, the newest year published
New Mexico gas price
$4.44
+$1.55vs a year ago
Counties: lowest Otero County $4.11, highest Catron County $4.93. Counties and metro areas
Regular, per gallon, New Mexico, October 10, 2026
Newest data: -. Not seasonally adjusted: compare with the same month a year earlier. Click a row for the history of that area.
The state, its counties and metro areas, updated daily. A separate series from the weekly survey prices above.
Business locations, employees and payroll by industry, 2023. Click an industry for its US report.
Business locations
45K
0.0%vs 2022
2023, places with paid employees
Employees
659K
+3.1%vs 2022
Largest sector: Health Care and Social Assistance (19.6%).
2023, mid-March
Annual payroll
$35.0B
Wages and salaries paid during the year.
2023, all industries
Average pay
$53,065
Highest sector: Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction $103,190.
Per employee per year
Share of New Mexico's employees, 2023
| Industry | Employees | Average pay |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurants and Other Eating Places | 72,742 | $22,699 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals | 33,429 | $79,515 |
| Scientific Research and Development Services | 31,397 | $99,821 |
| Individual and Family Services | 21,246 | $26,028 |
| General Merchandise Stores, including Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters | 18,420 | $31,712 |
| Traveler Accommodation | 18,125 | $32,135 |
| Grocery Stores | 14,169 | $30,765 |
| Building Equipment Contractors | 13,545 | $65,819 |
| Home Health Care Services | 10,408 | $34,154 |
| Support Activities for Mining | 10,127 | $89,781 |
| Offices of Physicians | 10,066 | $92,700 |
| Gasoline Stations | 9,231 | $29,700 |
Most values are changed slightly to protect the privacy of single businesses; a few are withheld and shown as a range. Counties and metro areas have the same numbers in the area card above (Industries).
Offered pay in certified work-visa filings, fiscal year 2025 (October 2024 to September 2025). Click a company for its jobs and salaries.
In fiscal year 2025, employers offered a median of $87,095 a year in 1,104 certified H-1B filings for jobs in New Mexico, up 8.7% from 2024 (US: $120,000). The largest job group was Materials Engineers. Fiscal year 2026 so far covers filings decided through Jun 30, 2026.
Median offered pay
$87,095
+8.7%vs 2024
Middle half: $65,172 to $110,219.
H-1B, fiscal year 2025
H-1B filings
1,104
+9.0%vs 2024
1,565 positions asked for.
Certified, full-time, fiscal year 2025
Top job group
$90,272
Materials Engineers, 105 filings.
Median offered pay of the largest job group
Green card jobs
$86,008
+3.8%vs 2024
212 PERM filings.
PERM median, fiscal year 2025
Median and middle half of the offers in New Mexico, next to the US median. Hover a year for the numbers.
| Job group | Filings | Median pay |
|---|---|---|
| Materials Engineers | 105 | $90,272 |
| Software Developers | 95 | $103,314 |
| Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education | 64 | $60,750 |
| Physicians, All Other | 56 | $308,672 |
| Computer Programmers | 50 | $75,000 |
| Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education | 47 | $53,000 |
| Geographic Information Systems Technologists and Technicians | 36 | $102,918 |
| Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education | 32 | $55,000 |
| Special Education Teachers, Elementary School | 28 | $55,500 |
| Data Scientists | 26 | $86,486 |
| Employer | Filings | Cities |
|---|---|---|
| Intel Corporation | 125 | 1 |
| Presbyterian Healthcare Services | 79 | 5 |
| University of New Mexico | 72 | 3 |
| Triad National Security, LLC | 71 | 1 |
| Speridian Technologies, LLC | 44 | 1 |
| New Mexico State University | 44 | 5 |
| Mission Achievement and Success Charter School | 29 | 1 |
| Hobbs Municipal Schools | 29 | 1 |
| Cognizant Technology Solutions US Corp. CTSH | 25 | 2 |
| Grants / Cibola County Schools | 21 | 1 |
| City | Filings | Median pay | Middle half |
|---|---|---|---|
| Albuquerque | 404 | $92,872 | $72,710 to $126,247 |
| Rio Rancho | 145 | $90,272 | $90,272 to $110,219 |
| Santa Fe | 97 | $77,230 | $70,000 to $94,702 |
| Los Alamos | 78 | $106,727 | $101,128 to $150,779 |
| Las Cruces | 63 | $79,156 | $64,740 to $103,750 |
| Hobbs | 41 | $60,000 | $53,000 to $66,144 |
| Socorro | 25 | $66,950 | $54,570 to $81,099 |
| Espanola | 23 | $52,500 | $52,500 to $55,000 |
| Clovis | 21 | $70,000 | $58,648 to $90,000 |
| Grants | 21 | $53,000 | $53,000 to $53,000 |
Yearly pay that employers offered in certified work-visa filings (H-1B, E-3 and PERM green card), from official public data. Pay is the lower end of the offered pay range, for full-time positions only. These are offered pay figures for positions in work-visa filings, not the pay of all employees. A filing is an offer for a position, not a hire, and one person can appear in several filings. Fiscal years run from October to September. Groups with fewer than 3 filings show counts only. Employers are ranked by filings in the cities of New Mexico added up.
Declared disasters and flood insurance claims: what happened, from official public data.
New Mexico has had 127 declared disasters and emergencies since 1954, 105 of them since 2000, most often Fire. Flood insurance has paid $41.9 million on 1,938 claims since 1978; the biggest year was 2024 ($15.9 million).
Declared disasters
105
24 major disasters. Most often Fire (75 since 1954).
Since 2000, all types; 127 since 1954
Flood claims paid
$27.4M
668 claims. Biggest year 2024 ($15.9M).
2016 to 2025, flood insurance
Policies in force
13,696
Average premium $1,089 a year.
2025, flood insurance policies
Most-declared county
29
Lincoln County, latest Jul 22, 2025.
Declarations since 2000
Declarations for New Mexico, 1954 to today
Claims paid in New Mexico by the year of the flood, US dollars
Declarations since 1954
Declarations naming the county since 2000; statewide ones not counted
All years since 1978; policies are a yearly average. Top 15 of 29.
| # | County | Claims | Paid | Policies |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lincoln County | 269 | $17.1M | 251 |
| 2 | Chaves County | 132 | $8.38M | 467 |
| 3 | Dona Ana County | 208 | $4.89M | 1,401 |
| 4 | Otero County | 130 | $1.54M | 1,499 |
| 5 | Bernalillo County | 173 | $1.43M | 1,790 |
| 6 | Valencia County | 125 | $982K | 2,870 |
| 7 | Santa Fe County | 53 | $958K | 451 |
| 8 | Lea County | 208 | $931K | 939 |
| 9 | San Miguel County | 139 | $824K | 482 |
| 10 | Cibola County | 28 | $611K | 99 |
| 11 | Curry County | 56 | $563K | 341 |
| 12 | San Juan County | 48 | $537K | 228 |
| 13 | Mora County | 64 | $478K | 239 |
| 14 | Socorro County | 23 | $435K | 193 |
| 15 | Sandoval County | 51 | $359K | 730 |
A declaration opens federal help after a disaster; it can name counties or the whole state. Flood insurance numbers count insured losses only (most homes have no flood insurance) and are not adjusted for inflation; the current year is data so far. For the flood-zone risk of a place, open the area on the real estate map.
Environmental compliance records, workplace safety inspections and greenhouse gas reports of facilities in New Mexico, from official public data.
Official public data lists 3,857 facilities in New Mexico with records since 2010, 3,742 of them with environmental compliance records. In 2022 to 2026, the largest penalties were at Red Hills Gas Processing Plant in Jal ($47,833,048). 166 large facilities reported 23.7 million metric tons of greenhouse gases in 2023, down 16.6% from 2022.
Facilities with records
3,857
3,742 with environmental records.
Since 2010
Largest penalties
$47.8M
Red Hills Gas Processing Plant, Jal.
One facility, 2022 to 2026
Greenhouse gases
23.7M t
-16.6%vs 2022
166 reporting facilities.
Metric tons CO2e, 2023
Largest emitter
7.19M t
Aps Four Corners Power Plant, Fruitland.
Metric tons CO2e, 2023
| Facility | Penalties | Violations |
|---|---|---|
| Red Hills Gas Processing Plant Jal | $47,833,048 | 5 |
| Nandina Ctb Jal | $40,336,818 | 1 |
| Hp Gas Pad Jal | $40,336,818 | 1 |
| Red Bud Ctb Jal | $40,336,818 | 1 |
| Azalea Battery Jal | $40,336,818 | 0 |
| Amen Corner Ctb Jal | $40,336,818 | 1 |
| Artesia Refinery Artesia | $33,916,450 | 2 |
| Artesia Gas Plant Artesia | $33,504,866 | 0 |
| Dcp Midstream - Eunice Gas Plant Oil Center | $33,504,866 | 0 |
| Double X Booster Station Jal | $31,604,866 | 0 |
| Facility | Metric tons CO2e |
|---|---|
| Aps Four Corners Power Plant Fruitland | 7,185,334 |
| Hobbs Generating Station Hobbs | 1,600,257 |
| Luna Energy Facility Deming | 1,350,498 |
| Mewbourne Oil Company - Permian Basin 430 Hobbs | 954,688 |
| Williams G&B Facility San Juan Basin 580 Bloomfield | 883,285 |
| Cunningham Hobbs | 866,328 |
| Milagro Gas Plant Bloomfield | 856,590 |
| Artesia Refinery Artesia | 777,339 |
| Afton Generating Station La Mesa | 575,637 |
| Red Hills Gas Processing Plant Jal | 572,876 |
Large facilities in New Mexico, metric tons of CO2 equivalent. Hover a year for the number.
Their facilities in New Mexico, 2022 to 2026. Click a company for its Risk & Compliance tab.
| Company | Facilities | Penalties | CO2e (t) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phillips 66 PSX | 4 | $67.0M | 653K |
| ConocoPhillips COP | 8 | $56.4M | 224K |
| HF Sinclair Corporation DINO | 2 | $33.9M | 910K |
| Exxon Mobil Corporation XOM | 24 | $11.0M | 73K |
| Occidental Petroleum Corporation OXY | 11 | $1.20M | 22K |
| Chevron Corporation CVX | 5 | $770K | - |
| Marathon Petroleum Corporation MPC | 2 | $84K | - |
| Tyson Foods, Inc. TSN | 1 | $2,000 | - |
Official public data on environmental compliance records, workplace safety inspections and greenhouse gas reports, summarized by facility and year since 2010. A record does not mean a site is unsafe today; penalties and violations vary a lot by industry and size. Penalties are the amounts assessed (after settlements), not amounts paid. Recent years can still change.
Cost, students and graduate earnings of the colleges in the state, from official public data.
The newest unemployment rate, pay, new home permits, moves and gas price for New Mexico, updated as new official numbers come out.
Unemployment for New Mexico is seasonally adjusted; for its counties, metro areas and cities it is not, so compare a month with the same month a year earlier. Pay covers all jobs that pay into unemployment insurance. Building permits count homes approved to be built, not homes sold. Moves count households by where they filed their tax returns in two years in a row. Daily gas prices are average pump prices for New Mexico, its counties and metro areas on the day shown. The weekly gas prices in the explorer come from a separate weekly survey that publishes a price for only some states, so a state without one shows the price of its region there; the two series are never combined.
The unemployment rate in New Mexico was 4.7% in August 2026 (seasonally adjusted, preliminary), compared with 4.1% a year earlier. 924,066 people were employed out of a labor force of 969,788. Among its counties, Los Alamos County had the lowest rate (2.2%) and Luna County the highest (11.4%, not seasonally adjusted).
Average weekly pay in New Mexico was $1,235 in Q1 2026, up 2.7% from a year earlier, across 867,405 jobs at 67,081 business locations.
Building permits were issued for 728 new homes in New Mexico in August 2026 (546 single-family and 164 in buildings with 5 or more units). From January to August the total was 5,241, down 1.9% from the same months last year, and 7,746 in the last 12 months. The most homes were permitted in New Mexico Balance of State (2,704), Bernalillo County (1,720), Sandoval County (810) over the last 12 months.
No, more people moved out than in. From 2022 to 2023, 53,433 people moved to New Mexico and 54,941 moved away, a net loss of 1,508 (-0.9 per 1,000 residents). Most newcomers came from Texas, California, Arizona, and most people who left went to Texas, Arizona, Colorado.
Regular gasoline in New Mexico averaged $4.44 per gallon on October 10, 2026, up $1.55 from a year earlier. Diesel averaged $5.99. Among its counties, Otero County had the lowest regular price ($4.11) and Catron County the highest ($4.93).
Health Care and Social Assistance (128,748 employees), Accommodation and Food Services (96,072 employees), Retail Trade (95,261 employees) were the largest sectors in New Mexico in 2023. In all, 44,861 business locations employed 658,702 people at an average pay of $53,065 a year.
$87,095 a year was the median pay offered in 1,104 certified H-1B filings for jobs in New Mexico in fiscal year 2025 (October 2024 to September 2025), up 8.7% from 2024. The middle half of the offers ranged from $65,172 to $110,219. The US median was $120,000. These are offered pay figures in work-visa filings, not the pay of all workers.
Intel Corporation (125), Presbyterian Healthcare Services (79), University of New Mexico (72), Triad National Security, LLC (71), Speridian Technologies, LLC (44) had the most certified H-1B filings for jobs in New Mexico in fiscal year 2025 (October 2024 to September 2025).
Materials Engineers (105 filings, median $90,272), Software Developers (95 filings, median $103,314), Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education (64 filings, median $60,750) were the largest job groups in certified H-1B filings in New Mexico in fiscal year 2025.
$106,727 was the median offered pay in Los Alamos, the highest among the New Mexico cities with the most H-1B filings in fiscal year 2025 (78 filings).
$86,008 a year was the median pay offered in 212 certified PERM green card filings for jobs in New Mexico in fiscal year 2025.
127 disasters and emergencies have been declared for New Mexico since 1954, 105 of them since 2000 (24 major disasters). The most common type is Fire (75 declarations).
Lincoln County, with 29 declarations since 2000, followed by Otero County (23) and San Miguel County (18). Statewide declarations are not counted for single counties.
$41.9 million on 1,938 flood insurance claims since 1978. The biggest year was 2024, with $15.9 million paid on 296 claims. Lincoln County received the most ($17.1 million).
$1,089 a year in 2025, across 13,696 flood insurance policies in New Mexico. Most homes have no flood insurance; the premium depends on the home's flood risk and coverage.