Employment in New Mexico
In New Mexico, a thriving sustainable energy and agriculture industry offers extensive employment opportunities for graduates with relevant degrees. The BLS identifies wind turbine service technicians and solar photovoltaic installers as two of the fastest-growing occupations in the state for 2019-2029.
Other growth industries in New Mexico include aerospace and defense, global trade, biosciences, and cybersecurity. Positions in these industries include information security analysts, data scientists, and operations research analysts.
New Mexico residents benefit from a cost of living below the national average. In New Mexico, the cost of living is 88.4, with health and housing costs at even lower rates compared to the national averages.
In addition to this lower cost of living, New Mexico has also seen a decline in its unemployment rate through 2020, especially as it begins to recover from coronavirus. In July, unemployment in New Mexico reached nearly 13%, but fell to 8.2% in December of 2020.
Below are a few of the highest-paying roles employing more than 750 individuals in New Mexico. Salary information applies specifically to New Mexico, while job growth data pertains to the United States as a whole.
Highest-Paying Popular Careers in New Mexico
| Career |
Annual Mean Salary (2019) |
Projected Job Growth (2019-2029) |
Education Required |
| Physicists |
$166,720 |
7% |
Doctoral |
| Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products |
$107,830 |
4% |
High School Diploma or Bachelor's Degree |
| Project Management Specialists and Business Operations Specialists |
$89,090 |
6% |
Bachelor's Degree |
| Calibration Technologists and Technicians |
$87,730 |
2% |
Bachelor's Degree |
| Tutors and Teachers and Instructors |
$58,860 |
7% |
Bachelor's Degree |
| Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agents |
$57,350 |
5% |
Bachelor's Degree |
| Property, Real Estate, and Community Association Managers |
$53,670 |
0% |
High School Diploma |
Source: BLS
Online Associate and Graduate Degrees
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, colleges and universities across the United States have expanded online offerings to accommodate students. In New Mexico, some colleges and universities use the ed2go system to provide extensive online course options.
Along with individual classes, institutions such as Central New Mexico Community College (CNM) and Clovis Community College (CCC) offer online associate degrees in business administration and criminal justice. An online associate degree in New Mexico provides a solid foundation for entry-level careers and continued study.
Online associate degrees cover many topics. For example, the online associate of applied science in business administration at CNM builds fundamental accounting, finance, and marketing knowledge and skills. CCC's online associate of applied science in criminal justice integrates coursework in juvenile justice, corrections, and criminal investigations and procedures.
Online graduate degrees in New Mexico also span disciplines such as business, healthcare, engineering, and criminal justice. University of New Mexico (UNM) offers an online master of business administration degree that learners can complete in just 16 months.
Similarly, Western New Mexico University's online master's degree in business administration allows enrollees to concentrate their studies in international business, management information systems, healthcare administration, and instructional technology and design.
New Mexico State University offers an online master of criminal justice degree that mirrors its on-campus offering. Enrollees can pursue a curriculum that leads to careers in teaching and research, administrative positions within the criminal justice system, and doctoral studies.
