Metro New Mexico at a Glance

Population

• New Mexico is th 13th fastest growing state in the U.S., with a steady increase in population from 1.5 million in 1990 to a population of 1.9 million in July 2007.
• Metro New Mexico counties account for nearly half the state's population.
• About 60% of the population is between 18 and 65.
• Hispanics comprise 41.4% of the total state population, the highest proportion of any state.

Labor Force

• 41.8% of Metro New Mexico's labor force is made up of 15-44 year-olds, making for a dynamic, high-tech economy.
• New Mexico ranks 12th in the country in the percentage of scientists and engineers in the labor force.
• New Mexico has the sixth highest concentration of technology workers in the nation (2006).

Education

• Metro New Mexico ranks consistently high in the percentage of college graduates per capita.
• 82.9% of persons 25 years old and over have a high school degree or higher (2004).
• 25.1% have a bachelor's degree or higher (2004).

Bilingual

• New Mexico is a multi-cultural, multi-lingual state.
• 23% of the population speaks Spanish.
• In 2000, a language other than English was spoken in 36.5% of households, compared to 17.9% nationwide.