AreaProfile

Albuquerque, NM

Metro Area Profile

921,482 residents. Jobs, income, development, climate and physical risk across the Albuquerque, NM metropolitan area.

58
Area Score
Bottom 22% of 99 published profiles

How we calculate this

How this area ranks
Opportunity94th of 99 published metros33
Growth83rd of 99 published metros28
Housing affordability53rd of 99 published metros84
ClimateTop 45% of 99 published metros71
Physical resilienceTop 46% of 99 published metros61
AccessTop 35% of 99 published metros97
Economic stability73rd of 99 published metros58
The quick read

Employment conditions sit below most comparable published metro profiles: unemployment is 4.9% and the Opportunity signal places Albuquerque in the bottom 5%.

A major airport is 10 miles away, giving the area unusually direct access to the national air network.

Its Area Score of 58 places Albuquerque in the top 78% of published metro profiles.

At a glance

Population
921,482
2024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income
$70,783
Top 39% nationally
Density
99/sq mi
9283.4 sq mi of land
Median age
39.8
2024 ACS 5-Year
County
Metro area
Albuquerque, NM
Nearest major airport
ABQ
10 mi · Albuquerque Intl Sunport
Median home value
$287,800
2024 ACS 5-Year

Jobs & opportunity

Unemployment of 4.9% is lower than 23% of the 99 measured US metros.

Employment fell 3.5% over the past year, to 428,846 employed residents.

36% of adults hold a four-year degree, higher than 81% of measured US metros.

MetricValueCompared with peersSource period
Median household income ±$969$70,783Top 39%2024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income ±$510$39,741Top 28%2024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate14.6%Top 42%2024 ACS 5-Year
Average commute26.4 minTop 27%2024 ACS 5-Year
Bachelor's degree or higher35.6%Top 19%2024 ACS 5-Year
Employment428,846Bottom 40%June 2026
Employment change (3 years)-2.8%Bottom 7%June 2026
Employment change (year over year)-3.5%Bottom 3%June 2026
Labor force450,794Bottom 40%June 2026
Labor force participation60.9%Top 47%2024 ACS 5-Year
Mean annual wage$64,480Bottom 42%2025 OEWS
Median annual wage$48,060Bottom 36%2025 OEWS
Metro employment404,700Bottom 41%2025 OEWS
Unemployment change (year over year)0.5%Top 29%June 2026
Unemployment rate4.9%Top 23%June 2026
Unemployment rate
2021/062022/032022/122023/092024/062025/032026/012026/067.72.8
Monthly unemployment rate from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, most recent value 4.9% in June 2026.
Largest occupations — Albuquerque, NM
OccupationPeople employedMedian annual wage
Home Health and Personal Care Aides16,860$30,170
Fast Food and Counter Workers14,510$29,140
Retail Salespersons11,370$34,160
Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive11,020$46,950
Registered Nurses10,290$96,040
Customer Service Representatives10,270$41,790

Occupational employment and wages are published for metropolitan areas rather than for individual cities or ZIP areas, so these describe the wider labor market this location sits in. 2025 OEWS, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Housing & affordability

How it’s calculated →

Median rent of $1,156 takes 20% of median household income, below the 30% threshold at which a household is considered cost-burdened.

A median home costs 4.1 times median household income here, above the historic benchmark of about three times income.

Rent as a share of income
19.6%
Below the 30% cost-burdened threshold
Home price to income
4.1×
median home value ÷ median income
Median gross rent
$1,156
2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value
$287,800
2024 ACS 5-Year
MetricValueCompared with peersSource period
Home price to income4.07Top 26%2024 ACS 5-Year
Homeownership rate69.1%Bottom 44%2024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units ±210401,720Top 7%2024 ACS 5-Year
Median gross rent ±$17$1,156Top 26%2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value ±$2,886$287,800Top 27%2024 ACS 5-Year
Rent as a share of income19.6%Top 33%2024 ACS 5-Year
Vacancy rate6.4%Bottom 12%2024 ACS 5-Year

Both affordability measures come from the same ACS release as the income they are compared with, so the comparison is like for like. They describe housing cost against local earnings and are not a cost-of-living index — transport, groceries, healthcare, insurance and taxes are not included, and a place can look affordable here and still be expensive to live in for reasons this does not capture.

Growth & development

How it’s calculated →
Development Momentum
28/ 100
Ranks 83 of 99 published city profiles
Permitting is broadly steady, measured from 2024 to 2025.

An AreaProfile calculation combining permit volume per resident, its direction over one and three years, population change and employment growth. Permit volume alone is not the measure.

Population has grown 1% since 2020, reaching 926,303 in 2024.

Population is still rising, but more slowly than in the preceding year.

At 3.0 permitted units per 1,000 residents, building activity is below the median for measured US metros.

Units permitted
2,790
12 months ending July 2026
Per 1,000 residents
3.0
Bottom 34% nationally
Year over year
−9%
vs the prior twelve months
Multifamily share
34.2%
units in 5+ unit buildings
Population, annual estimates
20202021202220232024926k918k
Census Population Estimates Program, July 1 of each year. These annual estimates are designed for year-over-year comparison, unlike the ACS five-year figure shown as this profile's population.

Weather & climate

7 of the twelve months have a normal average temperature between 55°F and 80°F. July averages a high of 91°F and January a low of 26°F.

Normal annual precipitation is 8.8 inches, including 7.9 inches of snow.

20°40°60°80°100°JFMAMJJASOND
Solid line: normal daily high. Dashed line: normal daily low. 1991-2020 normals from NOAA station ALBUQUERQUE INTL AP, 10.5 miles from this location.
Precipitation
JFMAMJJASOND1.6"
Normal monthly precipitation, in inches.
MetricValueSource period
Annual precipitation8.8"1991-2020 Normals
Annual snowfall7.9"1991-2020 Normals
Average January low26°F1991-2020 Normals
Average July high91°F1991-2020 Normals
Comfortable months71991-2020 Normals
Seasonal temperature swing42°F1991-2020 Normals

Climate figures are thirty-year normals, not current conditions. They describe what a typical year looks like rather than what the weather is doing today.

Physical risk

61 / 100
Physical resilience

The hazards accounting for most of this area's expected annual loss are earthquake, wildfire and drought.

EarthquakeElevated
WildfireElevated
DroughtModerate

Low or minimal exposure: lightning, winter weather, inland flooding, heat wave, hail, strong wind, ice storm, landslide, cold wave, tornado, avalanche, volcanic activity.

Hazard ratings are AreaProfile calculations derived from the FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0 (December 2025). FEMA publishes at county level. This value is the population-weighted mean of all component counties; expected annual loss is their sum. FEMA does not endorse this presentation. Higher physical resilience means lower exposure.

Taxes

AreaProfile does not yet publish tax comparisons. No tax dataset has met the source admission test for coverage, methodology transparency and update cadence, and the product rule is to omit a dimension rather than estimate it. The Area Score is calculated without a tax component and the weighting is documented on the methodology page.

Nothing on AreaProfile is individualized tax advice.

Access

3 major airports lie within 100 miles, the nearest 10 miles away.

AirportCodeDistanceLongest runway
Albuquerque Intl SunportABQ10 mi13,793 ft
Santa Fe RgnlSAF40 mi8,366 ft
Las Vegas MuniLVS83 mi8,199 ft

Airport identity, position and runway data come from the FAA. “Major airport” is an AreaProfile classification — a public-use civil airport with a paved runway of at least 8,000 feet — not an FAA hub designation. Distances are straight-line, not driving distance.

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Area Score
58
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Data & methodology

Used forSourceSource periodUpdated
AccessFederal Aviation Administration
Airports (NASR) — Aeronautical Data Delivery Service
NASR current cycle28-day NASR cycle
Physical riskFederal Emergency Management Agency
National Risk Index
National Risk Index December 2025 (v1.20.0)Periodic dataset versions (v1.20.0 current)
ClimateNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Monthly)
1991-2020 NormalsEvery ten years (next release follows the 2001–2030 period)
JobsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Local Area Unemployment Statistics
June 2026Monthly
JobsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
2025 OEWSAnnual (spring release)
DemographicsU.S. Census Bureau
Population Estimates Program
July 1, 2024 estimateAnnual (vintage released each spring)
DevelopmentU.S. Census Bureau
Building Permits Survey
12 months ending July 2026Monthly, roughly three weeks after the reference month
Demographics, Housing, Income, JobsU.S. Census Bureau
American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (Table-Based Summary File)
2024 ACS 5-YearAnnual (5-year estimates released each December)

Profile recalculated August 29, 2026. Recalculation is not the same as new source data — each figure above shows the period its source actually covers. Read the full methodology or browse every source.

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