A Working Community
Sandoval County, which encompasses most of Rio Rancho, has a labor force of about 60,000 people. Rio Rancho’s adjacency to Albuquerque allows it to draw from the largest labor pool in New Mexico – about 400,000 workers in the Albuquerque MSA. The metro area boasts a capable and quality workforce for prospective employers.
Sandoval County’s Labor Force: 59,983
Sandoval County’s Number of Unemployed: 3,916
Sandoval County’s Unemployment Rate: 6.5%
*Data provided by NM Department of Work Force Solutions, 2015 preliminary data.
Unique to New Mexico and the MSA is a large population of a dubbed “creative class” workforce. In his book “The Rise of the Creative Class,” Richard Florida ranked the Albuquerque MSA as the #1 creative place among medium sized regions. Encouraged by New Mexico’s long artistic history, more and more New Mexican workers are engaged in occupations of creation: scientists, artists, entrepreneurs, writers, engineers, musicians, and inventors. New Mexico also boasts the highest per capita Ph.D. ratio than any other State, with the majority in engineering or science related fields.
The following table illustrates labor availability, and current average wage for customer service representatives, and financial clerks located within the metro area:
| Industry | Labor Availability | Average Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
| Customer Service Representative | 1,840 | $12.50 |
| Financial Clerks, all others | 5,842 | $16.81 |
| Office and Administrative Support Occupations | 5,835 | $10.05 |