Earlier this year, Errors of Enchantment inaugurated a procedure to benchmark job growth in New Mexico. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics conducts a regular analysis of 12-month employment changes in the nation’s metropolitan statistical areas. Our system explores New Mexico’s four MSAs, compared with the 49 MSAs found in the state’s five neighbors: Arizona, Utah, Colorado, Oklahoma, and Texas. (The BLS did not provide a July figure for Enid, Oklahoma, so this month’s analysis examines 48 MSAs.)
As depicted in the chart above, once again, no New Mexico MSAs exceeded the regional average of 1.8 percent. Albuquerque came closest, at 1.3 percent. Santa Fe lagged behind the Duke City (0.3 percent), Las Cruces fared worse (no change), and Farmington declined by 0.4 percent.
Utah’s MSAs stayed true to form. Each outperformed the regional average: St. George (6.2 percent), Provo-Orem (4.3 percent), Ogden-Clearfield (3.3 percent), Logan (2.5 percent), and Salt Lake City (2.3 percent).
Since the commencement of Errors of Enchantment‘s benchmarking tool, New Mexico’s MSAs have had a total of 20 opportunities to exceed the regional job-growth average. Well, the Land of Enchantment is 0-for-20. Is anyone in state government interested in finding out why?
