In New Mexico, we’ll take good news however we can get it.
So the finding by Forbes that Carlsbad is one of the nation’s “stellar small places” should delight everyone who wants to see a stronger state economy. Coming in at #9 on the magazine’s list, the average wage in the city was $52,153 in 2017, representing a 15 percent gain since 2007.
New Mexico’s left-leaning political establishment can continue to spread nonsense about all the opportunities for “green jobs” in the Land of Enchantment, but the reality is, oil is where it’s at. In the last year, the rig count “almost doubled in New Mexico,” and output in the Permian Basin “is expected to double by 2023.” In Eddy County, where Carlsbad is located, employment was 27,385 in November 2017 — up an impressive (for New Mexico) 5.1 percent since November 2016.
