New Mexico Employment and Education

The economy continues to grow by leaps and bounds. Twenty thousands jobs have been added every year since 2003. This has created a wave of new residents in the state. The unemployment rate for 2005 was at 5.3%. It has dropped to 4.4% for 2006. Earnings have risen 2.3% across the state, pushing the median income to $55,000 annually.

Education is very good in most areas of the state. There are 842 schools in New Mexico. The state spends $7,638 on every student each year on education. The NAEP scores show slight improvement. In 2003, 4th graders passing the basic requirements for math was at 63%. The number climbed to 65% in 2005. In 2003, 52% of eight graders passed the math basic requirements and 53% did in 2005. In the public schools, the graduation rate is 78.9%. On Indian Reservations, the rate is lower, but not released to the public.