Photo: AllenS · Public domainAt 5.9%, unemployment in Artesia is higher than in 73% of U.S. towns
The two grades for Artesia are C− for jobs and income and B− for walkability. About half work in Artesia itself; outside it, Carlsbad draws the most (8%, 33 miles). A typical one-way commute lasts 18 minutes (New Mexico 24, U.S. 26).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Artesia and work: the main findings
Artesia’s biggest commute is a long one
The top workplace outside Artesia is Carlsbad, 33 miles away as the crow flies. 8% of working residents (421) make that trip; no town closer to home draws more of them. How far ↓
Commutes from Artesia are quick
The average trip to work takes 18 minutes, against 24 across New Mexico. That’s about 46 hours a year less on the road than the typical New Mexico worker. Time on the road ↓
Written from the Census figures on this page. Commute flows, distances and jobs are Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs only (the self-employed aren’t counted); commute time and working from home are from the Census American Community Survey.
The four measures behind Artesia’s grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Artesia is better than 24% of U.S. towns, #30 of 72 in New Mexico. Household income holds Artesia’s grade up ($74,915, U.S. $80,734); the poverty rate pulls it down (15.7%, U.S. 12.5%).
A rough placement. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Artesia could be anywhere from D to B.
Artesia’s commute, mile by mile
About 23% show a job over 50 miles away. Some of that is real, and some is employers that report every worker at a head office, so a few long commutes are on paper only.
Straight-line distance from each worker’s home block to their main job’s block. LEHD 2023.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
The daily trip from Artesia: about 18 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 5.7 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Artesia workers work from home, vs 12% across New Mexico. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 5,158 commuters (the 8% who work from home are left out). Across New Mexico: 84% drive alone, 1% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
Artesia by day and by night
On a workday 2,999 residents head out to work, 2,492 work right here, and 3,903 people come in from elsewhere.
About as many people by day as by night: the people who leave are replaced by the people who come in.
About as many jobs as working residents (1.16 per resident).
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
The places Artesia commutes to
Where Artesia clocks in
8% of workers
4% of workers
4% of workersLines run between town centers. The top 10 towns each way; “Everywhere else” is the rest, including other states.
A thicker line means more commuters. Switch between where residents work and where the people who work here live.
In Artesia, 32% of jobs are in factories, building or farming
6,395 jobs are based in Artesia.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Artesia, 2013 → 2023: 6,244 → 6,395. Big swings can come from how a large employer reports its locations, not only from real openings or closings.
Primary jobs covered by unemployment insurance (not the self-employed). Pay is monthly earnings. LEHD 2023.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs Artesia’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Artesia is a driving town
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Artesia is more walkable than 53% of U.S. towns, #38 of 73 in New Mexico. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 1.2% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, below the 3.4% across New Mexico.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 5,634 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service: no data. EPA’s transit file has no stops for most of this county (its agencies had not published schedules in the format EPA used in 2020). That is missing data, not a finding that there is no bus or train.
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 3.4% of Artesia households have no vehicle (New Mexico 5.6%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of Artesia’s commuters take a bus or train.
1,972nd of 2,354: where Artesia ranks among U.S. towns of 9,000 to 17,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Des Peres MO | 9,102 | $224K | 2.0% | 0.5% | 5% | A+ |
| 2 | Beverly Hills MI | 10,449 | $177K | 1.7% | 1.6% | 3% | A+ |
| 3 | New Albany OH | 11,803 | $238K | 1.4% | 0.9% | 11% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 422 | Los Alamos NM | 13,317 | $141K | 4.1% | 0.8% | 77% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 1,812 | Bernalillo NM | 9,159 | $64K | 15.9% | 6.9% | 12% | C |
| … | |||||||
| 1,874 | North Valley NM | 10,455 | $61K | 17.6% | 8.5% | 6% | C |
| … | |||||||
| 1,970 | Verde Village AZ | 11,930 | $69K | 13.1% | 4.7% | 3% | C− |
| 1,971 | Jennings LA | 9,235 | $49K | 19.1% | 4.0% | 29% | C− |
| 1,972 | Artesia NM | 12,735 | $75K | 15.7% | 5.9% | 45% | C− |
| 1,973 | Garden City SC | 11,591 | $47K | 17.7% | 5.1% | 8% | C− |
| 1,974 | Pell City AL | 14,320 | $69K | 20.8% | 7.4% | 20% | C− |
| … | |||||||
| 2,354 | Douglas AZ | 16,038 | $42K | 27.8% | 12.3% | 29% | D− |
Census ACS 2020–24 (income, poverty, unemployment), Census LEHD (work in town), TownRatings Jobs & income grades. Each town links to its Work & commute page.
Ranked on the Jobs & income grade: the towns either side of Artesia, the top three, the last and three more from New Mexico.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Two sources, two years. Trips, distances and jobs based here: Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs, where the employer reports them. Income, poverty, unemployment, commute time and how people travel: Census ACS 2020–24 averages.
- Straight lines, older transit. Miles are as the crow flies. EPA’s walkability and transit files use 2017–20 inputs.
Jobs and commuting in Artesia: questions
What is the median household income in Artesia?
$74,915 (±$19,097) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $64,059 across New Mexico and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Artesia?
15.7%, against 17.8% across New Mexico and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Artesia?
18 minutes each way on average, against 24 across New Mexico and 26 nationally. 8% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Artesia work?
45% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Carlsbad (8%, 33 mi), Hobbs (4%, 74 mi), Albuquerque (4%, 201 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Artesia walkable?
Artesia is more walkable than 53% of U.S. towns (Walkability B−): an EPA walkability index of 8.3 out of 20, and 1% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Artesia without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 3% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Artesia, from the people who make the trip.
More of Artesia
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2023, primary jobs. Commute time, working from home and working out of state: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Distances are straight lines between home and work; real drives run longer. Walkability index, job access and transit service: U.S. EPA Smart Location Database. The two grades are our own summaries of these figures, not official ratings.