Photo: AllenS · Public domainHouseholds in Farmington have lower incomes than those in 60% of U.S. towns
For a town this walkable, transit is thin: about 2.1 trips an hour at the evening peak near the typical resident, next to 5.2 in Albuquerque. 17.4% of residents are in poverty (New Mexico 17.8%). Jobs and income earn Farmington C+; getting around on foot earns it A−.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Work in Farmington: the figures worth knowing
Where Farmington’s Jobs & income grade comes from
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Farmington is better than 39% of U.S. towns, #21 of 72 in New Mexico. Unemployment holds Farmington’s grade up (3.9%, U.S. 5.2%); the poverty rate pulls it down. It also does well on job access by car.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Farmington could be anywhere from C to B−.
A workday in Farmington: who goes, who stays, who comes
On a workday 8,302 residents head out to work, 12,377 work right here, and 14,538 people come in from elsewhere.
About 52,000 people are in Farmington on a workday afternoon, 14% more than live here.
About as many jobs as working residents (1.30 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.
5% of working residents work in Albuquerque
Where Farmington clocks in
5% of workers
3% 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.
What work there is in Farmington: 26,915 jobs
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Farmington, 2013 → 2023: 30,870 → 26,915. 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 Farmington’s own residents hold wherever they work.
About 20 minutes each way, quicker than most of New Mexico
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 6.3 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Farmington workers work from home, vs 12% across New Mexico. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 17,726 commuters (the 6% 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.
How far it is to work from Farmington
About 15% 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.
Farmington is more walkable than most U.S. towns, with limited transit
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Farmington is more walkable than 83% of U.S. towns, #8 of 73 in New Mexico. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 3.2% 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 18,885 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 87% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 25% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 2.1 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 69% of the 9,825 U.S. towns with transit data.
Transit at the evening rush trips an hour stopping within ¼ mile of the typical resident, EPA 2020
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 7.7% of Farmington households have no vehicle (New Mexico 5.6%, U.S. 8.4%). <1% of Farmington’s commuters take a bus or train.
764th of 969: where Farmington ranks among U.S. towns of 32,000 to 62,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | McLean VA | 49,627 | $250K | 2.9% | 2.3% | 6% | A+ |
| 2 | Leawood KS | 34,093 | $186K | 3.1% | 2.0% | 9% | A+ |
| 3 | Upper Arlington OH | 35,893 | $155K | 3.3% | 2.0% | 7% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 762 | Cunningham Township IL | 39,719 | $45K | 28.0% | 4.7% | 20% | C+ |
| 763 | West New York NJ | 53,192 | $72K | 19.4% | 8.4% | 8% | C+ |
| 764 | Farmington NM | 46,055 | $69K | 17.4% | 3.9% | 60% | C+ |
| 765 | Rosenberg TX | 42,701 | $66K | 20.2% | 5.9% | 15% | C+ |
| 766 | Texas City TX | 59,733 | $69K | 16.2% | 6.5% | 17% | C+ |
| … | |||||||
| 769 | South Valley NM | 37,120 | $58K | 18.5% | 4.3% | 7% | C+ |
| … | |||||||
| 840 | Carlsbad NM | 32,524 | $72K | 13.8% | 5.2% | 57% | C |
| … | |||||||
| 900 | Hobbs NM | 40,863 | $64K | 19.7% | 6.3% | 56% | C− |
| … | |||||||
| 969 | Bullhead City AZ | 43,987 | $51K | 18.7% | 11.5% | 26% | 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 Farmington, the top three, the last and three more from New Mexico.
Farmington and its neighbors
The biggest share goes to Lee Acres (3%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Farmington workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Farmington | – | C+ | A− | 20 min | $68,784 |
| Flora Vista | under 1% | C+ | D | 27 min | $44,352 |
| Crouch Mesa | under 1% | C− | D | 26 min | $63,750 |
| La Plata | under 1% | D | D− | 24 min | $57,071 |
| Lee Acres | 3% | D− | C | 20 min | $44,583 |
| Totah Vista | under 1% | — | — | 25 min | — |
| South River | under 1% | C | D | 33 min | $68,668 |
| Upper Fruitland | under 1% | D | D− | 31 min | $49,453 |
Same-state neighbors only. Totah Vista: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Farmington’s workers. Tap a town to see its commute.
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 Farmington: questions
What is the median household income in Farmington?
$68,784 (±$4,679) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $64,059 across New Mexico and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Farmington?
17.4%, against 17.8% across New Mexico and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Farmington?
20 minutes each way on average, against 24 across New Mexico and 26 nationally. 6% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Farmington work?
60% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Albuquerque (5%, 143 mi), Lee Acres (3%, 7 mi), Aztec (3%, 12 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Farmington walkable?
Farmington is more walkable than 83% of U.S. towns (Walkability A−): an EPA walkability index of 12.4 out of 20, and 3% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Farmington without a car?
<1% of commuters take transit and 8% of households have no car. 25% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Farmington, from the people who make the trip.
More of Farmington
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.