More than half of Happy Valley’s working residents commute to Carlsbad
Happy Valley has 53 jobs; 256 of its residents have a job. 0% of workers have no commute at all (New Mexico 12%). The trip to work takes 25 minutes on average, where New Mexico has 24 and the U.S. 26.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The short version on getting to work from Happy Valley
Happy Valley is a place people come home to
There are 53 jobs based in Happy Valley, about two for every ten working residents, so almost everyone works somewhere else. Day and night ↓
Most Happy Valley residents work close to home
60% of working residents have their main job less than 10 miles from home. How far ↓
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; with 256 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
The towns that employ Happy Valley’s residents
Where Happy Valley clocks in
52% of workers
8% 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.
In and out of Happy Valley on a workday
On a workday 255 residents head out to work, 1 work right here, and 52 people come in from elsewhere.
About 640 people are in Happy Valley on a workday afternoon, 24% fewer than live here.
0.21 jobs for every working resident, so most people commute out.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
How far Happy Valley goes to work
About 30% 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.
Making and building: 72% of jobs based in Happy Valley
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Happy Valley, 2013 → 2023: 219 → 53. 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 Happy Valley’s own residents hold wherever they work.
A commute of about 25 minutes in Happy Valley
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 8.1 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Happy Valley workers work from home, vs 12% across New Mexico. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 363 commuters (the 0% 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.
The towns next door employ 52% of Happy Valley
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Happy Valley workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Happy Valley | – | — | — | 25 min | $62,215 |
| Carlsbad | 52% | C | B | 22 min | $72,306 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Carlsbad. Darker towns draw more of Happy Valley’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 Happy Valley: questions
What is the median household income in Happy Valley?
$62,215 (±$34,515) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $64,059 across New Mexico and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Happy Valley?
28.8%, against 17.8% across New Mexico and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Happy Valley?
25 minutes each way on average, against 24 across New Mexico and 26 nationally. 0% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Happy Valley work?
<1% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Carlsbad (52%, 3 mi), Hobbs (8%, 69 mi), Roswell (3%, 67 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Happy Valley without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 0% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Happy Valley, from the people who make the trip.
More of Happy Valley
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.