Photo: AllenS · Public domainAt 8.5%, unemployment in North Valley is higher than in 90% of U.S. towns
The two grades for North Valley are C for jobs and income and B for walkability. Working from home is the commute for 22% of workers, against 12% across New Mexico. Only 6% work in North Valley; the top destination outside it is Albuquerque (66%, 5 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
What stands out about work in North Valley
More than half of North Valley works in Albuquerque
2,926 working residents, 66%, have their main job in Albuquerque, 5 miles away across the town line. That’s 11 times as many as work in North Valley itself. The commute map ↓
Most North Valley residents work close to home
80% of working residents have their main job less than 10 miles from home. How far ↓
North Valley is where the jobs are
North Valley has 9,174 jobs, 2.1 for every working resident. On a workday afternoon about 15,000 people are in town, 45% more than the 10,000 who live here. Day and night ↓
A lot of North Valley works from home
22% of North Valley workers work from home, against 12% across New Mexico. 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.
What’s behind North Valley’s Jobs & income grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, North Valley is better than 29% of U.S. towns, #29 of 72 in New Mexico. Job access by car holds North Valley’s grade up (ahead of 83% of U.S. towns); unemployment pulls it down.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, North Valley could be anywhere from C− to B+.
Where North Valley’s workforce comes from
Where North Valley clocks in
66% 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.
How far North Valley goes to work
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.
Who leaves North Valley for work, and who comes in
On a workday 4,162 residents head out to work, 261 work right here, and 8,913 people come in from elsewhere.
About 15,000 people are in North Valley on a workday afternoon, 45% more than live here.
2.1 jobs for every working resident, so more people commute in than 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.
Getting to work from North Valley takes about 20 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 6.3 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of North Valley workers work from home, vs 12% across New Mexico. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 3,193 commuters (the 22% 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.
Factories, building and farms: 33% of the jobs in North Valley
9,174 jobs are based in North Valley.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in North Valley, 2013 → 2023: 7,281 → 9,174. 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 North Valley’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Driving is how North Valley gets around
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, North Valley is more walkable than 57% of U.S. towns, #35 of 73 in New Mexico. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 1.0% 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 4,074 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 42% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 1% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 3.4 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 77% 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). 3.5% of North Valley households have no vehicle (New Mexico 5.6%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of North Valley’s commuters take a bus or train.
Ranked on jobs and income, North Valley is 2,245th among 2,878 U.S. towns of 7,000 to 14,000
| # | 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 | Ladue MO | 8,934 | $250K | 1.1% | 1.7% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 478 | Los Alamos NM | 13,317 | $141K | 4.1% | 0.8% | 77% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 1,288 | Corrales NM | 8,484 | $102K | 7.0% | 6.3% | 7% | B+ |
| … | |||||||
| 2,183 | Bernalillo NM | 9,159 | $64K | 15.9% | 6.9% | 12% | C |
| … | |||||||
| 2,243 | Crookston MN | 7,375 | $57K | 15.6% | 3.4% | 59% | C |
| 2,244 | Waggaman LA | 11,330 | $68K | 24.5% | 8.5% | 3% | C |
| 2,245 | North Valley NM | 10,455 | $61K | 17.6% | 8.5% | 6% | C |
| 2,246 | Pineville LA | 13,967 | $50K | 21.1% | 3.3% | 14% | C |
| 2,247 | Levelland TX | 12,513 | $58K | 15.5% | 4.6% | 37% | C |
| … | |||||||
| 2,878 | Shiprock NM | 7,610 | $36K | 34.6% | 14.9% | 14% | 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 North Valley, the top three, the last and three more from New Mexico.
Next door is work for 67% of North Valley
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | North Valley workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Valley | – | C | B | 20 min | $61,498 |
| Albuquerque | 66% | C+ | A | 22 min | $68,317 |
| Los Ranchos de Albuquerque | 1% | A− | B+ | 23 min | $72,992 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Albuquerque. Darker towns draw more of North 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 North Valley: questions
What is the median household income in North Valley?
$61,498 (±$7,047) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $64,059 across New Mexico and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in North Valley?
17.6%, against 17.8% across New Mexico and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from North Valley?
20 minutes each way on average, against 24 across New Mexico and 26 nationally. 22% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in North Valley work?
6% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Albuquerque (66%, 5 mi), Rio Rancho (4%, 9 mi), Kirtland AFB (4%, 9 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is North Valley walkable?
North Valley is more walkable than 57% of U.S. towns (Walkability B): an EPA walkability index of 9.5 out of 20, and 1% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around North Valley without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 4% of households have no car. 1% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from North Valley, from the people who make the trip.
More of North 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. 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.