Photo: Matthew.kowal · CC BY-SA 4.0Work means Albuquerque for about two in three of South Valley’s working residents
Household incomes here are lower than in 77% of U.S. towns. The two grades for South Valley are C+ for jobs and income and B+ for walkability. Working residents average 26 minutes each way; New Mexico averages 24, the U.S. 26.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Work in South Valley: the figures worth knowing
More than half of South Valley works in Albuquerque
10,129 working residents, 68%, have their main job in Albuquerque, 6.9 miles away across the town line. That’s 10 times as many as work in South Valley itself. The commute map ↓
Most South Valley residents work close to home
66% of working residents have their main job less than 10 miles from home, about two in three. Only 8% work more than 50 miles away. How far ↓
Short distances, slow trips
Half of South Valley’s working residents have a job less than 8 miles away, yet the average commute still takes 26 minutes, longer than the New Mexico average of 24. 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.
Breaking down the Jobs & income grade for South Valley
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, South Valley is better than 39% of U.S. towns, #22 of 72 in New Mexico. Job access by car holds South Valley’s grade up (ahead of 78% of U.S. towns); the poverty rate pulls it down (18.5%, U.S. 12.5%).
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, South Valley could be anywhere from C to B−.
The places South Valley commutes to
Where South Valley clocks in
68% of workers
3% 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.
How far it is to work from South Valley
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.
South Valley’s commute takes about 26 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 8.2 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of South Valley workers work from home, vs 12% across New Mexico. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 14,316 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.
Who leaves South Valley for work, and who comes in
On a workday 13,767 residents head out to work, 1,022 work right here, and 7,568 people come in from elsewhere.
About 31,000 people are in South Valley on a workday afternoon, 17% fewer than live here.
0.58 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.
In South Valley, 34% of jobs are in factories, building or farming
8,590 jobs are based in South Valley.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in South Valley, 2013 → 2023: 7,508 → 8,590. 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 South Valley’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Most trips from South Valley start in a car
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, South Valley is more walkable than 67% of U.S. towns, #28 of 73 in New Mexico. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 1.5% 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 15,615 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 84% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 13% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 3.7 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 79% 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). 4.1% of South Valley households have no vehicle (New Mexico 5.6%, U.S. 8.4%). <1% of South Valley’s commuters take a bus or train.
South Valley next to U.S. towns of 26,000 to 50,000: 921st of 1,162 on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Upper Dublin Township PA | 27,258 | $168K | 3.2% | 1.9% | 8% | A+ |
| 2 | McLean VA | 49,627 | $250K | 2.9% | 2.3% | 6% | A+ |
| 3 | Southlake TX | 31,175 | $250K | 1.5% | 2.7% | 11% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 916 | Farmington NM | 46,055 | $69K | 17.4% | 3.9% | 60% | C+ |
| … | |||||||
| 919 | Santa Paula CA | 31,774 | $79K | 14.2% | 6.8% | 12% | C+ |
| 920 | East Point GA | 38,225 | $69K | 19.9% | 6.9% | 5% | C+ |
| 921 | South Valley NM | 37,120 | $58K | 18.5% | 4.3% | 7% | C+ |
| 922 | Slidell LA | 28,341 | $70K | 15.7% | 5.8% | 19% | C+ |
| 923 | Sun City AZ | 37,486 | $55K | 11.2% | 6.2% | 5% | C+ |
| … | |||||||
| 1,001 | Carlsbad NM | 32,524 | $72K | 13.8% | 5.2% | 57% | C |
| … | |||||||
| 1,067 | Hobbs NM | 40,863 | $64K | 19.7% | 6.3% | 56% | C− |
| … | |||||||
| 1,162 | 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 South Valley, the top three, the last and three more from New Mexico.
Bordering towns draw 68% of South Valley’s workers
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | South Valley workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Valley | – | C+ | B+ | 26 min | $58,224 |
| Albuquerque | 68% | C+ | A | 22 min | $68,317 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Albuquerque. Darker towns draw more of South 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 South Valley: questions
What is the median household income in South Valley?
$58,224 (±$5,334) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $64,059 across New Mexico and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in South Valley?
18.5%, against 17.8% across New Mexico and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from South Valley?
26 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 South Valley work?
7% work in town.
Is South Valley walkable?
South Valley is more walkable than 67% of U.S. towns (Walkability B+): an EPA walkability index of 10.8 out of 20, and 2% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around South Valley without a car?
<1% of commuters take transit and 4% of households have no car. 13% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from South Valley, from the people who make the trip.
More of South 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.