Jobs, pay and daily life in Rio Rancho, from official statistics with source and year on every table.
Click any dot to open that city: jobs, pay, rent, commute, county economy and climate. Dot size follows population; colours follow the state flag.
By AtiveSite · Published 07/11/2026 · Updated 07/11/2026 · Every figure is linked to its source below.
Rio Rancho is a city in New Mexico with 108,515 residents. The median household earns $89,596 a year and the median rent is $1,514 a month, which is 20.3% of the median household income. It is part of the Albuquerque, NM metropolitan area, where BLS counts 404,700 jobs.
How Rio Rancho compares. Among the 40 largest places in New Mexico, Rio Rancho is #3 by population, #40 for rent (#1 = cheapest), #3 for household income (#1 = highest), #4 for homeownership (#1 = highest). Its county, Sandoval County, is #6 of 33 counties for average pay ($60,474).
Rio Rancho has 108,515 residents (ACS 2020–2024), about 5.1% of the population of New Mexico. It covers 103 square miles of land, which works out to roughly 1,050 people per square mile. The median age is 39.5, about the same as the state median (39.5 against 39.4).
The median gross rent is $1,514 a month (rent plus utilities), 42% above the state median ($1,514 against $1,067). Over a year that is 20.3% of the median household income. US housing guidance treats housing as affordable when it takes 30% of income or less, so the typical household is under that line. The median home value is $310,200, which is 3.5 times the median household income ($89,596); a ratio under 4 usually means ownership is within reach for many households. 82.2% of households own their home, 18% above the state average (82.2% against 70.0%).
The Albuquerque, NM metropolitan area has 404,700 jobs in the BLS wage survey, and the median pay across all occupations is $48,060 a year, 6% below the national median ($48,060 against $50,980). The biggest occupation groups are office and administrative support (54,860 jobs, median $45,850); food preparation and serving related (38,230 jobs, median $30,990); sales and related (31,990 jobs, median $35,960). The area is most specialised in architecture and engineering (2.0 times) and construction and extraction (1.2 times), where the share of workers is well above the national share. The best-paying groups with at least 5,000 jobs are architecture and engineering ($131,720) and management ($108,920). In 2026M09 the unemployment rate of Sandoval County was 4.8%. 61.7% of residents aged 16 and over are in the labour force. The city lies in Sandoval County; its jobs, pay by industry and GDP are on the county page.
Among workers, 72.1% drive alone, 0.5% use public transit, 1.0% walk, 15.5% work from home. 21.6% of workers commute 45 minutes or more, 69% above the state average (21.6% against 12.8%). Remote work is more common than in the state as a whole, which widens the set of employers a resident can work for without moving.
34.0% of adults aged 25 and over hold a bachelor's degree or higher, 10% above the state share (34.0% against 31.0%). 5.3% of residents were born outside the United States, 43% below the state share (5.3% against 9.4%). The poverty rate is 7.4%, 58% below the state rate (7.4% against 17.8%).
The warmest month is Jul, averaging 76°F (24.5°C), and the coolest is Jan at 32°F (0.0°C). About 276 mm (11 inches) of precipitation falls in a year; Jul is the wettest month (51 mm) and Jun the driest (12 mm). These values come from NASA satellite-based climatology on a grid of about 50 km, so they describe the wider area, not a weather station in the city.
Closest cities in this guide: Corrales (5 miles, rent 25% lower); Bernalillo (8 miles, rent 40% lower); North Valley (9 miles, rent 41% lower); Albuquerque (13 miles, rent 24% lower). Rent differences are against Rio Rancho; use the Compare tab to put any two cities side by side.
Federal jobs in New Mexico (864) →State guide: New MexicoCountry guideSandoval CountyNew Mexico rankings
These links go to official sources and open in a new window. The first one is the government's or company's own site as listed in Wikidata (property "official website"); check it before relying on it.
There are 864 federal postings open in New Mexico (USAJOBS, state level; we do not have a city filter for them). Private-sector jobs are not in this feed.
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| Occupation ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Location quotient ⇅ | Median pay (year) ⇅ | Entry (10th pct.) ⇅ | Top (90th pct.) ⇅ | Median vs US ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home Health and Personal Care Aides | 16,860 | 1.50 | $30,170 | $26,870 | $36,440 | -16% |
| Fast Food and Counter Workers | 14,510 | 1.45 | $29,140 | $28,160 | $36,720 | -7% |
| Retail Salespersons | 11,370 | 1.12 | $34,160 | $28,560 | $45,090 | -4% |
| Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive | 11,020 | 2.48 | $46,950 | $34,950 | $61,820 | -1% |
| Registered Nurses | 10,290 | 1.17 | $96,040 | $80,090 | $123,540 | -2% |
| Customer Service Representatives | 10,270 | 1.52 | $41,790 | $33,530 | $58,810 | -7% |
| Stockers and Order Fillers | 8,220 | 1.11 | $36,240 | $29,680 | $62,590 | -3% |
| General and Operations Managers | 7,670 | 0.84 | $94,640 | $44,610 | $217,000 | -11% |
| Cashiers | 7,460 | 0.93 | $30,540 | $27,960 | $39,430 | -7% |
| Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners | 7,070 | 1.23 | $35,450 | $29,640 | $44,100 | -4% |
| Waiters and Waitresses | 5,880 | 0.99 | $38,050 | $27,650 | $69,370 | +8% |
| Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand | 5,170 | 0.67 | $37,230 | $28,540 | $50,910 | -7% |
| Office Clerks, General | 5,130 | 0.80 | $37,000 | $30,300 | $51,410 | -18% |
| Security Guards | 4,440 | 1.33 | $44,780 | $30,880 | $64,340 | +18% |
| Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers | 4,210 | 0.78 | $55,840 | $40,040 | $71,560 | -5% |
| Business Operations Specialists, All Other | 4,160 | 1.47 | $81,070 | $50,480 | $135,450 | -2% |
| Construction Laborers | 4,140 | 1.45 | $40,440 | $30,940 | $52,870 | -14% |
| First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers | 4,080 | 1.09 | $64,860 | $44,880 | $94,030 | -7% |
| Maintenance and Repair Workers, General | 3,860 | 0.97 | $46,900 | $34,180 | $78,370 | -5% |
| Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary | 3,490 | 0.94 | $32,380 | $28,150 | $46,430 | -12% |
| Occupation ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Location quotient ⇅ | Median pay (year) ⇅ | Entry (10th pct.) ⇅ | Top (90th pct.) ⇅ | Median vs US ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Physicians, All Other | 1,060 | 1.19 | $327,670 | $135,550 | $419,550 | +23% |
| Architectural and Engineering Managers | 1,160 | 2.03 | $215,120 | $151,050 | $268,190 | +26% |
| Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary | 1,270 | 2.21 | $178,290 | $42,680 | $355,560 | +66% |
| Electrical Engineers | 1,280 | 2.47 | $163,720 | $104,230 | $202,680 | +36% |
| Engineers, All Other | 1,110 | 2.77 | $163,630 | $94,950 | $203,280 | +33% |
| Electronics Engineers, Except Computer | 500 | 1.97 | $153,900 | $81,990 | $205,570 | +18% |
| Pharmacists | 1,000 | 1.19 | $147,000 | $104,180 | $178,900 | +4% |
| Nurse Practitioners | 890 | 1.05 | $140,950 | $110,880 | $179,020 | +7% |
| Financial Managers | 1,430 | 0.65 | $140,110 | $96,780 | $221,470 | -16% |
| Computer and Information Systems Managers | 840 | 0.48 | $139,530 | $98,180 | $260,140 | -20% |
| Industrial Engineers | 820 | 0.86 | $132,290 | $81,270 | $208,000 | +29% |
| Information Security Analysts | 1,240 | 2.50 | $129,560 | $101,460 | $203,850 | +0% |
| Computer Occupations, All Other | 870 | 0.77 | $127,820 | $65,860 | $201,250 | +10% |
| Managers, All Other | 1,680 | 1.04 | $125,780 | $82,840 | $196,410 | -11% |
| Medical and Health Services Managers | 1,550 | 0.99 | $125,470 | $82,180 | $201,770 | +1% |
| Software Developers | 2,280 | 0.52 | $123,700 | $78,290 | $182,580 | -9% |
| Lawyers | 1,960 | 1.00 | $114,610 | $77,600 | $232,890 | -28% |
| Sales Managers | 860 | 0.52 | $110,160 | $64,310 | $208,020 | -26% |
| Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary | 870 | 1.01 | $107,950 | $82,890 | $136,800 | +2% |
| Administrative Services Managers | 1,020 | 1.49 | $107,050 | $61,760 | $176,640 | -6% |
These figures are for the whole Albuquerque, NM metropolitan area, not the city alone.
Median pay across all occupations: $48,060 (US $50,980); unemployment 4.7% (2026M09).
| Industry (residents) ⇅ | Share of employed residents ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Education and health care | 25.4% |
| Professional, scientific, management, administrative | 13.2% |
| Retail trade | 11.5% |
| Arts, entertainment, accommodation, food | 7.9% |
| Public administration | 7.9% |
| Finance, insurance, real estate | 7.8% |
| Manufacturing | 6.7% |
| Construction | 6.6% |
| Transportation, warehousing, utilities | 4.5% |
| Other services | 4.2% |
| Wholesale trade | 2.4% |
| Information | 1.2% |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing, mining | 0.6% |
Cities have no official GDP or payroll count of their own. These figures are for the county (the first of several) where Rio Rancho lies and cover the whole county, not only the city. The city also extends into Bernalillo County.
| County ⇅ | Population ⇅ | GDP (2024) ⇅ | GDP per resident ⇅ | Jobs (QCEW 2024) ⇅ | Employer sites ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Job change vs 2023 ⇅ | Unemployment rate ⇅ | Labour force ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sandoval County | 153,604 | $6,129 million | $39,902 | 35,653 | 3,273 | $60,474 | +6.2% | 4.8% | 73,799 |
| Bernalillo County | 673,930 | $54,831 million | $81,360 | 347,440 | 22,948 | $63,493 | +1.0% | 4.6% | 335,017 |
| Industry ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Share of private jobs ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Concentration vs US (location quotient) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 4,360 | 16.4% | $119,822 | 1.49 |
| Accommodation and food services | 4,239 | 16.0% | $24,255 | 1.31 |
| Health care and social assistance | 3,934 | 14.8% | $46,016 | 0.77 |
| Retail trade | 3,583 | 13.5% | $36,362 | 1.01 |
| Construction | 2,651 | 10.0% | $73,642 | 1.42 |
| Administrative and waste services | 2,613 | 9.9% | $54,683 | 1.25 |
| Professional and technical services | 1,281 | 4.8% | $83,314 | 0.52 |
| Other services (except public administration) | 841 | 3.2% | $49,851 | 0.78 |
| Finance and insurance | 520 | 2.0% | $69,048 | 0.36 |
| Real estate and rental | 432 | 1.6% | $42,758 | 0.78 |
| Wholesale trade | 426 | 1.6% | $95,905 | 0.30 |
| Educational services | 416 | 1.6% | $46,716 | 0.56 |
| Arts, entertainment, recreation | 338 | 1.3% | $18,174 | 0.56 |
| Transportation and warehousing | 324 | 1.2% | $61,262 | 0.21 |
| Information | 169 | 0.6% | $103,150 | 0.25 |
| Management of companies | 124 | 0.5% | $71,713 | 0.21 |
| Mining, oil and gas | 119 | 0.4% | $78,884 | 0.88 |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing | 78 | 0.3% | $34,360 | 0.27 |
| Utilities | 64 | 0.2% | $69,462 | 0.47 |
QCEW counts jobs covered by unemployment insurance; sectors with too few employers are withheld by BLS. Latest-month unemployment is preliminary.
| How residents get to work ⇅ | Share ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Drive alone | 72.1% |
| Public transit | 0.5% |
| Walk | 1.0% |
| Work from home | 15.5% |
| Commute of 45 minutes or more | 21.6% |
Shares are of workers aged 16 and over; they describe residents, wherever they work.
| Indicator ⇅ | Value ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Median household income | $89,596 |
| Income per person | $41,278 |
| Median gross rent per month | $1,514 |
| Yearly rent as share of median household income | 20.3% |
| Median home value | $310,200 |
| Homeowners | 82.2% |
| Poverty rate | 7.4% |
| Price level of the metro area (US = 100) | 95.5 |
| Metro median pay, all occupations | $48,060 |
Estimate for a wage earner: 2026 federal brackets and standard deduction (IRS), Social Security 6.2% up to $184,500, Medicare 1.45% (+0.9% above $200,000 single / $250,000 married), and a state rate you set; graduated states show 0 until you enter your own estimate. It ignores credits, pre-tax deductions, local taxes and benefits. Sources: IRS: tax year 2026 inflation adjustments · SSA wage base per Federal Register notice 2025-19763.
State tax: Graduated, top rate 5.90%.
| Indicator ⇅ | Value ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Median age | 39.5 |
| High school or higher (25+) | 95.2% |
| Bachelor's degree or higher (25+) | 34.0% |
| Born abroad | 5.3% |
| Labour force participation (16+) | 61.7% |
Work permits are federal: see permits and first steps.
| Month ⇅ | Mean temperature (°C) ⇅ | Mean temperature (°F) ⇅ | Precipitation (mm) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 0.0 | 32 | 16 |
| Feb | 2.1 | 36 | 15 |
| Mar | 6.7 | 44 | 13 |
| Apr | 11.0 | 52 | 17 |
| May | 16.4 | 62 | 15 |
| Jun | 23.0 | 73 | 12 |
| Jul | 24.5 | 76 | 51 |
| Aug | 22.9 | 73 | 43 |
| Sep | 18.8 | 66 | 34 |
| Oct | 11.9 | 53 | 24 |
| Nov | 5.1 | 41 | 16 |
| Dec | 0.0 | 32 | 20 |
Satellite-reanalysis climatology on a grid of roughly 50 km, so it smooths local effects (hills, coast, city heat). It is not a weather-station record.
| City ⇅ | State ⇅ | Distance (straight line) ⇅ | Population ⇅ | Median household income ⇅ | Median rent ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Corrales | NM | 5 mi | 8,555 | $102,307 | $1,143 |
| Bernalillo | NM | 8 mi | 9,086 | $63,880 | $902 |
| North Valley | NM | 9 mi | 10,455 | $61,498 | $893 |
| Albuquerque | NM | 13 mi | 562,218 | $68,317 | $1,145 |
| South Valley | NM | 19 mi | 37,120 | $58,224 | $954 |
| Edgewood | NM | 29 mi | 6,124 | $84,761 | $1,114 |
| Los Lunas | NM | 34 mi | 18,618 | $62,330 | $1,110 |
| Belen | NM | 36 mi | 7,450 | $42,627 | $916 |
| Los Alamos | NM | 48 mi | 13,317 | $141,018 | $1,359 |
| Santa Fe | NM | 48 mi | 89,019 | $73,482 | $1,463 |
Straight-line distance in miles, not driving distance.
Pick two cities.
vs
108,515 (Census Bureau ACS 2020–2024 5-year estimate).
$1,514 a month (ACS 2020–2024), which is 20.3% of the median household income.
$89,596 (ACS 2020–2024, in 2024 dollars).
4.8% (BLS county, Sandoval County (latest month 2026M09)).
New Mexico. See the state guide for minimum wage, taxes and pay.