Jobs, pay and daily life in South Valley, 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.
South Valley is a city in New Mexico with 37,120 residents. The median household earns $58,224 a year and the median rent is $954 a month, which is 19.7% of the median household income. It is part of the Albuquerque, NM metropolitan area, where BLS counts 404,700 jobs.
How South Valley compares. Among the 40 largest places in New Mexico, South Valley is #9 by population, #33 for college degrees (#1 = most), #9 for homeownership (#1 = highest), #14 for long commutes (#1 = fewest). Its county, Bernalillo County, is #4 of 33 counties for average pay ($63,493).
South Valley has 37,120 residents (ACS 2020–2024), about 1.8% of the population of New Mexico. It covers 29 square miles of land, which works out to roughly 1,280 people per square mile. The median age is 41.7, 6% older than the state median (41.7 against 39.4). It is a census-designated place: a community the Census Bureau counts as a unit, without a city government of its own, so services such as police, roads and zoning usually come from the county.
The median gross rent is $954 a month (rent plus utilities), 11% below the state median ($954 against $1,067). Over a year that is 19.7% 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 $224,300, which is 3.9 times the median household income ($58,224); a ratio under 4 usually means ownership is within reach for many households. 74.4% of households own their home, 6% above the state average (74.4% 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 Bernalillo County was 4.6%. 54.3% of residents aged 16 and over are in the labour force. The city lies in Bernalillo County; its jobs, pay by industry and GDP are on the county page.
Among workers, 76.0% drive alone, 0.1% use public transit, 1.1% walk, 8.3% work from home. 10.0% of workers commute 45 minutes or more, 22% below the state average (10.0% against 12.8%).
15.1% of adults aged 25 and over hold a bachelor's degree or higher, 51% below the state share (15.1% against 31.0%). 16.2% of residents were born outside the United States, 72% above the state share (16.2% against 9.4%). The poverty rate is 18.5%, 4% above the state rate (18.5% against 17.8%).
The warmest month is Jul, averaging 79°F (26.2°C), and the coolest is Jan at 35°F (1.6°C). About 258 mm (10 inches) of precipitation falls in a year; Jul is the wettest month (51 mm) and Mar the driest (11 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: Albuquerque (7 miles, rent 20% higher); North Valley (12 miles, rent 6% lower); Los Lunas (16 miles, rent 16% higher); Corrales (16 miles, rent 20% higher). Rent differences are against South Valley; use the Compare tab to put any two cities side by side.
Federal jobs in New Mexico (864) →State guide: New MexicoCountry guideBernalillo 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.
Open federal jobs in New Mexico →
| 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 | 21.5% |
| Construction | 15.4% |
| Professional, scientific, management, administrative | 11.5% |
| Retail trade | 10.0% |
| Arts, entertainment, accommodation, food | 8.0% |
| Other services | 7.7% |
| Manufacturing | 6.2% |
| Transportation, warehousing, utilities | 5.9% |
| Public administration | 4.2% |
| Wholesale trade | 3.7% |
| Finance, insurance, real estate | 3.2% |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing, mining | 1.4% |
| Information | 1.2% |
Cities have no official GDP or payroll count of their own. These figures are for the county where South Valley lies and cover the whole county, not only the city.
| County ⇅ | Population ⇅ | GDP (2024) ⇅ | GDP per resident ⇅ | Jobs (QCEW 2024) ⇅ | Employer sites ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Job change vs 2023 ⇅ | Unemployment rate ⇅ | Labour force ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health care and social assistance | 53,203 | 18.8% | $57,920 | 1.07 |
| Retail trade | 35,260 | 12.5% | $39,229 | 1.02 |
| Professional and technical services | 35,179 | 12.5% | $109,947 | 1.46 |
| Accommodation and food services | 33,946 | 12.0% | $26,724 | 1.07 |
| Construction | 22,309 | 7.9% | $70,246 | 1.22 |
| Administrative and waste services | 21,996 | 7.8% | $46,315 | 1.08 |
| Manufacturing | 11,888 | 4.2% | $62,028 | 0.42 |
| Finance and insurance | 11,655 | 4.1% | $85,521 | 0.83 |
| Transportation and warehousing | 11,438 | 4.1% | $55,245 | 0.78 |
| Wholesale trade | 10,766 | 3.8% | $75,656 | 0.79 |
| Other services (except public administration) | 9,183 | 3.3% | $47,899 | 0.88 |
| Educational services | 5,775 | 2.0% | $48,670 | 0.80 |
| Arts, entertainment, recreation | 5,373 | 1.9% | $26,629 | 0.92 |
| Information | 4,972 | 1.8% | $71,619 | 0.76 |
| Real estate and rental | 4,844 | 1.7% | $54,724 | 0.90 |
| Management of companies | 3,232 | 1.1% | $102,364 | 0.55 |
| Utilities | 970 | 0.3% | $115,172 | 0.73 |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing | 284 | 0.1% | $42,729 | 0.10 |
| Mining, oil and gas | 127 | 0.0% | $81,980 | 0.10 |
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 | 76.0% |
| Public transit | 0.1% |
| Walk | 1.1% |
| Work from home | 8.3% |
| Commute of 45 minutes or more | 10.0% |
Shares are of workers aged 16 and over; they describe residents, wherever they work.
| Indicator ⇅ | Value ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Median household income | $58,224 |
| Income per person | $29,017 |
| Median gross rent per month | $954 |
| Yearly rent as share of median household income | 19.7% |
| Median home value | $224,300 |
| Homeowners | 74.4% |
| Poverty rate | 18.5% |
| 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 | 41.7 |
| High school or higher (25+) | 79.4% |
| Bachelor's degree or higher (25+) | 15.1% |
| Born abroad | 16.2% |
| Labour force participation (16+) | 54.3% |
Work permits are federal: see permits and first steps.
| Month ⇅ | Mean temperature (°C) ⇅ | Mean temperature (°F) ⇅ | Precipitation (mm) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 1.6 | 35 | 14 |
| Feb | 3.9 | 39 | 12 |
| Mar | 8.7 | 48 | 11 |
| Apr | 13.1 | 56 | 14 |
| May | 18.4 | 65 | 13 |
| Jun | 25.0 | 77 | 12 |
| Jul | 26.2 | 79 | 51 |
| Aug | 24.7 | 76 | 43 |
| Sep | 20.6 | 69 | 34 |
| Oct | 13.7 | 57 | 22 |
| Nov | 6.7 | 44 | 15 |
| Dec | 1.6 | 35 | 17 |
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 ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albuquerque | NM | 7 mi | 562,218 | $68,317 | $1,145 |
| North Valley | NM | 12 mi | 10,455 | $61,498 | $893 |
| Los Lunas | NM | 16 mi | 18,618 | $62,330 | $1,110 |
| Corrales | NM | 16 mi | 8,555 | $102,307 | $1,143 |
| Belen | NM | 18 mi | 7,450 | $42,627 | $916 |
| Rio Rancho | NM | 19 mi | 108,515 | $89,596 | $1,514 |
| Bernalillo | NM | 22 mi | 9,086 | $63,880 | $902 |
| Edgewood | NM | 27 mi | 6,124 | $84,761 | $1,114 |
| Santa Fe | NM | 60 mi | 89,019 | $73,482 | $1,463 |
| Los Alamos | NM | 65 mi | 13,317 | $141,018 | $1,359 |
Straight-line distance in miles, not driving distance.
Pick two cities.
vs
37,120 (Census Bureau ACS 2020–2024 5-year estimate).
$954 a month (ACS 2020–2024), which is 19.7% of the median household income.
$58,224 (ACS 2020–2024, in 2024 dollars).
4.6% (BLS county, Bernalillo County (latest month 2026M09)).
New Mexico. See the state guide for minimum wage, taxes and pay.