How many jobs were added in New Mexico last month?
Refreshed monthly
New Mexico gained 5,500 jobs in August 2026, ranking it 12th among states in job growth. Those figures come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' state employment report, which tracks monthly job changes. Job numbers can swing month to month as local economies expand or contract, but over the past five years the state has averaged about 1,400 new jobs per month. These figures are often revised in later months as more complete data rolls in.
+5.5K
month to month change in number of jobs (August 2026)
12th
rank among states in monthly job growth (August 2026)
August 2026's gain of 5,500 jobs was the second consecutive month of positive job growth in New Mexico. Monthly job growth was down from the 5,800 new jobs in July 2026.
During the latest five year period (September 2021 to August 2026), New Mexico gained jobs in 43 out of 60 months. August 2026 had the fifth-highest job growth during this period. The highest gains during this period occurred in July 2022 (+13,300) while job growth was weakest in June 2022 (-6,300).
There were 5,500 more jobs in August 2026 in New Mexico than the previous month.
Monthly change in nonfarm employment, September 2021–August 2026, seasonally adjusted
Which New Mexico sectors and industries had the best and worst job growth in August 2026?
The three supersectors with the highest job growth in August 2026 were construction, local government, and health care and social assistance. Construction added 1,200 jobs. Local government gained 1,200 jobs, while health care and social assistance added 600. The remaining supersectors either posted smaller gains or lost jobs during the month.
The two lowest-performing supersectors were transportation, warehousing, and utilities, and information. Transportation, warehousing, and utilities lost 200 jobs in August 2026, while information lost 100 jobs.
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The health care and social assistance sector gained 600 jobs during August 2026.
Change in jobs since previous month with circle size representing number of sector jobs in New Mexico (August 2026)
How has New Mexico's job growth changed over time?
In 2025, New Mexico lost an average of 308 jobs every month. That's lower than the 2024 average monthly increase of 533, and the lowest since 2020. The 2025 average ranks as fourth-lowest in job growth since 2007.
When excluding the two pandemic-affected years of 2020 and 2021, job growth ranged from a loss of 2,900 on average every month in 2009 to a gain of 2,300 on average every month in 2022.
In 2025, New Mexico lost an average of 308 jobs every month.
Average monthly change in the number of jobs, seasonally adjusted
Job growth among four metro areas primarily in New Mexico during August 2026 ranged from a loss of 100 jobs in the Farmington, NM area to a gain of 1,100 jobs in the Albuquerque, NM area.
Monthly job growth, by metro area
Metro areas where at least one of its primary counties are within New Mexico
| Metro area | Change in jobs | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | +1,100 | |
| 2. | +400 | |
| 3. | +100 | |
| 4. | -100 |
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Methodology
USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.
Page sources
USAFacts endeavors to share the most up-to-date information available. We sourced the data on this page directly from government agencies; however, the intervals at which agencies publish updated data vary.
