Workforce

Santa Fe’s business community is as diverse as the City’s culture. From biotechnology to cowboy boot manufacture, from alternative healing to financial services, Santa Fe has a wide array of vibrant industries.

Population radius

Santa Fe’s workforce is not limited to the population of the City. In addition to being a central location for culture and politics, Santa Fe is a business and employment center. Commuters within a one-hour drive from the City of Santa Fe live in at least five counties – Santa Fe County, Rio Arriba County, Los Alamos County, Sandoval County and San Miguel County.

Below is a table of the population in the Santa Fe Region and a breakdown by gender and age:

Population by Age – Santa Fe Region

(includes counties of Santa Fe, Los Alamos, Rio Arriba, Sandoval and San Miguel)

Total Population 344,796
Male 169,418
Female 175,372
15-19 yrs 24,861
20-24 yrs 25,188
25-34 yrs 43,669
35-44 yrs 48,723
45-54 yrs 53,429
Median age, years 36

Education

Santa Fe has a well-educated workforce, 41% of adult residents have a college degree or higher. There are three primary colleges in Santa Fe, each with its own strength.

The Santa Fe Community College

The Santa Fe Community College (SFCC) provides the region with affordable high quality education and training. Presented through a variety of delivery methods and time formats, this includes basic skill programs; certificates and technical degrees; associate degrees with four year transfer potential, and personal enrichment courses both for credit and not for credit. These offerings are designed to add value to the lives of our community members by broadening opportunities; enhancing personal income; improving working and living conditions; and fostering richer, healthier lives.

Each semester SFCC has around 5,400 students enrolled in the various associate degree programs or certificate or professional credential programs. This includes an Environmental Technology Program which includes both an associates degree and a certificate program. The curriculum is both theoretical and practical. Students get project-based learning and assessment in simulated work environments. The program helps develop critical thinking and problem solving skills by emphasizing teamwork on group projects. Students get a strong foundation that allows them to adapt to a wide range of employment opportunities in this diverse emerging industry.

President Sheila Ortego and Santa Fe Community College (SFCC) are eager to work with companies to develop any specialized workforce training and education programs they require. SFCC is home to the state-wide New Mexico Small Business Development Centers network.

SFCC is also home to the Center for Community Sustainability, which delivers education in sustainability, renewable energies technologies, environmental technologies, and certifications for energy raters. The college is developing curriculum to add sustainability across all our educational programs including science, math, English, and history. The college is also developing the Sustainable Technologies Center, which is part of the national Advanced Technology Center network to develop and deliver curriculum in smart grid technology and green building construction.

SFCC is working with Governor Richardson’s Science and Technology Advisor to install a gateway to New Mexico’s supercomputer. A partnership between the college, the City of Santa Fe and Santa Fe County is working to make sure the infrastructure required for the supercomputer and other ultra-high-speed broadband needs will be in place for education, telehealth, emergency services, and economic development.

The College of Santa Fe

The College of Santa Fe is diligent in offering flexible programs so that all are welcome and able to study. Thoughtful academic advising is emphasized and specific attention is paid to ethical values, both in and out of class. The school is committed to educating the “whole student.” It has a core curriculum which includes interdisciplinary team-taught courses that explore complex subjects in the humanities, creative expression, social and natural sciences. It has a total of about 1,900 students; approximately 750 in the traditional program and 1,200 evening and weekend students in Santa Fe and Albuquerque. 20 undergraduate programs, 2 masters programs and several certificate programs are offered.

St. John’s College

St. John’s College is a co-educational, four year liberal arts college known for its distinctive “great books” curriculum.

St. John’s is a single college located on two campuses, one in Annapolis, Maryland, and another here in Santa Fe.. The campuses share an identical curriculum (changes must be approved by both halves of the faculty) and a single governing board. Each campus is limited to well under 500 students, and the faculty-student ratio is 1 to 8.

The all-required course of study is based on the reading, study, and discussion of the most important books of the Western tradition. There are no majors and no departments; all students follow the same program.

Students study from the classics of literature, philosophy, theology, psychology, political science, economics, history, mathematics, laboratory sciences, and music. No textbooks are used. The books are read in roughly chronological order, beginning with ancient Greece and continuing to modern times.

All classes are discussion-based. There are no class lectures; instead, the students meet together with faculty members (called tutors) to explore the books being read.

New Mexico Tech

New Mexico Tech (New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology) is the State’s equivalent of Cal Tech in California. Located just two hours south of Santa Fe, it provides an affordable world-class education for students interested in science and technology. It is an undergraduate and graduate university specializing in science and engineering education and research.

Levels of Education – Santa Fe Region

(includes counties of Santa Fe, Los Alamos, Rio Arriba, Sandoval and San Miguel)

EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT
Population 25 years and over (218,108)
Less than 9th grade 5%
9th to 12th grade, no diploma 8%
High school graduate (includes equivalency) 29%
Some college, no degree 22%
Associate degree 8%
Bachelor’s degree 18%
Graduate or professional degree 12.5%
Percent high school graduate or higher 86%
Percent bachelor’s degree or higher 33%

NONAGRICULTURAL WAGE AND SALARY EMPLOYMENT BY MAJOR SECTOR NEW MEXICO METROPOLITAN STATISTICAL AREAS (000s)
1996 to 2006

1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 %Change
Santa Fe MSA (1996- 2006)
Total Employment 54.4 55.1 55.7 56.8 57.5 58.1 58.5 59.6 60.5 62.2 62.8 15%
Total Private 39.6 40.0 40.7 41.6 41.9 42.6 42.9 44.3 45.1 45.9 46.4 17%
Goods Producing 5.4 5.3 5.4 5.8 5.9 5.9 5.6 5.7 5.7 5.7 6.0 11%
Services Providing 34.2 34.8 35.4 35.8 36.0 36.7 37.3 38.5 39.4 40.1 40.4 18%
Natural Resources & Mining & Construction 3.6 3.6 3.8 4.3 4.5 4.6 4.4 4.5 4.5 4.6 4.9 36%
Manufacturing 1.8 1.7 1.6 1.5 1.4 1.3 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.1 -39%
Wholesale Trade 0.9 0.9 0.9 0.9 0.9 0.9 0.9 1.0 1.0 1.1 1.1 22%
Retail Trade 8.2 8.2 8.1 8.3 8.5 8.3 8.4 8.5 8.5 8.6 8.8 7%
Transp., Warehousing & Utils 0.7 0.7 0.7 0.7 0.7 0.7 0.7 0.7 0.7 0.7 0.7 0%
Information 1.1 1.1 1.2 1.1 1.0 1.0 0.9 0.9 1.0 1.1 1.1 0%
Financial Activities 2.6 2.7 2.7 2.7 2.7 2.7 2.8 2.9 2.9 2.9 3.1 19%
Professional & Business 3.6 3.7 4.0 4.3 4.3 4.5 4.5 4.8 5.1 5.3 5.1 41%
Educational & Health 6.5 6.7 6.7 6.7 6.7 7.2 7.5 8.1 8.3 8.5 8.4 29%
Leisure & Hospitality 8.4 8.6 8.6 8.6 8.6 8.7 8.8 8.8 8.9 9.0 9.1 8%
Other Services 2.3 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.8 2.8 3.0 3.0 3.0 3.0 30%
Government 14.8 15.0 15.0 15.2 15.6 15.5 15.6 15.3 15.5 16.3 16.4 11%

AVERAGE ANNUAL COVERED WAGES, BY MAJOR INDUSTRIAL SECTOR AND COUNTY
NAICS Classification System

Santa Fe County 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 % Change
Grand Total $29,623 $31,230 $31,036 $32,535 $33,299
Total Private 28,359 29,984 29,647 31,205 32,242 13.69%
Ag. For. Fish. & Hunting 22,798 23,224 25,074 25,133 25,201 10.54%
Mining 44,381 49,276 48,487 48,176 58,498 31.80%
Utilities * 49,150 50,688 * *
Construction 28,319 28,943 29,230 30,949 31,810 12.32%
Manufacturing 27,260 28,153 31,532 32,330 31,574 15.82%
Wholesale Trade 37,661 35,732 37,289 39,333 39,410 4.64%
Retail Trade 24,550 24,730 24,950 27,353 27,154 10.60%
Transportation & Warehousing 27,651 28,191 27,979 29,142 30,867 11.63%
Information 39,956 39,220 39,036 44,424 44,389 11.09%
Finance & Insurance 49,586 49,395 52,487 54,732 62,876 26.80%
Real Estate & Rental & Leasing 34,887 84,844 34,622 34,362 32,079 -8.04%
Professional & Technical
Services
53,294 52,685 55,607 55,858 58,887 10.49%
Management of Companies & Enterprises 31,441 32,637 38,358 42,903 43,720 39.05%
Administrative & Waste
Services
23,095 22,440 24,502 26,525 26,110 13.05%
Educational Services 26,266 27,368 26,346 27,072 28,650 9.07%
Health Care & Social
Assistance
33,681 34,843 36,373 37,463 38,858 15.37%
Arts, Entertainment & Recreation 24,910 24,981 25,414 28,172 27,681 11.12%
Accommodation & Food
Services
15,476 16,078 16,326 17,038 17,733 14.58%
Other Services, ex.
Public Administration
24,303 24,758 25,033 25,532 26,987 11.04%
Non-Classifiables 2/ 30,292 23,124 26,952 * 47,917 58.18%
Total Government 32,764 34,332 34,472 35,875 35,879 9.50%
Federal 46,526 47,994 49,257 53,069 54,665 17.49%
State 33,817 35,505 35,331 37,300 38,245 13.09%
Local 27,916 29,542 30,178 30,437 29,460 5.53%

* Withheld to avoid disclosing confidential data. Data that are not disclosed for individual industries are always included in the totals. Therefore, the individual industries may not sum to the totals.

2/ Data by industry from 2001 forward are not generally comparable with industry data for prior years. Prior to 2001 industry categories are based on the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) system. This system was replaced with the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS).