Land Use

MRCOG tracks land use throughout the Region and maintains a regional inventory of land use that dates back to 1996.   Member agencies including the City of Albuquerque and the City of Rio Rancho have extensive land inventory programs and contribute significantly to the development of our land use database.

In Albuquerque's metropolitan planning area, which roughly includes Bernalillo County, Rio Rancho, Bernalillo, Corrales, and Los Lunas, approximately 11% of the land is used for residential purposes and 3% is dedicated to employment uses. Between 2000 and 2008 the metro area grew by 128,000 people and developed over 20,000 residential acres.

MRCOG collects land use data in the region and codes it into 18 land use categories. These have been condensed into 12 categories as shown below:

Note: Total acreages are approximate and are based on data collected by the City of Albuquerque, the City of Rio Rancho, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, and MRCOG.

The majority of land within the metropolitan planning area is undeveloped. The 'undeveloped' category above includes an aggregation of vacant land, rural rangeland and Indian Land. Much of this land is not conducive for development due to access issues, topographical constraints, or ownership issues.

The following map depicts land use throughout the Albuquerque Metropolitan Planning Area in 2008.

 Click here to download a larger version of the map.

Employment

The development of an urbanized mass in Central New Mexico has led to the expansion of a number of industries that have concentrated in the Albuquerque area and contribute to a growing economy. The regional economy includes:

• A growing regional health care industry
• A significant "high-tech" research, development, and manufacturing industry has grown up in the Albuquerque-Rio Rancho area
• A principal trade center for much of the State
• A transportation hub for rail, air and freight transportation
• The State's largest university as well as the largest technical school
• The principal financial center for the State
• A growing film and arts industry

It is estimated that the region is home to over 400,000 jobs.

Sources: New Mexico Department of Labor, U.S. Bureau of the Census, UNM-BBER, and MRCOG

Total Employment includes military enlistment, estimates for self-employment, agricultural employment, and unpaid workers in family businesses. It represents the number of jobs by county of work site.

The following table shows the distribution of jobs in the region by industrial sector.

Percentage Distribution by Sector of Total Employment MRCOG Region, 2004

Government and military employment accounts for approximately 1 of every 5 jobs in the region.

Civilian Labor Force, Employment, and Unemployment Rate Total for the four counties of Bernalillo, Sandoval, Torrance, and Valencia Annual Averages 2000 - 2006

Employment in this table is a count of employed civilian persons rather than jobs as shown in the previous tables. Southern Santa Fe County is excluded from this table.