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Albuquerque: Take Your Business to a Higher Level

Albuquerque is the economic and geographic center of New Mexico. Forbes ranked Albuquerque the best city in the nation for business and the lowest cost city for business (May 2006). Due to the influence of the University of New Mexico (26,000 students), two Air Force research laboratories, and Sandia National Labs, the area boasts a very educated and technology-oriented workforce. It is home to well-known manufacturing facilities such as Intel, Honeywell and General Mills; major back office operations such as Gap, Inc. and CitiCard; and dynamic start-ups such as Eclipse Aviation.

Albuquerque at a Glance

Square Miles

9,288

Population

504,949 (City) 816,811 (MSA)

Labor Force Size

404,700 (12/05)

Industrial Avg. Rental Rate

$6.37/sq.ft. (Q4/2005)

Office Avg. Rental Rate

$15.31 (Q4/2005)

Est. Annual New Jobs

30,000

Est. Annual New Residents

24,000 (2005)

% Adult residents with minimum education completed

High School Graduate: 26%
Some College: 24%
College Graduate or More: 34%

Median Age

35.9 (2005)

Median Household Income

$41,820 (2005)

Median Home Price

$171,000 (2005)

Cost of Living

100.7 (4th Qtr. 05)

Benefits of Doing Business in Albuquerque

The city's Sunbelt location provides excellent access to market centers in the Southwest, Central, and Western United States. The city is a registered U.S. Port of Entry with its own customs facility, enabling freight cargo to be shipped directly and duty paid locally. In addition, Albuquerque has an active designated Foreign Trade Zone, allowing goods to be stored or manufactured in the zone by foreign or domestic business without U.S. customs duty being imposed.

Target Industries

Albuquerque's target industries include Aviation/Aerospace, Microelectronics, Biotechnology/Biomedical Research and Manufacturing, IT/Software, Optics/Photonics, Microsystems/Nanotechnology, and Shared Services/Teleservice Operations.

About Albuquerque Economic Development

Albuquerque Economic Development is a private, nonprofit organization that focuses on the recruitment of economic base companies and assists with the retention and expansion of existing industry. If you would like more information about how your business can benefit by expanding to Albuquerque, call (800) 451-2933 or email info@abq.org.

President: Gary Tonjes
Vice President of Business Development: Bob Walton