New Mexico DATA SCOREBOARD

Out of every 100 New Mexicans who want to work, about five can't find a job. That's the unemployment rate, and it's the number people tend to talk about. The problem is, it only counts people looking for a job.

For every 100 working-age adults here, only about 57 have a job or are hunting for one, compared with an average of 64 in neighboring states. Those who are not job-holders or -seekers here are on the sidelines. They retired early, got discouraged, are mired in unpaid caregiving, or are disconnected. Fewer workers means fewer paychecks, fewer customers, and a thinner tax base.

Did the state add jobs over the past year? Yes, but more slowly than our neighbors. Think of it as a race where everyone is moving forward, but we're not keeping pace with the group.

And in the private sector? Excluding government jobs, this measure shows whether companies are growing their payrolls here. New Mexico's private-sector growth is about half the pace of neighboring states.

Median refers to the income of the household that falls exactly in the middle of all comparative households: half earn more, half earn less. A typical New Mexico household makes roughly $16,000 a year less than the typical household in neighboring states. That gap shows up at the grocery store, not just in the data.

Take every dollar of income in the state — wages, Social Security, investments — and split it across every man, woman and child. This represents the broadest measure of buying power. New Mexico's runs about $11,000 below the norm of neighboring states.

The average job here pays about $1,275 weekly. That's roughly $180 less than our neighbors. Same work week, less to show for it.

About one in six New Mexicans lives below the federal poverty line. For a family of four, that means getting by on less than about $32,000 a year. Our neighbors average closer to one in nine.

How many employer businesses does New Mexico have per 1,000 residents? This metric counts only those business locations with paid employees, not every business that has registered or filed paperwork. New Mexico has fewer employer businesses per person than neighboring states.

The share of the state's economic output paid in state and local taxes is about 10 cents per dollar. That's above neighboring states but below the national average.

This refers to the number of new homes permitted per 1,000 residents. Neighboring states are permitting about 60% more than New Mexico. Fewer homes built today means tighter supply and higher prices later.

We're talking about the whole state economy's growth rate with inflation stripped out. New Mexico grew — but slower than surrounding states.