Portales and Roosevelt County People: Labor Force Data

Portales and Roosevelt County are noted for hard-working, educated, technically competent and affordable labor from diverse cultural backgrounds. Local skill sets range from biochemistry, health care, education, information technology, professional services, and plant management to agricultural labor, clerical, retail, mechanical and construction trade expertise.

Portales draws its labor from a market area of 31,000 available workers located in Portales as well as nearby Clovis and Muleshoe, Texas.  The expansion of Cannon Air Force Base is drawing hundreds of educated spouses of service members into the region, and Eastern New Mexico University provides over 4,000 local students ready to work and shop. The cost of living in Portales is 17% below the US average, making it easier for the average worker to afford a home and reasonable lifestyle.

Key labor force characteristics:

• There are 9,800 available workers in Roosevelt County, 19,000 in nearby Curry County, and another 2,300 in nearby communities in West Texas
• Over 15,000 employees are located within a twenty minute drive of downtown Portales and the remaining 16,000 are located between 20 and 30 minutes from downtown Portales
• Over 56% of all adults in Portales aged 25 or above have some college, and 11% have Masters Degrees or above
• Portales has a large young (pre-college) population preparing to enter the workforce
• Over 66% of the Portales area population was of working age (15-64) in 2008, and by 2018 this number will fall to 64%