June 18, 2025 – The Albuquerque Regional Economic Alliance (AREA) released the updated 2025 greater Albuquerque Region Talent Profile report (in partnership with CBRE) and an Industrial Market Profile (in partnership with NAI SunVista). Both are annual reports providing in-depth snapshots of the region’s key economic development assets: sites and talent.
The 2025 CBRE Talent & Industry Profile includes testimonial videos from several recently announced or expanded companies in the region, such as Pajarito Powder and Sandia National Labs. The data report includes information on talent and education in the region; state and local incentives; demographics and statistics; cost of living; growth industries overviews; quality of life comparisons; business operational costs, commute data, and more. This interactive and in-depth report was recognized in 2024 as the recipient of three excellence awards, from: New Mexico IDEA, the International Economic Development Council, and the Council for Community and Economic Research.
The Industrial Market Profile is grounded in NAI SunVista’s Quarterly Industrial Market Report which tracks commercial real estate key metrics, like—vacancy, lease rates, and absorption—but strength lies in the annual infrastructure and cost framework AREA helps build. Together, AREA and NAI SunVista benchmark Albuquerque’s operational costs against peer metros and highlight projects that are shaping our region—from semiconductor investments and clean energy to advanced manufacturing.
To unveil these detailed marketing and research reports, AREA’s CEO & President, Danielle Casey, CBRE’s Managing Director, Jim Chynoweth & NAI SunVista’s Director Alex Pulliam provided highlights from their current work and the reports at a recent event.
“The Greater Albuquerque Talent and Industry Profile really highlights all the things that make the Greater Albuquerque region so special. There are so many benefits to locating a business here, from a highly skilled and educated workforce, diverse community, low cost of doing business and excellent quality of life. Many private sector industries are thriving in our business-friendly community.” said Jim Chynoweth, Managing Director for CBRE in Albuquerque.
Some of the updated findings in the 2025 CBRE report include:
- The Greater Albuquerque region features a young demographic, with 55.3% of the population classified as Millennials or younger.
- The workforce is highly diverse, with over 63% of workers identifying as people of color, an increase from 60% in 2024.
- The region has a bilingual population that is twice the national average, with proficiency in both English and Spanish.
- Freshman college enrollment in New Mexico rose by 23.1% from 2021 to 2024.
- Greater Albuquerque has a high concentration of graduate and professional degrees, with 15.8% of the population holding such degrees compared to the national average of 14.3%.
- The area leads peer communities in the number of Scientific R&D jobs and ranks third in Semiconductor and Electrical Equipment manufacturing positions.
- The region boasts one of the lowest cost of living indices and a low cost of doing business relative to peer communities.
- Housing remains affordable, with homeownership rates among adult residents rising to 71%, an increase from 63% in 2023
”Albuquerque is ready to lead the next industrial chapter of the Southwest. Thanks to our geographic location along the I-40 Trade Corridor, our competitive cost to operate, and ranking as the third-largest peer metro for semiconductor and electric employment- we are signaling that greater Albuquerque is aligned for strategic growth. Our joint report with AREA is our contribution to that alignment.” said Alex Pulliam, a Land & Industrial Director of NAI SunVista.
Some key findings from 2025 NAI SunVista Industrial Market report include:
- Over the next decade, the Albuquerque metro is projected to increase jobs by more than 10%.
- The regional warehousing and storage sector alone has grown by an incredible 287% in just five years, signaling that companies view Albuquerque as a strategic logistics hub in the Western U.S.
In advanced industries, growth is occurring that puts us on the national map:
- Semiconductor manufacturing jobs are up 36%
- Industrial machinery manufacturing is up 26%
- Aerospace product manufacturing, 12%
- ABQ is the third largest peer metro for semiconductor and electrical equipment employment
“These reports, updated annually, outlines the numerous factors that set our region apart. It is unequivocally one of our top economic development publications used to articulate our value proposition and promote the region’s key assets to decision makers outside of the community,” added Danielle Casey, President & CEO of AREA.
To interact with or download the full digital Talent Profile report, visit www.abq.org/talentreport.
To access the NAI SunVista report, visit www.abq.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/AREA-SunVista-Report-2025.pdf
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About AREA
The Albuquerque Regional Economic Alliance is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to lead and execute strategies designed to grow and diversify the economic base of the greater Albuquerque region, creating a prosperous, diverse and inclusive economy and elevating the standard of living for all. AREA provides confidential assistance to businesses considering the area for expansion and new investment. Since its creation in 1960, AREA has recruited more than 250 companies and more than 35,000 jobs to the Albuquerque metro area. AREA also provides retention and expansion assistance to existing industry. For more information, visit ABQ.org.
About CBRE Group, Inc.
CBRE Group, Inc. (NYSE:CBRE), a Fortune 500 and S&P 500 company headquartered in Dallas, is the world’s largest commercial real estate services and investment firm (based on 2023 revenue). The company has more than 140,000 employees (including Turner & Townsend employees) serving clients in more than 100 countries. CBRE serves a diverse range of clients with an integrated suite of services, including facilities, transaction and project management; property management; investment management; appraisal and valuation; property leasing; strategic consulting; property sales; mortgage services and development services. Please visit our website at www.cbre.com.
About NAI SunVista
NAI SunVista is a dynamic commercial real estate firm offering best-in-class real estate services in brokerage, property management, asset management, business brokerage and development services. https://sunvista.com/