Huge news! New Mexico suffers population loss. Lousy economy to blame as outmigration continues. BY DENNIS DOMRZALSKI ABQ Free Press New Mexico was one of only six states in the U.S. that suffered population losses in the 12 months that ended July 1, the U.S. Census Bureau reported Tuesday. During the year, New Mexico’s population fell by 1,323, or .06 percent. As of July 1, the state’s population was 2,085,572, down from 2,086,895 on July 1, 2013. The figures represent an economy that has been stagnant for five years and the continuation of a pattern of outmigration that has seen more people leaving the state than have been coming here, two business experts said. “This should come as no surprise,” said Beverlee McClure, president and CEO of the New Mexico Association of Commerce and Industry. “People will go where the opportunity is, and right now the opportunities are not in New Mexico. “The ‘brain drain’ is not just our college graduates; it is now those of all ages who seek professional and managerial positions. Until we as a state face the reality that we are not bouncing back economically and come together to work on solutions, this trend will continue.” Dale Dekker, principal in the Albuquerque-based architectural firm of Dekker/Perich/Sabatini agreed that the population figures are a reflection of New Mexico’s weak economy. “We are still recovering from the recession. A lot of the numbers are probably from the recession. The jobs are in Denver, Dallas and other major metro areas,” Dekker said. “I am hopeful than in 2015 we will see more economic activity.” New Mexico has had a net loss of people to other states since April 2010, according to Census Bureau statistics. Between April 2010 and July 2013, the state had a net outmigration of 9,750 people. Most of that loss came in the 12 months that ended July 1, 2013 when the outmigration totaled 8,809. The five other states that lost population were Illinois, 9,972; West Virginia, 3,269; Connecticut, 2,664; Alaska, 527; and Vermont, 293.
Posted on: Tue, 23 Dec 2014 21:15:52 +0000
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