Study measures NMSU’s billion-dollar plus impact on New Mexico economy

Original Article | Adriana Chávez | adchavez@nmsu.edu | January 12, 2023

A study by New Mexico State University’s Arrowhead Center and the Center for Border Economic Development has found that the university plays a significant role in the state’s economy – totaling in the billions of dollars – thanks to NMSU’s education, research, and Extension and outreach programs.

Research expenditures played a key part in the university’s overall economic impact, according to the study, “Economic Impact and Contribution of New Mexico State University, 2022.”

Among the study’s key findings for fiscal year 2022 are:

• NMSU had an economic impact in New Mexico of 3,671 direct jobs,

10,634 total jobs, $1.7 billion in economic output, $962 million in value-added

production and $587 million in labor income.

• NMSU had an economic contribution in New Mexico of 11,463 direct

jobs, 19,634 total jobs, $2.6 billion in economic output, $1.6 billion in value-added

production, and $905 million in labor income.

• NMSU awarded 4,777 degrees with a total estimated value of $1.2 billion in discounted future earnings.

NMSU’s impact is derived from the university’s operations in every county of the state, which includes Cooperative Extension Service offices, 13 agricultural science and research centers, and satellite learning centers, as well as the 66,083 NMSU alumni living and working in the state.

“The College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences is fully committed to the economic and rural development of the state of New Mexico; it is in our mission statement, and the result of the study demonstrates it,” said Rolando Flores Galarza, dean of the College of ACES. “Our strong focus on value-added sustainable agriculture, water utilization and management, digital agriculture and online learning for the next years will be additional contributors to the NMSU impact in New Mexico’s economy.”

NMSU also generates a significant economic impact from innovation and entrepreneurship outreach programs offered by Arrowhead Center, which works directly with entrepreneurs and business owners to develop and expand their business. Arrowhead Center also oversees Arrowhead Park, a 175-acre research park located in the southern part of the NMSU main campus in Las Cruces.

The study points to NMSU’s successful record of graduates moving up the socio-economic ladder. The Brookings Institution ranked NMSU second in the nation on social mobility, while New Mexico placed 13th on a 2022 list of 50 states in CollegeNET’s Social Mobility Index, which measures the extent to which a university educates more economically disadvantaged students.

NMSU also attracts a large number of first-generation, or first-gen, students, who account for about one in three of NMSU’s student population. First-gen students are students whose parents do not have a four-year college degree. In New Mexico, 42.75% of students are first-gen, ranking New Mexico eighth out of 50 states.

“New Mexico State University and our graduates make a significant economic impact on our state’s economy and over all well-being,” said Tony Marin, NMSU assistant vice president for student affairs. “Through our mission as a land-grant university, we are determined to continue to facilitate opportunities for all students regardless of economic or class-based circumstances. This is demonstrated by the social mobility recognitions that the university has received over the past decade, as well as the high number of first-generation college students who enroll and graduate from New Mexico State.”

The study was prepared by Kramer Winingham, program director at Arrowhead Center, and Chris Erickson and Lucinda Vargas of the Center for Border Economic Development. To read the full study, visit https://nmsu.edu/economic-development/impact.html.