The report found Los Alamos National Laboratory is responsible for creating 24,169 New Mexico jobs through direct, indirect and induced activities.
LOS ALAMOS, N.M., July 18, 2019—An independent economic impact analysis has found that Los Alamos National Laboratory is responsible for creating 24,169 jobs in New Mexico while contributing $3.1 billion a year—much of it in out-of-state dollars—to the New Mexico economy.
"The Laboratory has long been a proud member of the northern New Mexico community," said Laboratory Director Thom Mason. "Part of being a good neighbor is bolstering the economic well-being of the communities where we live and operate. This report underlines our role as a major employer, including the creation of good paying high-tech jobs, a strong contributor to the local economy, and a supporter of New Mexico businesses."
The Economic Impact of Los Alamos National Laboratory report, developed by the University of New Mexico Bureau of Business and Economic Research (BBER), found that the Laboratory's economic engine " brings out-of-state dollars into New Mexico, provides moderate to high-wage jobs to New Mexicans, supports New Mexico businesses and contributes to state and local tax revenues."
The economic benefits to northern New Mexico counties and the state of New Mexico flow from its payroll, goods and services the Laboratory buys throughout the state, jobs created to provide those goods and services, and construction projects at the Laboratory.
Key findings from the report:
- The Laboratory is responsible for creating 24,169 New Mexico jobs through direct, indirect and induced activities. That number nearly equals the employment in the state's manufacturing sector.
- In FY 2017 the Laboratory supported the direct employment of 11,882 persons at an average salary of $112,386 per employee. The direct expenditures of its employees and vendors created an additional 9,415 jobs.
- The Laboratory's average annual total impact on economic output across New Mexico from 2016 to 2018 was $3.1 billion. That figure includes direct spending in payroll of $1.46 billion, purchases of $338.2 million in goods and services from New Mexico businesses, and $45.2 million in construction expenditures. An additional $1.21 billion in indirect spending came from the Laboratory's employees and vendors.
- The Laboratory's economic impact on the seven counties surrounding the Laboratory in total is equal to 15 percent of their total gross domestic product.
Los Alamos National Laboratory commissioned the report and supplied financial data to the BBER for analysis. A full copy of the report can be found on the Laboratory website.
