ABQ Pay About 8 Percent Below National Average

Jobs in the Albuquerque metropolitan area pay about 8 percent less per hour than the national average, according to newly released figures from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The data shows the average wage in the metro area is $22.31 per hour. Nationally, the average is $24.34.
Those figures reflect wages across 22 occupational categories as of May 2017.
In Albuquerque, wages are significantly less than the national average in 15 of the 22 categories. The most substantial difference is found in legal jobs, which make $36.94 per hour here and $51.62 per hour nationally, a difference of 28 percent.
Among other occupations with significant differences, according to the data:
— Construction and extraction: $19.36 per hour, 19 percent less than the U.S. average
— Sales and related: $15.91 per hour, 19 percent less than the U.S. average
— Building and grounds, cleaning and maintenance: $11.85 per hour, 15 percent less than the U.S. average
— Business and financial operations: $48.98 per hour, 15 percent less than the U.S. average