While still a small sector of the economy, manufacturing is growing. Employing 6% of the overall employed labor force, 55% of these manufacturing jobs are producing non-durable goods. The low cost of the work force, prime location industrial parks and easy access to maquilas in Mexico will continue to be significant factors in the development of the manufacturing sector.

Trade-sector employment is mostly retail, with 89% of the workers. General-merchandise establishments employ 14% of the retail employees, food stores employ 13 %, and the remaining 72% are in other retail establishments.

The government sector is the largest employment sector at 33% of the total non-farm employment. Federal government employment accounts for 19% of the total for the sector. Of the remainder, state government totals 52%, with local government accounting for 48%.

Gross receipts for the City of Las Cruces mirror the employment sectors for the county. Retail trade accounts for 44% of the reported gross receipts. Services and construction are the significant sectors at 22% and 11% respectively. Gross receipts continue to increase.

The nearby El Paso-Juarez metropolitan area influences the cost of living in the Las Cruces area. Las Cruces and El Paso are within a 45-minute commute of each other, and the labor force variables (i.e. wage rates, unemployment, job opportunities, etc.) are increasingly connected. The American Chamber of Commerce Research Association (ACCRA) cost-of-living comparison ranks Las Cruces at about the overall national average. Recent market forces have driven housing costs down to below the national average.

Economic observers consider wage rates and prices low to moderate. That is reflected by the estimated 1998 percapita income ($16,599) and the median household income ($35,200 as estimated by HUD). Average annual wages were $22,457 in 1998.Wages have been slowly rising at about 5% annually.