Carlsbad MainStreet: Community Economic Assessment

Carlsbad’s population is relatively stable, though slowly growing; there is a small decline in the senior population which is contrary to the graying pattern seen in other parts of the southeast New Mexico (SE NM) region. Educational attainment has shown some improvement at the grade school level, but this has not yet translated into significant gains in post-secondary education. On a net basis, economic leakages (money spent by local residents outside the community) exceed inflows (residents of other communities spending money in Carlsbad) by about 10 percent, resulting in a net leakage of about $57 million in 2005.