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<br />occurred in El Paso. Recently, however, the manufacturing activities
<br />themselves have located in El Paso, and are concentrated in low-wage
<br />industries. Average manufacturing earnings per employee in El Paso are
<br />about 59 percent of the national average.
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<br />Expansion in El Paso's services and trade sectors also seems to be occurring
<br />in the low-wage component ofthese sectors. For El Paso's economy as a
<br />whole, average earnings are about 79 percent ofthe U.S. average.
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<br />There are, of course, multiple reasons for the below-average earnings in El
<br />Paso, but one of the strongest is the large supply oflow-skill workers, given
<br />the relatively low level of educational attainment of El Paso's residents. The
<br />1990 census found, for example, that 34.2 percent of persons 18 years and
<br />over in El Paso had not completed high school, versus the national average of
<br />21.6 percent and a Texas average of28.2 percent (City ofEl Paso 1995).
<br />Furthermore, the percentage of the area's adult population that has not
<br />completed the ninth grade is more than double the national average (Sharp
<br />1995). At the other end ofthe educational spectrum, 14 percent ofEl Paso's
<br />residents 18 years and over had a bachelor's or higher degree, below the
<br />comparable national and statewide figures, 19.5 percent and 18.1 percent,
<br />respectively. The impact on earnings of the low level of educational
<br />attainment ofEl Paso's workforce is reinforced by its relative youth; in 1990,
<br />the median age in El Paso was 28 years, nearly five years below the national
<br />average of 32.9 years. The low level of educational attainment in El Paso,
<br />relative to other areas ofthe U.S., essentially dictates that earnings in El
<br />Paso will continue to be below the national average.
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<br />New Mexico and Albuquerque exhibit a somewhat different pattern of
<br />educational attainment and economic development. The workforce is
<br />substantially better educated and, although there are some potentially dark
<br />clouds on the horizon, a relatively high percentage of the workforce enjoys
<br />the prospect of benefiting from national trends toward higher returns to
<br />education. For New Mexico as a whole, 24.9 percent of persons 25 years or
<br />over did not complete high school, and 20.4 percent have a bachelor's or
<br />higher degree (U.S. Department of Co=erce 1994). In both cases, the
<br />statistic for New Mexico is nearly identical to the national average. In
<br />general, one should expect that educational attainment in Albuquerque
<br />resembles the statewide average.
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<br />Information regarding migration patterns indicates that, in recent years,
<br />more highly-educated persons have moved into New Mexico than have moved
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