Economic Information... Page 2

Education:

Ruidoso and Lincoln County enjoys the full benefits of the Eastern New Mexico University Community College Branch Campus. A wide variety of credit and community education classes are offered all year long at the branch campus as well as job and specialized contract training opportunities. Lincoln County also has access to the in-depth resources of the Small Business Development Center Lincoln County representative located at the Ruidoso Valley Chamber of Commerce. As of 2000, 88.5% of Ruidoso residents had a high school diploma or higher and 28.2% of Ruidoso residents held a B.A. degree or higher. ENMU/SBDC Network

SDBC for Lincoln County:

Mike Byrnes
Email: mike.byrnes@enmu.edu
Cell: 575-937-9593
Office: (575) 257-7395 or (575) 624-7133

Technology:

Valor Telecom, Zianet, Charter Communications, Tularosa Basin Telecom and PVT Networks provide high speed/broadband internet throughout Ruidoso and Lincoln County.

Airport/Transportation:

Ruidoso and Lincoln County are served by the Sierra Blanca Regional Airport located just fifteen miles northeast of Ruidoso. There are two runways. The first is 8099’ X 100’ with a single wheel capacity of 60,000 pounds and a double wheel capacity of 115,000 pounds. The second is 6500’ X 75’ with a single wheel capacity of 12,500 pounds. Ground transportation is provided by Enterprise Rental Cars and Shuttle Ruidoso. Ruidoso sits on U.S. highway 70 between Alamogordo and Roswell. The town of Carrizozo also has a municipal airport whose principal runway is 4900’ X 72’ with a single wheel capacity of 12,000 pounds. There is also shuttle service available between Ruidoso and the El Paso airport.

Major Employers:

There are a handful of major employers within the region. The Mescalero Apache Reservation, which owns and operates the Inn of the Mountain Gods Resort and Casino, employs between 1200 and 1500 employees depending on the season. Other large employers include the Ruidoso Municipal Schools, 452 employees; Lincoln County Medical Center, 160 employees; Ruidoso Downs Race Track and Casino, between 150 and 400 employees depending on the season; Village of Ruidoso, 200 employees; Wal-Mart, 349 employees; Lincoln County, 115 employees. A healthy construction industry with several financial institutions and real estate firms drive the rather low unemployment rate of between 3.5%-4.0% every month throughout the year.

Lodgers Tax/Gross Receipts Tax:

Ruidoso is a tourism based economy which thrives on visitors and their spending within the area. Lodger’s tax historical collections have grown nearly 260% in ten years, from approximately $375,000 in 1995 to nearly $980,000 in 2005. During the past four years, gross receipts taxes have increased by 12% rising from just over $7 million to $8.3 million. See graphs below (please click for larger view):
 

Lodging Revenue by Month	Historical Lodging Revenue
Gross Receipts 1994 - 2004

Utilities:

The Village of Ruidoso has a total of 8,377 water meters in use, with 7671 residential and 666 commercial. The City of Ruidoso Downs has 820 total water meters, with 718 residential and 102 commercial. Zia Natural Gas has 10,762 gas meters, 10,160 of which are currently active. Texas New Mexico Power (soon to be PNM) has 9244 electrical meters in Ruidoso; 1391 in Ruidoso Downs; 1196 in Lincoln County

In Lincoln County, 29,307 property tax bills were issued in 2004.

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