Salaries in Hobbs, NM

You might assume a place like Hobbs, with its oil patch roots, is all about blue-collar paychecks. But here’s the surprise: the single best-paid job in the city is a software developer, pulling in nearly $125,000. In a town of 40,000 people where only 16.6% have a bachelor's degree, that’s a stark reminder that tech work isn’t just for big coastal metros anymore.

The real story here, though, is purchasing power. Hobbs’s cost of living index sits at 93.5—meaning your dollar stretches about 6.5% further than the national average. A median household income of $65,691 goes a lot further when a one-bedroom apartment rents for $935 a month. The COL-adjusted salary numbers tell the truth: that $124k developer salary is effectively worth $133k in a average US city. It’s a genuine bargain for the right professional.

Who’s thriving? Beyond the surprising tech sector, it’s the usual suspects in an energy town. Healthcare is huge—you see it in the strong numbers for registered nurses. And with oil and gas operations run by companies like Mewbourne Oil and Oxy, skilled trades like electricians do very well, as do accountants managing those complex finances. The local school district is also a major employer, though teachers’ salaries, while decent for the area, don’t crack the top tier.

Here’s my honest take: wages here are solid for the cost of living, but you can’t ignore the 4.0% unemployment rate. It’s tight. That means employers are competing for talent, which is good for you if you’re in one of those top fields. But if you’re in a role with a flooded labor pool, you might not see the same leverage. For remote workers cashing a coastal salary while living in Hobbs, this is financial paradise. For everyone else, it’s a stable, affordable place to build a life without the financial panic you feel in bigger cities.

The data below breaks down exactly who earns what, and how far that money actually goes.