Albuquerque, NM (population: 535,923) has twenty-five animal behavior schools within a 500-mile radius of its city center. University of Denver, the highest ranked school in this group with an animal behavior program, has a total student population of 11,644. It is the 148th highest ranked school in the USA and the 2nd highest in the state of Colorado (#1 is Colorado College).
Animal Behavior students from Albuquerque schools who go on to become animal behavioralists, animal trainers, dog trainers, animal scientists, etc. have a good chance at finding employment. For example, there are 10,080 people working as animal trainers alone in the US, and their average annual salary is $31,080. Also, Zoologists and wildlife biologists make on average $60,670 per year and there are about 17,460 of them employed in the US today.
Albuquerque lies in Bernalillo county, which is one of the 23 counties in New Mexico. Overall, the Albuquerque area has 381,870 total employed workers according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, with a 0.6% unemployment rate, $19.31/hr average worker wage, and a $40,170 average annual salary.
Of the 25 animal behavior schools with a 500-mile radius of Albuquerque, only 8 have a student population over 10k. After taking into account tuition, living expenses, and financial aid, University of Denver comes out as the most expensive ($31,044/yr) for animal behavior students, with Odessa College as the lowest, reported at only $4,063/yr.
| Name | State | Population | # of Schools | Avg School Rank | Total Programs | Distance from Albuquerque |
| Albuequerque | NM | - | 1 | 4.18669 | 13 | 3.0 miles |
| Rio Rancho | NM | 85,837 | 1 | 10.6625 | 12 | 10.6 miles |
| Santa Fe | NM | 74,019 | 6 | 20.0822 | 127 | 54.1 miles |
| Grants | NM | - | 1 | 9.85236 | 40 | 69.7 miles |