El Paso, TX (population: 631,862) has one CAD school within a 100-mile radius of its city center. New Mexico State University-Dona Ana has a total student population of 9,021. It is the 5678th highest ranked school in the USA and the 32nd highest in the state of New Mexico (#1 is New Mexico State University-Main Campus).
CAD students from El Paso schools who go on to become drafters, architects, computer aided designers, project architects, etc. have a good chance at finding employment. For example, there are 18,290 people working as drafters alone in the US, and their average annual salary is $48,210. Also, Architectural and civil drafters make on average $47,710 per year and there are about 105,320 of them employed in the US today.
El Paso lies in El Paso county, which is one of the 154 counties in Texas. Overall, the El Paso area has 269,250 total employed workers according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, with a 2.0% unemployment rate, $16.37/hr average worker wage, and a $34,050 average annual salary.
After taking into account tuition, living expenses, and financial aid, New Mexico State University-Dona Ana ends up costing a student $5,430/yr.
| Name | State | Population | # of Schools | Avg School Rank | Total Programs | Distance from El Paso |
| Las Cruces | NM | 95,663 | 3 | 29.6043 | 193 | 38.7 miles |
| Alamogordo | NM | - | 2 | 15.3602 | 50 | 77.8 miles |