North-Central New Mexico has many of the problems common to other rural areas. Unemployment and underemployment rates tend to be high and per capita income relatively low. This study evaluated regional economic performance over a 19-year period (1949-1968) as compared to other regions and the nation. Shift analysis (a means of examining regional growth through study of relative shifts in economic activity) was used. This method of comparative-growth analysis measured regional performance against national standards by attributing regional employment growth to 3 basic effects: (1) national growth effect (the number of employees gained or lost by a local sector if employment in the sector grew or declined at the national total employment growth rate); (2) industry-mix effect (the region's commitment to either fast or slow growth industries); and (3) competitive effect (the differential rates of growth by industry in various regions in the country). Employment data by industry were obtained from the Bureau of Business Research "Income and Employment in New Mexico" reports. Missing data due to disclosure regulations were estimated according to U.S. Department of Commerce County Business Patterns statistics. Among the findings were: total regional employment increased more than expected (i.e., at greater than the national rate) and the most profound influence on regional employment was the increase in government employment. (NQ)