Albuquerque placed #2 in MovieMaker Magazine’s 2026 rankings for the Best Big Cities to Live and Work as a Moviemaker in North America, marking its eighth consecutive year in the top five. The city’s position is backed by major infrastructure commitments from Netflix and NBCUniversal, a cost of living 10% below the national average, and state film tax credits reaching up to 40%.
Albuquerque has been named the #2 Big City for Moviemakers in North America for 2026 by MovieMaker Magazine, making it a top-ranked city in the United States.
This sustained success is driven by a 40% maximum refundable tax credit, a cost of living 10% below the national average, and long-term infrastructure commitments from Netflix and NBCUniversal.
- What are MovieMaker Magazine’s Top 10 Big Cities to Live and Work as a Moviemaker in 2026
- New Mexico’s Thriving Film Industry
- Albuquerque’s Film Industry Infrastructure
- Why Live & Work in Albuquerque?
- What are New Mexico's Other Filmmaker-Friendly Locations? Santa Fe & Las Cruces
- Albuquerque Remains a Filmmaker Favorite
- Living in Albuquerque for Movie Makers FAQs
With Santa Fe and Las Cruces also securing top spots in the “Small Cities” category, New Mexico has solidified its position as a premier global production hub.
With a thriving production scene, top-tier crews, solid tax incentives, and a commitment to the industry that keeps cameras rolling, it’s no surprise the Duke City remains a favorite filming location.
What are MovieMaker Magazine’s Top 10 Big Cities to Live and Work as a Moviemaker in 2026
- Toronto, Canada
- Albuquerque, New Mexico
- Chicago, Illinois
- Calgary, Canada
- Austin, Texas
- Vancouver, Canada
- Dallas, Texas
- Boston, Massachusetts
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Houston, Texas
New Mexico’s Thriving Film Industry
Albuquerque’s film industry continues to grow in both scale and stability. Major studios remain deeply invested in the region, drawn by New Mexico’s competitive incentives and highly skilled local workforce.
- Netflix Studios Albuquerque continues to expand its footprint, with multiple soundstages and support facilities fueling large-scale series and features. Since partnering with New Mexico in 2019, the streaming giant has produced 12 projects locally, spending over $640 million and employing more than 4,000 residents.
- NBCUniversal has also committed long-term to Albuquerque, transforming industrial space into a state-of-the-art studio. This facility is set to generate $500 million in production spending over the next decade, creating more than 330 full-time jobs.
Recent productions filmed in and around Albuquerque include Ari Aster’s Eddington, featuring Joaquin Phoenix, Pedro Pascal, and Emma Stone, and Mark Pellington’s Lone Wolf, starring Lily Gladstone.
With steady investment, ongoing workforce development, and a reliable pipeline of productions, Albuquerque isn’t just keeping pace with the industry, it remains one of its anchors.
Albuquerque’s Film Industry Infrastructure
Albuquerque stands out for its robust film industry infrastructure, providing exceptional facilities and resources tailored to filmmakers’ needs. A notable studio is Albuquerque Studios, featuring an impressive 100,000 square feet of production space for large projects.
The city is home to a skilled crew and local talent, ensuring smooth operations from start to finish. The New Mexico Film Office enhances this environment with competitive tax incentives, ranging from 25 to 40 percent depending on location and qualifications, making Albuquerque an attractive destination for filmmakers.
In addition, the office collaborates with educational institutions like the University of New Mexico’s Film and Digital Arts program and the New Mexico Film Academy, nurturing emerging talent and fostering the next generation of film industry professionals.
Networking
Building connections is effortless in Albuquerque’s film scene, where a strong network of industry organizations and associations flourishes. The New Mexico Film and Media Industry Association and the Albuquerque Film and Media Experience are key players in fostering relationships among filmmakers and providing access to valuable resources.
Regular events, workshops, and networking mixers unite filmmakers, cultivating a collaborative spirit that sparks creativity and leads to successful productions.
Film Tourism
New Mexico’s diverse landscapes, especially around Albuquerque, provide stunning backdrops for numerous productions. The iconic Sandia Mountains frequently appear in films and TV shows, and locations like Old Town Albuquerque, showcased in Breaking Bad and Wild Hogs, attract film fans eager to explore these recognizable sites.
Other recent projects to shoot locally include the Duffer brothers’ Stranger Things follow-up, Vince Gilligan’s new Apple TV+ show Pluribus, Netflix’s The Boroughs, the pilot for Disney’s Holes, with Greg Kinnear and Aidy Bryant, and Lone Wolf, with Lily Gladstone.
The New Mexico Film Office actively collaborates with the tourism sector to roll out thrilling film-related initiatives, inviting visitors to step into the scenes they love. This partnership not only amplifies the allure of New Mexico but also invigorates the local economy, making it a beloved destination for moviemakers and their audiences.
Why Live & Work in Albuquerque?
The real question is, why not? Albuquerque offers numerous advantages for living and working, along with some of the most competitive filming incentives in the industry. But if you’re still not convinced, let’s dive into the specifics.
Benefits
Albuquerque is an exciting destination for filmmakers, featuring top-tier studios and a skilled workforce eager to bring creative visions to life. With an average of 310 days of sunshine each year, filmmakers enjoy extended shooting schedules and flexibility in scheduling outdoor scenes, making it easier to capture the perfect shot.
The quality of life here is excellent, with a cost of living 10 percent lower than the national average, making it an appealing option for creatives. The city also boasts a strong arts community and ample recreational opportunities, all set against breathtaking natural scenery. The New Mexico Film Office enhances this experience by offering vital support and resources tailored specifically for filmmakers.
Competitive Film Incentives
Albuquerque stands out as a prime filming location, thanks to its competitive film incentives. The New Mexico Film Production Tax Credit provides a 25 percent rebate on qualifying production expenses, significantly reducing costs for filmmakers. The city’s commitment to sustainability is also noteworthy, with initiatives like the Sustainable Production Guide offered by the Albuquerque Film Office.
Additionally, the region hosts exciting film festivals, such as the Albuquerque Film Festival, the Santa Fe Film Festival, the Santa Fe International Film Festival, the Las Cruces International Film Festival, and the Durango Independent Film Festival, among others, where filmmakers can showcase their work and connect with industry professionals. With its solid infrastructure, supportive community, and compelling incentives, Albuquerque offers everything filmmakers need to bring their visions to life.
What are New Mexico’s Other Filmmaker-Friendly Locations? Santa Fe & Las Cruces
While Albuquerque remains a leading big city for filmmakers, Santa Fe and Las Cruces earn high marks as some of the best smaller cities on the 2026 list of The Best Places to Live and Work as a Moviemaker.
Santa Fe, celebrated for its distinctive adobe buildings and nearby filming locations like the scenic Sangre de Cristo Mountains and the historic Santa Fe Plaza, ranks #1 on the best small cities list, celebrating its fourth consecutive year.
Santa Fe features northern New Mexico’s largest studio space, Aspect Media Village, which has six soundstages totaling 75,000 square feet, and offers productions up to 35 percent in refundable tax credits within the town.
Las Cruces, coming in at #6 on the list, offers some of the best incentives you’ll find anywhere: In addition to the state’s minimum base credit of 25 percent, filmmakers shooting outside Albuquerque and Santa Fe get a 10 percent uplift that can be combined with other uplifts for up to 40 percent credit.
New Mexico and local partners are also committed to expanding Las Cruces’ film footprint with a new $21 million studio and soundstage facility located at Arrowhead Park. In addition, the city offers an engaging film community, supported by the Las Cruces Film Office and training programs at New Mexico State University and Doña Ana Community College.
Albuquerque Remains a Filmmaker Favorite
With a film infrastructure that simplifies production, a community that encourages creativity, and generous state benefits and incentives, plus 310 days of sunshine and a cost of living that’s 10 percent lower than the national average, movemakers can’t beat Burque.
And Santa Fe and Las Cruces are right up there on MovieMaker‘s 2026 list of the best Best Smaller Cities and Towns for filmmakers, showcasing the strength of New Mexico’s film scene.
So, bring your next production to New Mexico, and let the Land of Enchantment work for you!
Living in Albuquerque for Movie Makers FAQs
New Mexico offers a base 25% refundable tax credit on all qualified in-state production expenditures. This can increase to 30% for television series and standalone pilots, or up to 40% if filming in rural “Uplift Zones” outside Albuquerque and Santa Fe. There is no individual project cap, making it one of the most stable and lucrative programs in the nation.
To qualify, productions must register with the New Mexico Film Office and utilize local labor and vendors where possible. The “refundable” nature of the credit means that if the credit amount exceeds the production’s tax liability to the state, the government issues a check for the difference.
This provides tangible cash flow for studios. Recent legislative updates have also prioritized the “Give Back” program, where productions contribute to local film education, ensuring the incentive system nurtures a sustainable workforce for future projects.
Albuquerque provides a significantly lower barrier to entry due to a cost of living that sits 10% below the national average. Filmmakers benefit from 300 days of sunshine, varied topography that can mimic almost any location, and a 25–40% tax rebate that is far more accessible and consistent than the competitive, capped programs found in California or New York.
Beyond the finances, the “Duke City” offers a density of infrastructure that rivals major coastal hubs but with less congestion. Major players like Netflix and NBCUniversal have established permanent homes here, meaning the crew base is not just “imported” but consists of thousands of highly skilled locals.
This reduces travel and housing costs for productions. Additionally, the city’s permitting process is streamlined and film-friendly, allowing for smoother logistics when shutting down streets or accessing public landmarks compared to the bureaucratic hurdles found in older, more crowded film capitals.
The cornerstone of the local industry is Netflix Studios Albuquerque (formerly Albuquerque Studios), located in Mesa Del Sol, which features massive soundstages and backlots. NBC Universal also operates a major state-of-the-art facility in the city. Other critical hubs include I-25 Studios and various independent production spaces that cater to everything from indie features to high-budget streaming series.
Netflix’s commitment alone involves a $1 billion investment in the region, which has led to a massive expansion of soundstages that are currently among the largest in the world. These facilities are supported by a web of ancillary businesses, including specialized grip and electric houses, post-production suites, and catering companies that have scaled specifically to meet Hollywood standards.
The presence of these anchors ensures that even when a major production wraps, the infrastructure remains ready for the next project, preventing the “boom and bust” cycle seen in other filming locations.
The industry supports a wide spectrum of roles ranging from “below-the-line” technical crew like camera operators, gaffers, and set decorators to administrative roles in production accounting and office management. Local residents also find frequent work as background actors, specialized stunt performers, and in support sectors such as catering, transportation, and construction for elaborate set builds.
To support this growth, New Mexico has invested heavily in workforce development. Programs at the University of New Mexico and the New Mexico Film Academy provide direct pipelines into the union-represented workforce (IATSE Local 480). Because of the state’s “uplift” incentives, there is a growing demand for crew members willing to work in rural areas or smaller hubs like Las Cruces.
This has created a middle-class career path for thousands of New Mexicans who previously would have had to move to the West Coast to pursue a career in cinema or digital media.
Yes, film tourism is a major industry in Albuquerque, with dedicated tours taking fans to iconic locations from Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul, Pluribus, and Stranger Things. Sites like Old Town Albuquerque, the Sandia Peak Tramway, and “The Candy Lady” shop (which provided the prop blue sugar for Breaking Bad) are popular stops for visitors looking to experience the “Land of Enchantment” as seen on screen.
The New Mexico Film Office frequently collaborates with local tourism boards to create “film trails” and maps for self-guided tours. Many of these locations, such as the various diners and motels used in major productions, remain active businesses that welcome fans.
Beyond just the city streets, the surrounding natural beauty, like the nearby desert mesas and the volcanic fields are easily accessible for those wanting to see the backdrops of major Westerns and sci-fi epics. This synergy between the film industry and tourism provides a secondary economic boost that lasts long after the cameras have stopped rolling.
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