Food and drink · County · New Mexico
Fast food and sandwich shops in Chaves County, NM
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for fast food and sandwich shops in Chaves County, NM, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 25 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,963 of 2,222 scored counties
#19 of 24 scored counties in New Mexico
- Listings
- 34
- 29 chain locations (85%)
- Official establishments
- 45
- All limited-service restaurants · 0.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $75M
- On food away from home · $3,163 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.2M
- 28% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 14.3
- 8% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 63,364
- −2.7% since 2020
See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in Chaves County
The site report maps the fast food and sandwich shops on map listings near the address, by name and distance, and sizes the households and spending around it. Or open the report at the center of Chaves County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardSurvey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure
What this means
Chaves County scores 25 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for fast food and sandwich shops, ranking #1,963 of 2,222 scored counties and #19 of 24 scored counties in New Mexico. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
As of September 2026, map listings count 34 fast food and sandwich shops in Chaves County. Of those, 29 are chain locations, or 85%, against 79% across the U.S. That is 14.3 per 10,000 households, 8% above the U.S. rate of 13.3.
Household spending on food away from home in Chaves County comes to about $75M a year: $3,163 per household, 22% below the U.S. average. Spread across 34 fast food and sandwich shops, that is $2.2M per shop, 28% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. That spending covers all food away from home, which fast food and sandwich shops share with other businesses in the trade.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in Chaves County was 45 in 2023, unchanged from 2019. That is one for every 527 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count takes in all limited-service restaurants, not only fast food and sandwich shops: pizza places are counted too. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $925K has gone to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Chaves County. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Chaves County declined 2.7%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Chaves County compares
The same measures for New Mexico and the whole U.S. Spending per listing divides a year of household spending on all food away from home by the fast food and sandwich shops counted, so it measures the demand for each competitor, not any business’s revenue. Households per establishment does the same with the official count.
| Measure | Chaves County | New Mexico | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 14.3 | 12.9 | 13.3 |
| Spending per listing | $2.2M | $2.7M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants) | 527 | 507 | 478 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | 0.0% | +6.8% | +6.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −2.7% | +0.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,163 | $3,547 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $52,938 | $64,059 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 25 | 30 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 45 → 45All limited-service restaurants · 0.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,199
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $23.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 17All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 3429 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 25The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $925K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Chaves County, through June 2026, placed by the borrower’s ZIP code. Official establishments are businesses with payroll; the official counts leave out places with fewer than 3. These official figures cover all limited-service restaurants, not only fast food and sandwich shops.
Population and households in Chaves County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 63,364−2.7% since 2020
- Households
- 23,712
- Median age
- 37.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 71%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 6,067 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 11
- Median household income
- $52,938+22.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $74,868
- Median home value
- $156,400
- Jobs located here
- 22,009
- Daytime population
- 60,817Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Chaves County?
These figures cover the whole county. A site report draws rings around one address and counts what’s inside them: households, spending, jobs, and the fast food and sandwich shops on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of Chaves County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardFast food and sandwich shops across New Mexico
Every New Mexico market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in New Mexico for fast food and sandwich shops, numbered among those based in New Mexico, with Chaves County marked.
Top counties in New Mexico
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Sandoval County, NM | 84 | 54 | 9.5 | $4.3M | +6.9% | #79 of 2,222 |
| 2Los Alamos County, NM | 69 | 5 | 6.1 | $9.1M | 0.0% | #380 of 2,222 |
| 3Santa Fe County, NM | 67 | 67 | 9.5 | $4.2M | +1.2% | #462 of 2,222 |
| 4Rio Arriba County, NM | 62 | 12 | 7.7 | $4.3M | −1.0% | #639 of 2,222 |
| 5Valencia County, NM | 58 | 32 | 11.6 | $2.9M | +7.2% | #831 of 2,222 |
| 6Otero County, NM | 58 | 28 | 11.4 | $2.9M | +3.7% | #832 of 2,222 |
| 7Doña Ana County, NM | 56 | 95 | 11.2 | $2.9M | +4.1% | #914 of 2,222 |
| 8Torrance County, NM | 55 | 8 | 13.2 | $2.4M | +6.9% | #967 of 2,222 |
| 9Taos County, NM | 52 | 15 | 9.6 | $3.5M | +0.3% | #1,054 of 2,222 |
| 10Eddy County, NM | 45 | 36 | 15.2 | $2.5M | +0.3% | #1,349 of 2,222 |
| 19Chaves County, NM | 25 | 34 | 14.3 | $2.2M | −2.7% | #1,963 of 2,222 |
Other business types in Chaves County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes24
- Sit-down restaurants25
- Fast food and sandwich shops25
- Pizza33
- Coffee shops and cafes28
- Bakeries and dessert shops23
Groceries and convenience
Auto
Beauty and personal care
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many fast food and sandwich shops are in Chaves County, NM?
Chaves County has 34 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings as of September 2026. 29 of them (85%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 45 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023, unchanged from 2019. That count covers all limited-service restaurants (pizza places included), not only fast food and sandwich shops. Another 17 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Chaves County, NM spend on food away from home?
About $75M a year, or $3,163 per household. That is 22% below the U.S. average (an index of 78, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 34 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $2.2M per shop. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only fast food and sandwich shops. It is estimated from the incomes of the 23,712 households in Chaves County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Chaves County, NM compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?
Chaves County has 14.3 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 8% above the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $2.2M, 28% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the national ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, Chaves County would have about 25, against 34 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 527 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count held level from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% for the U.S.
How fast is Chaves County, NM growing?
Population estimates put Chaves County at 63,364 people in 2025, down 2.7% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 23,712 households. The median household income in Chaves County is $52,938 a year, 34% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 22.1% from the 2015–2019 survey, before inflation.
What is the Groundwork market score?
The Groundwork market score runs from 0 to 100 and compares a market with others of its kind for one business type: states with states, metro areas with metro areas, small-town markets and counties with their own. It weighs household spending per competitor (35%), households per business with payroll (25%), population growth (20%) and spending power (20%), each ranked against those peers. A higher score means that, taken together, the market has more household spending and more households for each business already there, faster population growth and more spending per household than similar markets. It describes a market, not any one site or deal. Chaves County scores 25 for fast food and sandwich shops (lower middle), #1,963 of 2,222 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Chaves County. It maps the fast food and sandwich shops on map listings near the site and sizes the households and spending within the distance you choose. New accounts get 10 actions over 3 days, no card.
How the score works · Top markets for fast food and sandwich shops · All 56 business types in Chaves County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Chaves County?
A site report maps the competitors on map listings near an address and sizes the households and spending around it.
The button opens the report at the center of Chaves County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
Figures are estimates for research only. Not investment or real estate advice.