Food and drink · Metro area · New Mexico
Fast food and sandwich shops in the Las Cruces, NM metro area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for fast food and sandwich shops in the Las Cruces, NM metro area, set against other metro areas and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 58 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #149 of 387 scored metro areas
#2 of 4 scored metro areas based in New Mexico
- Listings
- 95
- 84 chain locations (88%)
- Official establishments
- 131
- All limited-service restaurants · −5.1% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $277.8M
- On food away from home · $3,273 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.9M
- 4% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 11.2
- 16% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 229,091
- +4.1% since 2020
See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in the Las Cruces metro area
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 the Las Cruces metro area. 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 95 fast food and sandwich shops in the Las Cruces metro area. 84 of them (88%) are chain locations, against 79% across the U.S. That is 11.2 per 10,000 households, 16% below the U.S. rate of 13.3.
Household spending on food away from home in the Las Cruces metro area comes to about $277.8M a year: $3,273 per household, 20% below the U.S. average. Spread across 95 fast food and sandwich shops, that is $2.9M per shop, 4% 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 the Las Cruces metro area was 131 in 2023, down 5.1% from 2019. That is one for every 648 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. Another 34 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $625K have gone to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in the Las Cruces metro area.
Population estimates show the Las Cruces metro area grew 4.1% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For fast food and sandwich shops, the Las Cruces metro area has a Groundwork market score of 58 (upper middle): #149 of 387 scored metro areas and #2 of 4 scored metro areas based in New Mexico.
How the Las Cruces metro area 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 | Las Cruces metro area | New Mexico | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 11.2 | 12.9 | 13.3 |
| Spending per listing | $2.9M | $2.7M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants) | 648 | 507 | 478 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −5.1% | +6.8% | +6.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +4.1% | +0.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,273 | $3,547 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $56,848 | $64,059 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 58 | 30 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 131All limited-service restaurants · −5.1% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 3,135
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $56.6M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 34All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 9584 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 91The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $625K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in the Las Cruces metro area, 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 the Las Cruces metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 229,091+4.1% since 2020
- Households
- 84,889
- Median age
- 36.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 65%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 3,808 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 59
- Median household income
- $56,848+38.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $76,951
- Median home value
- $220,800
- Jobs located here
- 79,505
- Daytime population
- 218,304Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Las Cruces metro area?
These figures cover the whole metro area. 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 the Las Cruces metro area. 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 metro areas in New Mexico for fast food and sandwich shops, numbered among those based in New Mexico, with the Las Cruces metro area marked.
Top metro areas in New Mexico
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Santa Fe, NM | 72 | 67 | 9.5 | $4.2M | +1.2% | #58 of 387 |
| 2Las Cruces, NM | 58 | 95 | 11.2 | $2.9M | +4.1% | #149 of 387 |
| 3Albuquerque, NM | 41 | 488 | 13.0 | $2.9M | +0.8% | #249 of 387 |
| 4Farmington, NM | 8 | 71 | 17.0 | $1.9M | −0.9% | #384 of 387 |
Other business types in the Las Cruces metro area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes67
- Sit-down restaurants65
- Fast food and sandwich shops58
- Pizza67
- Coffee shops and cafes45
- Bakeries and dessert shops56
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 the Las Cruces, NM metro area?
There are 95 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings in the Las Cruces metro area as of September 2026. 84 of them (88%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 131 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023, down 5.1% from 2019. That count covers all limited-service restaurants (pizza places included), not only fast food and sandwich shops. Official counts list 34 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Las Cruces, NM metro area spend on food away from home?
About $277.8M a year, or $3,273 per household. That is 20% below the U.S. average (an index of 80, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 95 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $2.9M 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 84,889 households in the Las Cruces metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Las Cruces, NM metro area compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?
The Las Cruces metro area has 11.2 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 16% below the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $2.9M, 4% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the national ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, the Las Cruces metro area would have about 91, against 95 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 648 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count fell 5.1% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% for the U.S.
How fast is the Las Cruces, NM metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Las Cruces metro area at 229,091 people in 2025, up 4.1% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 84,889 households. The median household income in the Las Cruces metro area is $56,848 a year, 30% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 38.8% 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. The Las Cruces metro area scores 58 for fast food and sandwich shops (upper middle), #149 of 387 scored metro areas.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Las Cruces metro area. 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 the Las Cruces metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Las Cruces metro area?
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 the Las Cruces metro area. 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.