Food and drink · County · New Mexico
Fast food and sandwich shops in Lincoln County, NM
How Lincoln County, NM compares with other counties and the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 31 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,798 of 2,222 scored counties
#15 of 24 scored counties in New Mexico
- Listings
- 12
- 10 chain locations (83%)
- Official establishments
- 20
- All limited-service restaurants
- Household spending a year
- $32.1M
- On food away from home · $3,209 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.7M
- 12% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 12.0
- 10% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 19,844
- −2.3% since 2020
See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in Lincoln 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 Lincoln 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
Lincoln County scores 31 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for fast food and sandwich shops, ranking #1,798 of 2,222 scored counties and #15 of 24 scored counties in New Mexico. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
As of September 2026, map listings count 12 fast food and sandwich shops in Lincoln County. 10 of them (83%) are chain locations, against 79% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 12.0, 10% below the U.S. rate of 13.3.
Household spending on food away from home in Lincoln County comes to about $32.1M a year: $3,209 per household, 21% below the U.S. average. That works out to $2.7M per shop, 12% 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.
In 2023, official counts showed 20 businesses with payroll in Lincoln County classed as limited-service restaurants. That is one for every 500 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. Population estimates put the population change in Lincoln County from 2020 to 2025 at −2.3%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Lincoln 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 | Lincoln County | New Mexico | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 12.0 | 12.9 | 13.3 |
| Spending per listing | $2.7M | $2.7M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants) | 500 | 507 | 478 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +6.8% | +6.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −2.3% | +0.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,209 | $3,547 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $53,303 | $64,059 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 31 | 30 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 19 → 20All limited-service restaurants
- Employees, 2023
- 369
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $8.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 4All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 1210 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 11The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 0
- Amount
- $0
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Lincoln 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 Lincoln County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 19,844−2.3% since 2020
- Households
- 10,000
- Median age
- 50.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 77%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 4,831 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 4
- Median household income
- $53,303+15.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $73,624
- Median home value
- $233,200
- Jobs located here
- 6,275
- Daytime population
- 19,834Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Lincoln 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 Lincoln 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 Lincoln 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 |
| 15Lincoln County, NM | 31 | 12 | 12.0 | $2.7M | −2.3% | #1,798 of 2,222 |
Other business types in Lincoln County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes9
- Sit-down restaurants8
- Fast food and sandwich shops31
- Pizza30
- Coffee shops and cafes16
- Bakeries and dessert shops17
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 Lincoln County, NM?
Lincoln County has 12 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings as of September 2026. 10 of them (83%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 20 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023. That count covers all limited-service restaurants (pizza places included), not only fast food and sandwich shops. Another 4 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Lincoln County, NM spend on food away from home?
About $32.1M a year, or $3,209 per household. That is 21% below the U.S. average (an index of 79, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 12 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $2.7M 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 10,000 households in Lincoln County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Lincoln County, NM compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?
Lincoln County has 12.0 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 10% below the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $2.7M, 12% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the national ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, Lincoln County would have about 11, against 12 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 500 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S.
How fast is Lincoln County, NM growing?
Population estimates put Lincoln County at 19,844 people in 2025, down 2.3% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 10,000 households. The median household income in Lincoln County is $53,303 a year, 34% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 15.3% 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. Lincoln County scores 31 for fast food and sandwich shops (lower middle), #1,798 of 2,222 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Lincoln 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 Lincoln County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Lincoln 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 Lincoln 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.