Groundwork

Food and drink · County · New Mexico

Restaurants and cafes in Curry County, NM

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for restaurants and cafes in Curry County, NM, set against other counties and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 19 out of 100: Low

Ranked #2,300 of 2,405 scored counties
#20 of 25 scored counties in New Mexico

Listings
198
85 chain locations (43%)
Official establishments
85
+18.1% since 2019
Household spending a year
$60.1M
On food away from home · $3,231 a household
Spending per listing
$303K
18% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
106.5
3% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
46,655
−3.5% since 2020

See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Curry County

The site report maps the restaurants and cafes 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 Curry County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

The Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes in Curry County is 19 (low), #2,300 of 2,405 scored counties and #20 of 25 scored counties in New Mexico. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.

As of September 2026, map listings count 198 restaurants and cafes in Curry County. Of those, 85 are chain locations, or 43%, against 34% across the U.S. That is 106.5 per 10,000 households, 3% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.

At $3,231 per household (21% below the U.S. average), households in Curry County spend about $60.1M a year on food away from home. That is about $303K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 18% below the U.S. figure of $371K.

In 2023, official counts showed 85 businesses with payroll in Curry County classed as restaurants and other eating places, up 18.1% from 2019. That is one for every 219 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 4 SBA-backed loans worth $734K have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Curry County. Population estimates put the population change in Curry County from 2020 to 2025 at −3.5%, against +3.1% for the U.S.

How Curry 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 restaurants and cafes counted, so it measures the demand for each competitor, not any business’s revenue. Households per establishment does the same with the official count.

Restaurants and cafes in Curry County, NM compared with New Mexico and the U.S.
MeasureCurry CountyNew MexicoU.S.
Listings per 10k households106.596.8109.8
Spending per listing$303K$366K$371K
Households per official establishment219239209
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+18.1%+5.3%+6.0%
Population growth, 2020–2025−3.5%+0.3%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$3,231$3,547$4,070
Median household income$57,309$64,059$80,734
Groundwork market score1942

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
72 → 85+18.1% over the period
Employees, 2023
2,015
Annual payroll, 2023
$38M
One-person businesses, 2023
16Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
19885 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
162The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
4
Amount
$734K

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Curry 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.

Population and households in Curry County

Population, 2025 estimate
46,655−3.5% since 2020
Households
18,595
Median age
33.5
Homes lived in by their owners
63%
Vehicles per household
1.9
Land area
1,406 sq. mi.
People per square mile
34
Median household income
$57,309+27.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$74,913
Median home value
$171,200
Jobs located here
17,571
Daytime population
46,183Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Curry 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 restaurants and cafes on map listings by name and distance.

Or open the report at the center of Curry County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Restaurants and cafes across New Mexico

Every New Mexico market ranked →

The highest-scoring counties in New Mexico for restaurants and cafes, numbered among those based in New Mexico, with Curry County marked.

Top counties in New Mexico

Counties in New Mexico ranked for restaurants and cafes by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Sandoval County, NM9031755.7$731K+6.9%#23 of 2,405
2Los Alamos County, NM786174.0$747K0.0%#165 of 2,405
3Valencia County, NM7318567.1$499K+7.2%#314 of 2,405
4Torrance County, NM674676.0$418K+6.9%#497 of 2,405
5Rio Arriba County, NM639661.4$542K−1.0%#627 of 2,405
6Otero County, NM6218876.8$427K+3.7%#683 of 2,405
7Doña Ana County, NM6066177.9$420K+4.1%#765 of 2,405
8San Miguel County, NM478268.7$444K−3.2%#1,297 of 2,405
9Eddy County, NM45254107.5$358K+0.3%#1,408 of 2,405
10Roosevelt County, NM425573.9$411K−2.8%#1,517 of 2,405
20Curry County, NM19198106.5$303K−3.5%#2,300 of 2,405

Other business types in Curry County

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Questions

How many restaurants and cafes are in Curry County, NM?

Curry County has 198 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 85 of them (43%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 85 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 18.1% from 2019. Official counts list 16 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in Curry County, NM spend on food away from home?

About $60.1M a year, or $3,231 per household. That is 21% below the U.S. average (an index of 79, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 198 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $303K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 18,595 households in Curry County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Curry County, NM compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?

Curry County has 106.5 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 3% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $303K, 18% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Curry County would have about 162, against 198 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 219 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 18.1% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.

How fast is Curry County, NM growing?

Population estimates put Curry County at 46,655 people in 2025, down 3.5% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 18,595 households. The median household income in Curry County is $57,309 a year, 29% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 27.1% 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. Curry County scores 19 for restaurants and cafes (low), #2,300 of 2,405 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Curry County. It maps the restaurants and cafes 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 restaurants and cafes · All 56 business types in Curry County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Curry 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 Curry 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.