Food and drink · County · New Mexico
Restaurants and cafes in Lincoln County, NM
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for restaurants and cafes in Lincoln County, NM, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 9 out of 100: Very low
Ranked #2,400 of 2,405 scored counties
#25 of 25 scored counties in New Mexico
- Listings
- 182
- 42 chain locations (23%)
- Official establishments
- 58
- −1.7% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $32.1M
- On food away from home · $3,209 a household
- Spending per listing
- $176K
- 52% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 182.0
- 66% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 19,844
- −2.3% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Lincoln 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 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 9 (very low) on the Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes, ranking #2,400 of 2,405 scored counties and #25 of 25 scored counties in New Mexico. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
As of September 2026, map listings count 182 restaurants and cafes in Lincoln County. Chain locations make up 23% of them, against 34% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 182.0, 66% above the U.S. rate of 109.8.
At $3,209 per household (21% below the U.S. average), households in Lincoln County spend about $32.1M a year on food away from home. That works out to $176K per restaurant, 52% below the U.S. figure of $371K.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Lincoln County was 58 in 2023, down 1.7% from 2019. That is one for every 172 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $670K have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Lincoln County. Population estimates show Lincoln County declined 2.3% from 2020 to 2025, 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 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.
| Measure | Lincoln County | New Mexico | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 182.0 | 96.8 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $176K | $366K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 172 | 239 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −1.7% | +5.3% | +6.0% |
| 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 | 9 | 42 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 59 → 58−1.7% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 950
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $24.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 14Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 18242 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 87The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $670K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places 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.
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 restaurants and cafes 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 cardRestaurants 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 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 | 90 | 317 | 55.7 | $731K | +6.9% | #23 of 2,405 |
| 2Los Alamos County, NM | 78 | 61 | 74.0 | $747K | 0.0% | #165 of 2,405 |
| 3Valencia County, NM | 73 | 185 | 67.1 | $499K | +7.2% | #314 of 2,405 |
| 4Torrance County, NM | 67 | 46 | 76.0 | $418K | +6.9% | #497 of 2,405 |
| 5Rio Arriba County, NM | 63 | 96 | 61.4 | $542K | −1.0% | #627 of 2,405 |
| 6Otero County, NM | 62 | 188 | 76.8 | $427K | +3.7% | #683 of 2,405 |
| 7Doña Ana County, NM | 60 | 661 | 77.9 | $420K | +4.1% | #765 of 2,405 |
| 8San Miguel County, NM | 47 | 82 | 68.7 | $444K | −3.2% | #1,297 of 2,405 |
| 9Eddy County, NM | 45 | 254 | 107.5 | $358K | +0.3% | #1,408 of 2,405 |
| 10Roosevelt County, NM | 42 | 55 | 73.9 | $411K | −2.8% | #1,517 of 2,405 |
| 25Lincoln County, NM | 9 | 182 | 182.0 | $176K | −2.3% | #2,400 of 2,405 |
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 restaurants and cafes are in Lincoln County, NM?
Lincoln County has 182 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 42 of them (23%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 58 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, down 1.7% from 2019. Another 14 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 182 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $176K per restaurant. 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 restaurants and cafes?
Lincoln County has 182.0 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 66% above the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $176K, 52% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Lincoln County would have about 87, against 182 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 172 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count fell 1.7% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for 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 9 for restaurants and cafes (very low), #2,400 of 2,405 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 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 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.