Groundwork

Food and drink · County · New Mexico

Restaurants and cafes in Los Alamos County, NM

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

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 78 out of 100: High

Ranked #165 of 2,405 scored counties
#2 of 25 scored counties in New Mexico

Listings
61
13 chain locations (21%)
Official establishments
28
+3.7% since 2019
Household spending a year
$45.6M
On food away from home · $5,525 a household
Spending per listing
$747K
Twice the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
74.0
33% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
19,407
0.0% since 2020

See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Los Alamos 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 Los Alamos 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

For restaurants and cafes, Los Alamos County has a Groundwork market score of 78 (high): #165 of 2,405 scored counties and #2 of 25 scored counties in New Mexico. That puts it in the top 10% of counties for restaurants and cafes.

At $5,525 per household (36% above the U.S. average), households in Los Alamos County spend about $45.6M a year on food away from home. That is about $747K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, twice the U.S. figure of $371K.

There are 61 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Los Alamos County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 21% of them, against 34% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 74.0, 33% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Los Alamos County was 28 in 2023, up 3.7% from 2019. That is one for every 295 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $200K has gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Los Alamos County. Population estimates put the population change in Los Alamos County from 2020 to 2025 at 0.0%, against +3.1% for the U.S.

How Los Alamos 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 Los Alamos County, NM compared with New Mexico and the U.S.
MeasureLos Alamos CountyNew MexicoU.S.
Listings per 10k households74.096.8109.8
Spending per listing$747K$366K$371K
Households per official establishment295239209
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+3.7%+5.3%+6.0%
Population growth, 2020–20250.0%+0.3%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$5,525$3,547$4,070
Median household income$147,139$64,059$80,734
Groundwork market score7842

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
27 → 28+3.7% over the period
Employees, 2023
374
Annual payroll, 2023
$9.6M
One-person businesses, 2023
6Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
6113 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
123The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
1
Amount
$200K

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Los Alamos 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 Los Alamos County

Population, 2025 estimate
19,4070.0% since 2020
Households
8,247
Median age
40.5
Homes lived in by their owners
75%
Vehicles per household
2.0
Land area
109 sq. mi.
People per square mile
178
Median household income
$147,139+21.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$170,885
Median home value
$495,800
Jobs located here
20,699
Daytime population
29,150Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Los Alamos 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 Los Alamos 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 Los Alamos 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

Other business types in Los Alamos County

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

Questions

How many restaurants and cafes are in Los Alamos County, NM?

As of September 2026, map listings count 61 restaurants and cafes in Los Alamos County. 13 of them (21%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 28 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 3.7% from 2019. Another 6 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.

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

About $45.6M a year, or $5,525 per household. That is 36% above the U.S. average (an index of 136, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 61 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $747K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 8,247 households in Los Alamos County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Los Alamos County has 74.0 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 33% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $747K, twice the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Los Alamos County would have about 123, against 61 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 295 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 3.7% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.

How fast is Los Alamos County, NM growing?

Population estimates put Los Alamos County at 19,407 people in 2025, unchanged since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 8,247 households. Median household income in Los Alamos County is $147,139, 82% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 21.3%, 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. Los Alamos County scores 78 for restaurants and cafes (high), #165 of 2,405 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Los Alamos 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 Los Alamos County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Los Alamos 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 Los Alamos 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.