Food and drink · County · New Mexico
Restaurants and cafes in Otero County, NM
How Otero County, NM compares with other counties and the U.S. for restaurants and cafes: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 62 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #683 of 2,405 scored counties
#6 of 25 scored counties in New Mexico
- Listings
- 188
- 75 chain locations (40%)
- Official establishments
- 74
- +5.7% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $80.3M
- On food away from home · $3,280 a household
- Spending per listing
- $427K
- 15% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 76.8
- 30% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 70,368
- +3.7% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Otero 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 Otero 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
At $3,280 per household (19% below the U.S. average), households in Otero County spend about $80.3M a year on food away from home. That works out to $427K per restaurant, 15% above the U.S. figure of $371K.
Otero County has 188 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 75 are chain locations, or 40%, against 34% across the U.S. That comes to 76.8 for every 10,000 households, 30% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Otero County was 74 in 2023, up 5.7% from 2019. That is one for every 331 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts also show 35 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $25K have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Otero County.
Population estimates put the population change in Otero County from 2020 to 2025 at +3.7%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes in Otero County is 62 (upper middle), #683 of 2,405 scored counties and #6 of 25 scored counties in New Mexico.
How Otero 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 | Otero County | New Mexico | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 76.8 | 96.8 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $427K | $366K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 331 | 239 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +5.7% | +5.3% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.7% | +0.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,280 | $3,547 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $55,876 | $64,059 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 62 | 42 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 70 → 74+5.7% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,567
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $29.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 35Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 18875 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 217The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $25K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Otero 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 Otero County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 70,368+3.7% since 2020
- Households
- 24,480
- Median age
- 38.8
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 67%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 6,613 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 10
- Median household income
- $55,876+33.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $74,572
- Median home value
- $162,700
- Jobs located here
- 16,220
- Daytime population
- 63,281Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Otero 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 Otero 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 Otero 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 |
Other business types in Otero County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes62
- Sit-down restaurants62
- Fast food and sandwich shops58
- Pizza62
- Coffee shops and cafes53
- Bakeries and dessert shops54
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 Otero County, NM?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 188 restaurants and cafes in Otero County. 75 of them (40%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 74 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 5.7% from 2019. Another 35 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Otero County, NM spend on food away from home?
About $80.3M a year, or $3,280 per household. That is 19% below the U.S. average (an index of 81, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 188 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $427K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 24,480 households in Otero County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Otero County, NM compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Otero County has 76.8 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 30% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $427K, 15% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Otero County would have about 217, against 188 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 331 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 5.7% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Otero County, NM growing?
Population estimates put Otero County at 70,368 people in 2025, up 3.7% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 24,480 households. Median household income in Otero County is $55,876, 31% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 33.1%, 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. Otero County scores 62 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #683 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Otero 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 Otero County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Otero 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 Otero 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.