Food and drink · County · New Mexico
Restaurants and cafes in Rio Arriba County, NM
The restaurants and cafes in Rio Arriba County, NM, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 63 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #627 of 2,405 scored counties
#5 of 25 scored counties in New Mexico
- Listings
- 96
- 28 chain locations (29%)
- Official establishments
- 40
- −9.1% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $52.1M
- On food away from home · $3,327 a household
- Spending per listing
- $542K
- 46% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 61.4
- 44% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 39,832
- −1.0% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Rio Arriba 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 Rio Arriba 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
Households in Rio Arriba County spend about $52.1M a year on food away from home, or $3,327 per household, 18% below the U.S. average. That is about $542K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 46% above the U.S. figure of $371K.
Rio Arriba County has 96 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 28 are chain locations, or 29%, against 34% across the U.S. That is 61.4 per 10,000 households, 44% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
Official counts show 40 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Rio Arriba County in 2023, down 9.1% from 2019. That is one for every 391 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Another 19 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $600K has gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Rio Arriba County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Rio Arriba County declined 1.0%, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes in Rio Arriba County is 63 (upper middle), #627 of 2,405 scored counties and #5 of 25 scored counties in New Mexico.
How Rio Arriba 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 | Rio Arriba County | New Mexico | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 61.4 | 96.8 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $542K | $366K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 391 | 239 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −9.1% | +5.3% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −1.0% | +0.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,327 | $3,547 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $57,155 | $64,059 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 63 | 42 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 44 → 40−9.1% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 694
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $14.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 19Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 9628 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 140The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $600K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Rio Arriba 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 Rio Arriba County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 39,832−1.0% since 2020
- Households
- 15,647
- Median age
- 43.0
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 80%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.2
- Land area
- 5,861 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 7
- Median household income
- $57,155+43.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $76,460
- Median home value
- $243,700
- Jobs located here
- 8,255
- Daytime population
- 39,363Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Rio Arriba 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 Rio Arriba 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 Rio Arriba 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 Rio Arriba County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes63
- Sit-down restaurants61
- Fast food and sandwich shops62
- Pizza58
- Coffee shops and cafes65
- Bakeries and dessert shops66
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 Rio Arriba County, NM?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 96 restaurants and cafes in Rio Arriba County. 28 of them (29%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 40 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, down 9.1% from 2019. Official counts list 19 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Rio Arriba County, NM spend on food away from home?
About $52.1M a year, or $3,327 per household. That is 18% below the U.S. average (an index of 82, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 96 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $542K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 15,647 households in Rio Arriba County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Rio Arriba County, NM compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Rio Arriba County has 61.4 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 44% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $542K, 46% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Rio Arriba County would have about 140, against 96 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 391 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count fell 9.1% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Rio Arriba County, NM growing?
Population estimates put Rio Arriba County at 39,832 people in 2025, down 1.0% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 15,647 households. Median household income in Rio Arriba County is $57,155, 29% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 43.1%, 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. Rio Arriba County scores 63 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #627 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Rio Arriba 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 Rio Arriba County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Rio Arriba 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 Rio Arriba 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.