Food and drink · County · New Mexico
Restaurants and cafes in Sandoval County, NM
The restaurants and cafes in Sandoval County, NM, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 90 out of 100: Very high
Ranked #23 of 2,405 scored counties
#1 of 25 scored counties in New Mexico
- Listings
- 317
- 146 chain locations (46%)
- Official establishments
- 152
- +12.6% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $231.8M
- On food away from home · $4,075 a household
- Spending per listing
- $731K
- 97% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 55.7
- 49% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 159,565
- +6.9% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Sandoval 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 Sandoval 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
Sandoval County scores 90 (very high) on the Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes, ranking #23 of 2,405 scored counties and #1 of 25 scored counties in New Mexico. That puts it in the top 10% of counties for restaurants and cafes.
Map listings as of September 2026 show 317 restaurants and cafes in Sandoval County. 146 of them (46%) are chain locations, against 34% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 55.7, 49% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
At $4,075 per household (in line with the U.S. average), households in Sandoval County spend about $231.8M a year on food away from home. That is about $731K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 97% above the U.S. figure of $371K.
Official counts show 152 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Sandoval County in 2023, up 12.6% from 2019. That is one for every 374 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 4 SBA-backed loans worth $3.6M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Sandoval County. Population estimates show Sandoval County grew 6.9% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Sandoval 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 | Sandoval County | New Mexico | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 55.7 | 96.8 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $731K | $366K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 374 | 239 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +12.6% | +5.3% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +6.9% | +0.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,075 | $3,547 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $86,636 | $64,059 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 90 | 42 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 135 → 152+12.6% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 3,565
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $73.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 42Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 317146 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 625The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 4
- Amount
- $3.6M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Sandoval 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 Sandoval County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 159,565+6.9% since 2020
- Households
- 56,895
- Median age
- 41.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 84%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 3,710 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 41
- Median household income
- $86,636+35.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $108,102
- Median home value
- $313,800
- Jobs located here
- 35,682
- Daytime population
- 121,290Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Sandoval 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 Sandoval 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 Sandoval 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 Sandoval County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes90
- Sit-down restaurants92
- Fast food and sandwich shops84
- Pizza87
- Coffee shops and cafes73
- Bakeries and dessert shops85
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 Sandoval County, NM?
There are 317 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Sandoval County as of September 2026. 146 of them (46%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 152 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 12.6% from 2019. Another 42 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Sandoval County, NM spend on food away from home?
About $231.8M a year, or $4,075 per household. That is in line with the U.S. average (an index of 100, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 317 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $731K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 56,895 households in Sandoval County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Sandoval County, NM compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Sandoval County has 55.7 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 49% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $731K, 97% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Sandoval County would have about 625, against 317 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 374 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 12.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Sandoval County, NM growing?
Population estimates put Sandoval County at 159,565 people in 2025, up 6.9% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 56,895 households. The median household income in Sandoval County is $86,636 a year, 7% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 35.8% 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. Sandoval County scores 90 for restaurants and cafes (very high), #23 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Sandoval 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 Sandoval County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Sandoval 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 Sandoval 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.