Food and drink · County · New Mexico
Restaurants and cafes in Santa Fe County, NM
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for restaurants and cafes in Santa Fe County, NM, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 39 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,661 of 2,405 scored counties
#11 of 25 scored counties in New Mexico
- Listings
- 859
- 213 chain locations (25%)
- Official establishments
- 361
- +8.7% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $283.7M
- On food away from home · $4,008 a household
- Spending per listing
- $330K
- 11% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 121.4
- 11% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 156,907
- +1.2% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Santa Fe 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 Santa Fe 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 859 restaurants and cafes in Santa Fe County. Chain locations make up 25% of them, against 34% across the U.S. That is 121.4 per 10,000 households, 11% above the U.S. rate of 109.8.
Households in Santa Fe County spend about $283.7M a year on food away from home, or $4,008 per household, 2% below the U.S. average. That is about $330K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 11% below the U.S. figure of $371K.
Official counts show 361 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Santa Fe County in 2023, up 8.7% from 2019. That is one for every 196 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts list 39 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 8 SBA-backed loans worth $13.4M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Santa Fe County.
Population estimates put the population change in Santa Fe County from 2020 to 2025 at +1.2%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). For restaurants and cafes, Santa Fe County has a Groundwork market score of 39 (lower middle): #1,661 of 2,405 scored counties and #11 of 25 scored counties in New Mexico.
How Santa Fe 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 | Santa Fe County | New Mexico | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 121.4 | 96.8 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $330K | $366K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 196 | 239 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +8.7% | +5.3% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.2% | +0.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,008 | $3,547 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $79,071 | $64,059 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 39 | 42 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 332 → 361+8.7% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 6,989
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $213.6M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 39Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 859213 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 765The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 8
- Amount
- $13.4M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Santa Fe 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 Santa Fe County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 156,907+1.2% since 2020
- Households
- 70,767
- Median age
- 48.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 72%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 1,910 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 82
- Median household income
- $79,071+29.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $111,955
- Median home value
- $446,300
- Jobs located here
- 64,012
- Daytime population
- 157,387Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Santa Fe 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 Santa Fe 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 Santa Fe 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 |
| 11Santa Fe County, NM | 39 | 859 | 121.4 | $330K | +1.2% | #1,661 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Santa Fe County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes39
- Sit-down restaurants36
- Fast food and sandwich shops67
- Pizza70
- Coffee shops and cafes37
- Bakeries and dessert shops41
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 Santa Fe County, NM?
Santa Fe County has 859 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 213 of them (25%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 361 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 8.7% from 2019. Official counts also show 39 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Santa Fe County, NM spend on food away from home?
About $283.7M a year, or $4,008 per household. That is 2% below the U.S. average (an index of 98, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 859 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $330K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 70,767 households in Santa Fe County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Santa Fe County, NM compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Santa Fe County has 121.4 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 11% above the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $330K, 11% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Santa Fe County would have about 765, against 859 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 196 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 8.7% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Santa Fe County, NM growing?
Population estimates put Santa Fe County at 156,907 people in 2025, up 1.2% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 70,767 households. The median household income in Santa Fe County is $79,071 a year, 2% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 29.2% 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. Santa Fe County scores 39 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #1,661 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Santa Fe 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 Santa Fe County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Santa Fe 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 Santa Fe 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.