Food and drink · Small-town market · New Mexico
Sit-down restaurants in the Gallup, NM area
The sit-down restaurants in the Gallup, NM area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other small-town markets.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 20 out of 100: Low
Ranked #520 of 538 scored small-town markets
#11 of 13 scored small-town markets based in New Mexico
- Listings
- 112
- 48 chain locations (43%)
- Official establishments
- 40
- +11.1% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $63.6M
- On food away from home · $2,978 a household
- Spending per listing
- $568K
- 14% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 52.5
- 14% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 68,119
- −6.1% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in the Gallup area
The site report maps the sit-down restaurants 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 the Gallup area. 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
For sit-down restaurants, the Gallup area has a Groundwork market score of 20 (low): #520 of 538 scored small-town markets and #11 of 13 scored small-town markets based in New Mexico. That puts it in the bottom quarter of small-town markets.
Map listings as of September 2026 show 112 sit-down restaurants in the Gallup area. Of those, 48 are chain locations, or 43%, against 29% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 52.5, 14% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.
Households in the Gallup area spend about $63.6M a year on food away from home, or $2,978 per household, 27% below the U.S. average. That works out to $568K per restaurant, 14% below the U.S. figure of $664K. That spending covers all food away from home, which sit-down restaurants share with other businesses in the trade.
In 2023, official counts showed 40 businesses with payroll in the Gallup area classed as full-service restaurants, up 11.1% from 2019. That is one for every 534 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Population estimates show the Gallup area declined 6.1% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How the Gallup area 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 sit-down restaurants 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 | Gallup area | New Mexico | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 52.5 | 53.0 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $568K | $670K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 534 | 630 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +11.1% | −3.5% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −6.1% | +0.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $2,978 | $3,547 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $47,668 | $64,059 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 20 | 41 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 40+11.1% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 778
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $15.7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 13Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 11248 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 96The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 0
- Amount
- $0
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in the Gallup area, 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 the Gallup area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 68,119−6.1% since 2020
- Households
- 21,353
- Median age
- 35.0
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 70%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 5,451 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 13
- Median household income
- $47,668+40.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $62,961
- Median home value
- $78,700
- Jobs located here
- 19,649
- Daytime population
- 70,240Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Gallup area?
These figures cover the whole small-town market. A site report draws rings around one address and counts what’s inside them: households, spending, jobs, and the sit-down restaurants on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of the Gallup area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardSit-down restaurants across New Mexico
Every New Mexico market ranked →The highest-scoring small-town markets in New Mexico for sit-down restaurants, numbered among those based in New Mexico, with the Gallup area marked.
Top small-town markets in New Mexico
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Los Alamos, NM | 86 | 35 | 42.4 | $1.3M | 0.0% | #6 of 538 |
| 2Alamogordo, NM | 70 | 100 | 40.8 | $803K | +3.7% | #74 of 538 |
| 3Española, NM | 68 | 54 | 34.5 | $964K | −1.0% | #85 of 538 |
| 4Las Vegas, NM | 59 | 45 | 32.4 | $942K | −3.2% | #170 of 538 |
| 5Carlsbad-Artesia, NM | 58 | 141 | 59.7 | $645K | +0.3% | #190 of 538 |
| 6Hobbs, NM | 37 | 176 | 71.3 | $511K | +0.2% | #412 of 538 |
| 7Clovis, NM | 28 | 139 | 53.4 | $595K | −3.3% | #472 of 538 |
| 8Roswell, NM | 28 | 129 | 54.4 | $581K | −2.7% | #475 of 538 |
| 9Deming, NM | 26 | 56 | 60.7 | $443K | −0.2% | #494 of 538 |
| 10Taos, NM | 24 | 109 | 70.1 | $487K | +0.3% | #502 of 538 |
| 11Gallup, NM | 20 | 112 | 52.5 | $568K | −6.1% | #520 of 538 |
Other business types in the Gallup area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes16
- Sit-down restaurants20
- Fast food and sandwich shops5
- Pizza24
- Coffee shops and cafes28
- Bakeries and dessert shops49
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 sit-down restaurants are in the Gallup, NM area?
There are 112 sit-down restaurants on map listings in the Gallup area as of September 2026. 48 of them (43%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 40 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, up 11.1% from 2019. Another 13 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in the Gallup, NM area spend on food away from home?
About $63.6M a year, or $2,978 per household. That is 27% below the U.S. average (an index of 73, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 112 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $568K per restaurant. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants. It is estimated from the incomes of the 21,353 households in the Gallup area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Gallup, NM area compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
The Gallup area has 52.5 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 14% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $568K, 14% below the U.S. figure of $664K. At the national ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, the Gallup area would have about 96, against 112 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 534 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count rose 11.1% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
How fast is the Gallup, NM area growing?
Population estimates put the Gallup area at 68,119 people in 2025, down 6.1% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 21,353 households. The median household income in the Gallup area is $47,668 a year, 41% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 40.9% 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. A small-town market is a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people and the county or counties tied to it by commuting. 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. The Gallup area scores 20 for sit-down restaurants (low), #520 of 538 scored small-town markets.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Gallup area. It maps the sit-down restaurants 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 sit-down restaurants · All 56 business types in the Gallup area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Gallup area?
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 the Gallup area. 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.