Food and drink · County · New Mexico
Sit-down restaurants in Lea County, NM
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for sit-down restaurants in Lea County, NM, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 31 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #2,017 of 2,405 scored counties
#15 of 25 scored counties in New Mexico
- Listings
- 176
- 54 chain locations (31%)
- Official establishments
- 47
- −2.1% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $89.9M
- On food away from home · $3,645 a household
- Spending per listing
- $511K
- 23% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 71.3
- 16% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 74,749
- +0.2% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Lea County
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 Lea 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
For sit-down restaurants, Lea County has a Groundwork market score of 31 (lower middle): #2,017 of 2,405 scored counties and #15 of 25 scored counties in New Mexico. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
As of September 2026, map listings count 176 sit-down restaurants in Lea County. Of those, 54 are chain locations, or 31%, against 29% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 71.3, 16% above the U.S. rate of 61.3.
At $3,645 per household (10% below the U.S. average), households in Lea County spend about $89.9M a year on food away from home. That is about $511K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 23% 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 47 businesses with payroll in Lea County classed as full-service restaurants, down 2.1% from 2019. That is one for every 525 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $1.3M have gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Lea County. Population estimates put the population change in Lea County from 2020 to 2025 at +0.2%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Lea 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 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 | Lea County | New Mexico | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 71.3 | 53.0 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $511K | $670K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 525 | 630 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −2.1% | −3.5% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +0.2% | +0.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,645 | $3,547 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $68,015 | $64,059 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 31 | 41 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 48 → 47−2.1% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 864
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $20.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 12Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 17654 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 136The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $1.3M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Lea 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 Lea County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 74,749+0.2% since 2020
- Households
- 24,670
- Median age
- 32.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 71%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 4,392 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 17
- Median household income
- $68,015+12.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $91,389
- Median home value
- $184,000
- Jobs located here
- 33,256
- Daytime population
- 77,341Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Lea 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 sit-down restaurants on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of Lea County. 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 counties in New Mexico for sit-down restaurants, numbered among those based in New Mexico, with Lea County marked.
Top counties in New Mexico
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Sandoval County, NM | 92 | 160 | 28.1 | $1.4M | +6.9% | #11 of 2,405 |
| 2Los Alamos County, NM | 80 | 35 | 42.4 | $1.3M | 0.0% | #124 of 2,405 |
| 3Valencia County, NM | 74 | 97 | 35.2 | $952K | +7.2% | #275 of 2,405 |
| 4Torrance County, NM | 69 | 23 | 38.0 | $836K | +6.9% | #410 of 2,405 |
| 5Otero County, NM | 62 | 100 | 40.8 | $803K | +3.7% | #674 of 2,405 |
| 6Rio Arriba County, NM | 61 | 54 | 34.5 | $964K | −1.0% | #695 of 2,405 |
| 7Doña Ana County, NM | 61 | 355 | 41.8 | $783K | +4.1% | #713 of 2,405 |
| 8San Miguel County, NM | 51 | 39 | 32.7 | $933K | −3.2% | #1,114 of 2,405 |
| 9Eddy County, NM | 48 | 141 | 59.7 | $645K | +0.3% | #1,283 of 2,405 |
| 10San Juan County, NM | 47 | 196 | 47.0 | $704K | −0.9% | #1,314 of 2,405 |
| 15Lea County, NM | 31 | 176 | 71.3 | $511K | +0.2% | #2,017 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Lea County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes29
- Sit-down restaurants31
- Fast food and sandwich shops35
- Pizza49
- Coffee shops and cafes30
- Bakeries and dessert shops34
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 Lea County, NM?
Lea County has 176 sit-down restaurants on map listings as of September 2026. 54 of them (31%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 47 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, down 2.1% from 2019. Official counts list 12 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Lea County, NM spend on food away from home?
About $89.9M a year, or $3,645 per household. That is 10% below the U.S. average (an index of 90, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 176 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $511K per restaurant. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants. It is estimated from the incomes of the 24,670 households in Lea County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Lea County, NM compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
Lea County has 71.3 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 16% above the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $511K, 23% below the U.S. figure of $664K. At the national ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Lea County would have about 136, against 176 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 525 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count fell 2.1% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
How fast is Lea County, NM growing?
Population estimates put Lea County at 74,749 people in 2025, up 0.2% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 24,670 households. The median household income in Lea County is $68,015 a year, 16% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 12.3% 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. Lea County scores 31 for sit-down restaurants (lower middle), #2,017 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Lea County. 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 Lea County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Lea 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 Lea 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.