Food and drink · County · New Mexico
Sit-down restaurants in Otero County, NM
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for sit-down restaurants in Otero County, NM, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 62 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #674 of 2,405 scored counties
#5 of 25 scored counties in New Mexico
- Listings
- 100
- 32 chain locations (32%)
- Official establishments
- 30
- 0.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $80.3M
- On food away from home · $3,280 a household
- Spending per listing
- $803K
- 21% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 40.8
- 33% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 70,368
- +3.7% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Otero 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 Otero 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
At $3,280 per household (19% below the U.S. average), households in Otero County spend about $80.3M a year on food away from home. That works out to $803K per restaurant, 21% above the U.S. figure of $664K. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants.
Otero County has 100 sit-down restaurants on map listings as of September 2026. 32 of them (32%) are chain locations, against 29% across the U.S. That is 40.8 per 10,000 households, 33% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in Otero County was 30 in 2023, unchanged from 2019. That is one for every 816 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Official counts list 15 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $10K has gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Otero County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Otero County grew 3.7%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For sit-down restaurants, Otero County has a Groundwork market score of 62 (upper middle): #674 of 2,405 scored counties and #5 of 25 scored counties in New Mexico.
How Otero 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 | Otero County | New Mexico | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 40.8 | 53.0 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $803K | $670K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 816 | 630 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | 0.0% | −3.5% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.7% | +0.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,280 | $3,547 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $55,876 | $64,059 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 62 | 41 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 30 → 300.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 597
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $13.9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 15Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 10032 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 121The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $10K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Otero 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 Otero County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 70,368+3.7% since 2020
- Households
- 24,480
- Median age
- 38.8
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 67%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 6,613 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 10
- Median household income
- $55,876+33.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $74,572
- Median home value
- $162,700
- Jobs located here
- 16,220
- Daytime population
- 63,281Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Otero 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 Otero 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 Otero 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 |
Other business types in Otero County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes62
- Sit-down restaurants62
- Fast food and sandwich shops58
- Pizza62
- Coffee shops and cafes53
- Bakeries and dessert shops54
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 Otero County, NM?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 100 sit-down restaurants in Otero County. 32 of them (32%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 30 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, unchanged from 2019. Official counts also show 15 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Otero County, NM spend on food away from home?
About $80.3M a year, or $3,280 per household. That is 19% below the U.S. average (an index of 81, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 100 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $803K per restaurant. That spending covers all food away from home, which sit-down restaurants share with other businesses in the trade. It is estimated from the incomes of the 24,480 households in Otero County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Otero County, NM compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
Otero County has 40.8 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 33% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $803K, 21% above the U.S. figure of $664K. At the U.S. ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Otero County would have about 121, against 100 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 816 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count held level from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
How fast is Otero County, NM growing?
Population estimates put Otero County at 70,368 people in 2025, up 3.7% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 24,480 households. Median household income in Otero County is $55,876, 31% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 33.1%, 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. Otero County scores 62 for sit-down restaurants (upper middle), #674 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Otero 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 Otero County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Otero 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 Otero 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.