Food and drink · County · New Mexico
Sit-down restaurants in Santa Fe County, NM
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for sit-down restaurants in Santa Fe County, NM, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 36 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,808 of 2,405 scored counties
#14 of 25 scored counties in New Mexico
- Listings
- 492
- 99 chain locations (20%)
- Official establishments
- 174
- +0.6% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $283.7M
- On food away from home · $4,008 a household
- Spending per listing
- $577K
- 13% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 69.5
- 13% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 156,907
- +1.2% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Santa Fe 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 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
Santa Fe County scores 36 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants, ranking #1,808 of 2,405 scored counties and #14 of 25 scored counties in New Mexico. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Map listings as of September 2026 show 492 sit-down restaurants in Santa Fe County. Of those, 99 are chain locations, or 20%, against 29% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 69.5, 13% above the U.S. rate of 61.3.
At $4,008 per household (2% below the U.S. average), households in Santa Fe County spend about $283.7M a year on food away from home. That works out to $577K per restaurant, 13% 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 174 businesses with payroll in Santa Fe County classed as full-service restaurants, up 0.6% from 2019. That is one for every 407 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 5 SBA-backed loans worth $8.2M have gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Santa Fe County. Population estimates show Santa Fe County grew 1.2% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).
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 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 | Santa Fe County | New Mexico | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 69.5 | 53.0 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $577K | $670K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 407 | 630 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +0.6% | −3.5% | +1.5% |
| 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 | 36 | 41 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 173 → 174+0.6% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 4,158
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $140.6M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 17Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 49299 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 427The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 5
- Amount
- $8.2M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants 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 sit-down restaurants 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 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 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 | 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 |
| 14Santa Fe County, NM | 36 | 492 | 69.5 | $577K | +1.2% | #1,808 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 sit-down restaurants are in Santa Fe County, NM?
There are 492 sit-down restaurants on map listings in Santa Fe County as of September 2026. 99 of them (20%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 174 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, up 0.6% from 2019. Official counts list 17 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 492 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $577K per restaurant. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants. 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 sit-down restaurants?
Santa Fe County has 69.5 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 13% above the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $577K, 13% below the U.S. figure of $664K. At the national ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Santa Fe County would have about 427, against 492 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 407 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count rose 0.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% 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 36 for sit-down restaurants (lower middle), #1,808 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 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 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.