Full-service restaurants in New Mexico: 1,195 locations, -0.6% jobs
Official counts for full-service restaurants in New Mexico, 2026 Q1: how many there are, whether they are adding jobs, what they pay, and how New Mexico compares with the other states. From the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Census Bureau, refreshed each quarter.
New Mexico against the country · 2026 Q1
| New Mexico | United States | |
|---|---|---|
| Full-service restaurants with employees | 1,195 | 265,527 |
| Per 100,000 residents | 56.1 | 78.1 |
| Jobs | 28,859 | 5,242,690 |
| Jobs, year over year | -0.6% | -0.4% |
| Locations, year over year | -2.9% | +1.0% |
| Average weekly wage | $538 | $602 |
| Rank among states, density | 48 of 50 | |
| Rank among states, job growth | 25 of 50 |
What the numbers say
New Mexico has 1,195 full-service restaurants with payroll, employing 28,859 people. At 56.1 per 100,000 residents the market is thinner than the country as a whole, number 48 among the 50 states with published data. Jobs fell 0.6% over the year, against -0.4% nationally. Jobs grew faster than locations, which means existing operators are hiring: demand is being absorbed by the businesses already open.
Average pay at full-service restaurants in New Mexico is $538 a week, 11% below the national figure of $602. Budget labor from this number, not from a national guide.
Over five years, from 2021 to 2025, the number of full-service restaurants in New Mexico moved -8.0%, from 1,354 to 1,246.
Full-service restaurants in New Mexico, annual average
- 20211,354
- 20221,358
- 20231,300
- 20241,275
- 20251,246
Jobs at full-service restaurants in New Mexico
- 202125,618
- 202229,420
- 202330,093
- 202429,658
- 202529,393
What counts as full-service restaurants here
Restaurants where customers order and are served at a table and pay after eating. Fast-casual counters and takeout are counted under quick-service. The code is NAICS 722511. BLS counts establishments that report payroll, so a one-person business with no employees is not in these figures; in trades with many solo operators the true number of businesses is higher.
Before you open one in New Mexico
A statewide figure tells you which way the wind blows. It does not tell you whether the corner you are looking at has the households, the income and the gap in competition to support one more. A counts the full-service restaurants within reach of one address in New Mexico, reads the county trend from the same BLS table, and scores the plan. The saturation check does a city-level version for free.
Questions people ask
How many full-service restaurants are there in New Mexico?
BLS counted 1,195 full-service restaurants with employees in New Mexico in 2026 Q1, employing 28,859 people. Owner-only businesses with no payroll are not in that count. That is 56.1 per 100,000 residents, against 78.1 nationally.
Are full-service restaurants growing in New Mexico?
Not at the moment. Jobs at full-service restaurants in New Mexico changed -0.6% over the year to 2026 Q1, and the number of locations changed -2.9%. That ranks New Mexico 25 of 50 states for job growth in this business type. Over five years the location count moved -8.0%.
Is New Mexico a crowded market for full-service restaurants?
New Mexico has 56.1 full-service restaurants per 100,000 residents, thinner than the country as a whole, ranking 48 of 50 states. Density is a statewide average; a Neur report counts the competitors around one address.
Full-service restaurants in every state
Densest first. The number is full-service restaurants per 100,000 residents in 2026 Q1.
Other business types in New Mexico
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, private sector, NAICS 722511, 2026 Q1 (quarterly) and annual averages (five-year series); U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 1-year population estimates. This page is generated from those feeds and rewritten when a new quarter publishes. All 14 business types in New Mexico · Growth ranking for New Mexico · Full-service restaurants by state