SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA · FY1991–PRESENT · NEW MEXICO
Cold Stone Creamery franchise in New Mexico: what the public record shows
Franchisees of Cold Stone Creamery in New Mexico have taken 7 SBA loans since 1991 (average $368,100)— too few resolved loans in-state to publish a local failure rate (we require a resolved cohort, never extrapolate), so the brand's national rate of 30.7% is the better guide.
Loans in NM
7
Resolved
5
Local charge-off
thin
National charge-off
30.7%
Source: SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA files (data.sba.gov), borrower state = NM. Charge-off rate = charged-off ÷ (charged-off + paid-in-full); open loans excluded. A local rate is published only when the resolved cohort clears our floor of 30 loans.
Businesses in this industry
3,449
statewide, all operators
Per 100k residents
161.9
national 179.9
Versus the country
-10%
thinner
Every business in Cold Stone Creamery's industry operating in New Mexico — franchised and independent — from the Census Bureau's County Business Patterns (2023), against 2024 population estimates. Counter-intuitively, density is not a warning: across 198 brand-state cells in our loan data, the densest quartile charges off at 5.6% versus 18.1% in the thinnest. A crowded market is usually proven demand; an empty one is often empty for a reason.
Avg weekly wage, this industry
$489
New Mexico, BLS QCEW 2025
National average
$537
same industry, all states
Versus the country
-9%
cheaper to staff
What Cold Stone Creamery's industry actually pays workers in New Mexico, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (2025), employment-weighted across counties. This is a real cost signal independent of the FDD — a market can look demand-rich above and still carry a margin headwind here if local wages run hot for the sector.
| System | Loans in NM | Local charge-off | Units in NM |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dunkin Donuts/Baskin-Robbins Co-Brand | 13 | thin | — |
| Baskin-Robbins | 10 | thin | — |
| Papa Murphy'S | 9 | thin | — |
| Quiznos | 7 | thin | — |
| Schlotzsky'S | 7 | thin | — |
| Cicis Pizza | 6 | thin | — |
| Which Wich | 6 | thin | — |
| Wingstop | 6 | thin | — |
| Bahama Buck's | 5 | thin | — |
| Jimmy John's | 5 | thin | — |
| Kentucky Fried Chicken | 5 | thin | — |
| Keva Juice | 5 | thin | — |
Same sector, same state, same public records — how Cold Stone Creamery compares to the systems a buyer in New Mexico would actually be choosing between. Local rates under 10 resolved loans are marked thin, not hidden.
A broker is paid by the franchisor to place you. I'm paid by you — and the job is pressure-testing Cold Stone Creamery's numbers, including talking you out of a bad deal.