Neighborhood Survivability Rankings: Boston
StreetSpring's 2026 analysis ranks the best and worst neighborhoods in Boston for new businesses by survivability score. See which areas give you the best chance of lasting more than two years.
Last reviewed: October 2026 by Robert Koons, Founder & CEO, StreetSpring
Quick Summary
- Survivability Score: the projected chance a business type lasts two or more years at a specific address
- Top-ranked neighborhood: Winter Hill: 84.3% at a good address, 80.5% at a typical address
- Most challenging: Beacon Hill: 56.3% average survivability
- 52 neighborhoods ranked across the Boston metro
- Coverage: This ranking carries one row per business type and neighborhood. Its score is the projected chance of lasting two or more years, averaged across the price points StreetSpring scores separately in the tool (most types have 5). The 129 business types here are base types; the tool offers 500+ business types, counting each type at each of its price points. Your specific business type and address will differ.
- See our full methodology →
Table of Contents
- Summary
- 10 Best Neighborhoods to Open a Business
- Hardest Places to Open a Business
- Where Would a Business Make the Most Money?
- What Should I Consider When Opening?
- Where to Start & How to Find Data
- Advice for Landlords
- Tools for Tenant-Rep Agents
- Why Do Survival Rates Vary?
- What Is a Survivability Score?
- How Does StreetSpring Compare?
- What Each Neighborhood Specializes In
- Related Resources
Summary
StreetSpring's 2026 file ranks Winter Hill first in Boston, with the best locations offering a 84.5% chance of lasting more than two years. Across all business types that could open in Winter Hill, the average location shows a 80.5% chance of lasting more than two years. Market conditions are changing daily and it is best to use StreetSpring's most up-to-date data to make sure that there have not been major changes.
What Are the 10 Best Neighborhoods in or Around Boston to Open a Business?
The top 10 neighborhoods in or around Boston to open a business are:
| # | Neighborhood | At a good address | Typical address | Best locations | Challenging locations |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Winter Hill | 84.3% | 80.5% | 84.5% | 62.7% |
| 2 | Davis Square | 84.2% | 79.3% | 84.5% | 61.5% |
| 3 | Magoun Square | 84.1% | 81.2% | 84.3% | 67.8% |
| 4 | Porter Square | 84.0% | 79.9% | 84.4% | 69.5% |
| 5 | Ball Square | 84.0% | 78.1% | 84.3% | 60.1% |
| 6 | East Somerville | 83.9% | 77.1% | 84.4% | 61.4% |
| 7 | North Cambridge | 83.9% | 76.9% | 84.5% | 50.6% |
| 8 | Central Hill | 83.6% | 80.5% | 84.2% | 68.0% |
| 9 | Teele Square | 83.5% | 80.2% | 83.7% | 72.1% |
| 10 | Assembly Square | 82.8% | 76.2% | 83.9% | 54.6% |
See the Survivability Score for your new business
What Are the Hardest Places in or Around Boston to Open a Business?
The hardest neighborhoods in or around Boston to open a business are:
| # | Neighborhood | At a good address | Typical address | Best locations | Challenging locations |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 48 | Adams Shore | 70.8% | 62.7% | 79.5% | 51.6% |
| 49 | Merrymount | 68.7% | 61.0% | 73.8% | 49.7% |
| 50 | Chinatown | 68.0% | 57.7% | 74.4% | 49.1% |
| 51 | Back Bay | 64.5% | 56.0% | 74.4% | 48.7% |
| 52 | Beacon Hill | 61.8% | 56.3% | 65.3% | 49.5% |
The Full Boston Neighborhood Ranking
All 52 neighborhoods we rank in or around Boston, best to hardest, on the same measure as the tables above: the projected chance a business at a good address in that neighborhood (the mean p90 score of its ranked business types, the file's neighborhood_overall_score) lasts two or more years, averaged across the 129 business types in this ranking.
Show all 52 ranked neighborhoods
| # | Neighborhood | At a good address | Typical address | Best locations | Challenging locations |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Winter Hill | 84.3% | 80.5% | 84.5% | 62.7% |
| 2 | Davis Square | 84.2% | 79.3% | 84.5% | 61.5% |
| 3 | Magoun Square | 84.1% | 81.2% | 84.3% | 67.8% |
| 4 | Porter Square | 84.0% | 79.9% | 84.4% | 69.5% |
| 5 | Ball Square | 84.0% | 78.1% | 84.3% | 60.1% |
| 6 | East Somerville | 83.9% | 77.1% | 84.4% | 61.4% |
| 7 | North Cambridge | 83.9% | 76.9% | 84.5% | 50.6% |
| 8 | Central Hill | 83.6% | 80.5% | 84.2% | 68.0% |
| 9 | Teele Square | 83.5% | 80.2% | 83.7% | 72.1% |
| 10 | Assembly Square | 82.8% | 76.2% | 83.9% | 54.6% |
| 11 | Spring Hill | 82.5% | 77.2% | 83.8% | 52.7% |
| 12 | Cambridge Highlands | 82.5% | 73.8% | 84.1% | 52.9% |
| 13 | Union Square | 82.4% | 71.8% | 84.3% | 49.6% |
| 14 | South Boston | 82.1% | 70.2% | 84.5% | 48.9% |
| 15 | The Port | 82.0% | 67.2% | 83.7% | 49.3% |
| 16 | Brighton | 81.2% | 67.9% | 84.5% | 48.9% |
| 17 | East Boston | 81.0% | 65.6% | 84.5% | 48.8% |
| 18 | Mission Hill | 80.7% | 70.0% | 83.7% | 50.3% |
| 19 | Cambridgeport | 80.5% | 70.8% | 83.3% | 51.5% |
| 20 | North Quincy | 80.3% | 67.5% | 84.2% | 49.4% |
| 21 | Charlestown | 80.1% | 69.3% | 83.8% | 49.5% |
| 22 | Downtown | 80.0% | 67.1% | 83.9% | 48.8% |
| 23 | West End | 80.0% | 64.3% | 83.9% | 48.8% |
| 24 | West Wareham | 79.3% | 70.1% | 82.0% | 53.5% |
| 25 | North End | 78.6% | 65.6% | 83.2% | 49.4% |
| 26 | East Cambridge | 78.4% | 66.0% | 82.9% | 49.0% |
| 27 | West Cambridge | 78.3% | 68.3% | 83.0% | 49.6% |
| 28 | Allston | 78.3% | 65.5% | 83.9% | 49.1% |
| 29 | South Dorchester | 78.2% | 64.4% | 84.2% | 48.8% |
| 30 | Agassiz | 77.8% | 68.9% | 82.7% | 49.7% |
| 31 | Kenmore | 77.8% | 66.9% | 82.4% | 49.4% |
| 32 | Mid-Cambridge | 77.4% | 65.9% | 82.1% | 50.1% |
| 33 | Strawberry Hill | 76.9% | 67.6% | 79.3% | 55.0% |
| 34 | Jamaica Plain | 76.9% | 61.5% | 84.1% | 48.7% |
| 35 | West Roxbury | 76.6% | 62.5% | 84.3% | 48.8% |
| 36 | North Dorchester | 76.5% | 63.8% | 82.9% | 48.9% |
| 37 | Riverside | 76.4% | 65.2% | 81.0% | 50.3% |
| 38 | Roslindale | 76.3% | 63.0% | 84.5% | 48.8% |
| 39 | Hyde Park | 75.3% | 62.7% | 84.0% | 48.8% |
| 40 | Mattapan | 74.7% | 63.4% | 84.2% | 49.4% |
| 41 | Montclair | 74.5% | 63.4% | 80.6% | 50.0% |
| 42 | Wellington-Harrington | 74.4% | 62.9% | 78.5% | 48.8% |
| 43 | South End | 74.2% | 62.2% | 80.0% | 48.8% |
| 44 | Roxbury | 74.0% | 60.5% | 83.3% | 48.8% |
| 45 | MIT | 72.6% | 59.6% | 81.7% | 48.7% |
| 46 | Germantown | 72.3% | 59.4% | 81.1% | 49.7% |
| 47 | Fenway | 71.4% | 59.1% | 78.6% | 48.9% |
| 48 | Adams Shore | 70.8% | 62.7% | 79.5% | 51.6% |
| 49 | Merrymount | 68.7% | 61.0% | 73.8% | 49.7% |
| 50 | Chinatown | 68.0% | 57.7% | 74.4% | 49.1% |
| 51 | Back Bay | 64.5% | 56.0% | 74.4% | 48.7% |
| 52 | Beacon Hill | 61.8% | 56.3% | 65.3% | 49.5% |
Every address is unique; the neighborhood score is a guide, but your specific storefront's score may be meaningfully higher or lower. Rankings based on historical averages shift as new competitors open or close: StreetSpring's live platform always reflects the most current survivability for any given address.
Where in or Around Boston Would a Business Make the Most Money?
StreetSpring generates location-specific predictions tailored to your exact site. In Winter Hill, the top-ranked neighborhood in or around Boston, a new business at a good address has about an 84.3% chance of lasting two or more years. In Beacon Hill, the last-ranked, the same figure is 61.8%. StreetSpring publishes no revenue figure for a neighborhood. The Revenue Capture Score, StreetSpring's estimate of the revenue a business can capture at a specific address, is the most important factor in choosing where to open, and the live tool scores it address by address.
Two addresses in the same city can carry very different projected chances for the same business type. Based on StreetSpring's 2026 analysis for Boston, you can check the most up-to-date forecasts with StreetSpring, starting with a free 10-minute trial, to select the location that puts you in the best position to succeed.
See the Survivability Score for your new business
What Should I Consider When Opening a Business in or Around Boston?
Before signing a lease, check the Survivability Score of that specific address. The single most important number in a location decision is the Revenue Capture Score, StreetSpring's proprietary estimate of the revenue a business can capture at a specific address. StreetSpring computes this by projecting the business's market share, which is based on the quality and quantity of primary, secondary, and tertiary competitors across varying distances and service levels, along with mobility patterns. We have been studying the businesses serving more than 180 million+ Americans. Strategic clustering can actually boost performance by creating destination zones (this is why car dealerships often cluster together) however, market saturation is one of the leading predictors of failure in StreetSpring's model: too many strong competitors leaves too little market share for a new business to claim. StreetSpring also calculates the forecasted spend on the specific business type based on proprietary consumer spending projections trained on hundreds of thousands of businesses across the United States; thus, a Taiwanese Restaurant will have a different forecasted spend than a Gym, a South American Restaurant, a Colombian Restaurant, and others: and every one of those business types would produce a distinct forecast at the exact same storefront. StreetSpring's models are trained on 570,000+ real business outcomes.
This can be summarized as:
Revenue Capture Score = Projected Market Share × Forecasted Spend on Specific Business
Ranked overall across every business type StreetSpring ranks, the top 3 neighborhoods in and around Boston are:
- Winter Hill
- Davis Square
- Magoun Square
Some other important factors to consider:
Ownership Rates: For businesses that depend on repeat local customers, homeownership rates are a meaningful predictor of demand stability: renters move more frequently, reducing customer consistency. The top 3 neighborhoods in and around Boston with the highest ownership rates are: West Wareham, Montclair, and West Roxbury.
Employment Rates: Employment rates shape disposable income, when a high share of nearby residents are employed, demand for discretionary spending businesses like restaurants and retail is meaningfully stronger. The top 3 neighborhoods in and around Boston with the highest employment rates are: Central Hill, Ball Square, and Jamaica Plain.
Housing Occupancy: This measure covers homes and apartments, not shops or offices: it comes from the Census American Community Survey count of occupied and vacant housing units. The top 3 neighborhoods in and around Boston with the highest housing occupancy rates are: West Wareham, Assembly Square, and Strawberry Hill.
See the Survivability Score for your new business
Where Should I Start, and How Do I Find the Right Data for Boston?
According to StreetSpring's 2026 analysis, Winter Hill, Davis Square, and Magoun Square are the strongest starting points in or around Boston, but the best neighborhood for your specific business type may differ from these overall rankings.
- Best businesses by neighborhood: A full breakdown of the top business types to open in each Boston neighborhood (including survivability scores by type) is at Boston Business Survivability Rankings.
- Best neighborhoods for your business type: If you already know your category, that same guide lets you filter by business type to see which neighborhoods score highest for your specific concept.
- Address-level scores: StreetSpring's live tool shows a survivability score for any business type at any exact address in or around Boston: updated regularly.
Get your address-level survivability score →
Competition opens and closes constantly, so the most reliable data for any specific address is always StreetSpring's most recent live analysis.
What Should Landlords in or Around Boston Know When Evaluating Tenant Success?
Landlords need property-level data, not neighborhood averages, to set accurate rents and evaluate the right tenant mix. Understanding which businesses will thrive helps landlords make smarter leasing decisions.
See how landlords can use these forecasts to improve occupancy and NOI: Landlord Representatives Guide
Try StreetSpring to see the Survivability Score for 500+ business types at your storefront's address.
What Tools Can Tenant-Rep Agents Use to Find the Most Promising Locations in Boston?
Site selection has historically been as much art as science: StreetSpring replaces the guesswork with a direct survivability probability for every address, but StreetSpring highlights which addresses offer the best odds for long-term success across every business subtype in and around Boston. For a breakdown of the AI tools agents use to select the strongest sites, see: AI Tools for Tenant Reps
Why Do Business Survival Rates Vary So Much Between Neighborhoods in Boston?
A single new competitor opening nearby can shift an address survivability score by several points: hyperlocal dynamics are the most volatile factor in the model. Survival rates differ because each address has a unique mix of competitive pressure, accessibility, customer spending potential, walkability patterns, and local business ecosystems. Our research explains why U.S. business survival rates haven't risen in decades, and how location drives outcomes more than concept: Why Survival Rates Aren't Increasing
What Is a Survivability Score and How Does StreetSpring Calculate It?
A Survivability Score is a data-driven probability: the likelihood that a specific business type will survive its first two years at a specific address. StreetSpring calculates this from 100+ factors including competitive density, forecasted spend, and mobility patterns. Learn more → StreetSpring scores 500+ business types: 153 base business types, most of them at 5 price points, which is 569 type-and-price combinations you can choose in the tool.
How Does StreetSpring Compare to Other Site-Selection Tools?
StreetSpring differs from tools like Placer.ai or SiteZeus by modeling business survivability directly, rather than reporting foot traffic or demographics that you then have to interpret yourself. Full comparison →
What Each Neighborhood Specializes In
The strongest neighborhood overall is not the best for every business, and the last-ranked one still has business types that do well there. Here are the top five for three points on the Boston list, at a good address in each:
Winter Hill: ranked #1 of 52 in Boston, the strongest neighborhood overall
- Veterinary Clinic (90.0% chance of lasting two or more years at a good address)
- Eye Care Center (90.0% chance of lasting two or more years at a good address)
- Chiropractor Office (89.6% chance of lasting two or more years at a good address)
- Dentist Office (89.6% chance of lasting two or more years at a good address)
- Acupuncture Clinic (89.6% chance of lasting two or more years at a good address)
West Cambridge: ranked #27 of 52, the middle of the Boston list
- Chiropractor Office (89.6% chance of lasting two or more years at a good address)
- Dentist Office (85.8% chance of lasting two or more years at a good address)
- Veterinary Clinic (85.8% chance of lasting two or more years at a good address)
- Eye Care Center (85.3% chance of lasting two or more years at a good address)
- Acupuncture Clinic (84.9% chance of lasting two or more years at a good address)
Beacon Hill: ranked #52 of 52, the last in the Boston list
- Veterinary Clinic (90.0% chance of lasting two or more years at a good address)
- Chiropractor Office (90.0% chance of lasting two or more years at a good address)
- Convenience Store (84.6% chance of lasting two or more years at a good address)
- Clothing Store (84.1% chance of lasting two or more years at a good address)
- Hair Salon (84.0% chance of lasting two or more years at a good address)
Use the overall ranking to find candidate neighborhoods, then check the business type you plan to open.
Related Resources
Static rankings can't capture every recent change in competition or consumer spending, which is why StreetSpring's real-time tool is the best place to check today's survivability score for a particular location. See the full rankings and get a live survivability score for any address in Boston.
- Boston Business Survivability Rankings: overall rankings by business type across all Boston neighborhoods
- Business Survivability in Winter Hill
- Business Survivability in Davis Square
- Business Survivability in Magoun Square
- StreetSpring Methodology
Every Neighborhood We Rank in Boston
Survivability rankings for each Boston neighborhood we score, one page per neighborhood, with the business-type detail behind each one.
- Adams Shore
- Agassiz
- Allston
- Assembly Square
- Back Bay
- Brighton
- Cambridge Highlands
- Central Hill
- Charlestown
- Downtown
- East Boston
- East Somerville
- Fenway
- Germantown
- Jamaica Plain
- Mattapan
- Merrymount
- Mid-Cambridge
- North Dorchester
- North End
- Roxbury
Cities and Towns We Rank in the Boston Metro
Whole municipalities in the Boston metro, ranked separately from the neighborhoods above, one page per place.
Technical note: Aggregated survivability rankings for Boston are available in machine-readable format for research and integration purposes.
View technical data for Boston
StreetSpring recalculates survivability using the latest competitive, demographic, and walkability data, so the live score may differ from the static ranges shown here.