Neighborhood Survivability Rankings: Chicago
StreetSpring's 2026 analysis ranks the best and worst neighborhoods in Chicago 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: Palmer Square: 84.4% at a good address, 83.2% at a typical address
- Most challenging: Marynook: 54.9% average survivability
- 99 neighborhoods ranked across the Chicago 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 Palmer Square first in Chicago, with the best locations offering a 84.5% chance of lasting more than two years. Across all business types that could open in Palmer Square, the average location shows a 83.2% 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 Chicago to Open a Business?
The top 10 neighborhoods in or around Chicago to open a business are:
| # | Neighborhood | At a good address | Typical address | Best locations | Challenging locations |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Palmer Square | 84.4% | 83.2% | 84.5% | 77.0% |
| 2 | Logan Square | 84.0% | 79.7% | 84.6% | 61.9% |
| 3 | Boulevard District | 83.9% | 78.6% | 84.4% | 65.2% |
| 4 | Sheffield Neighbors | 83.6% | 80.7% | 84.1% | 72.7% |
| 5 | Hermosa | 83.5% | 74.4% | 84.1% | 53.4% |
| 6 | Belmont Gardens | 83.4% | 78.2% | 84.1% | 67.0% |
| 7 | Irving Park | 83.4% | 76.6% | 84.2% | 61.8% |
| 8 | Cunningham | 83.3% | 77.8% | 84.1% | 70.2% |
| 9 | Avondale | 83.3% | 77.6% | 83.9% | 59.1% |
| 10 | University Village/Little Italy | 83.3% | 73.2% | 84.0% | 52.5% |
See the Survivability Score for your new business
What Are the Hardest Places in or Around Chicago to Open a Business?
The hardest neighborhoods in or around Chicago to open a business are:
| # | Neighborhood | At a good address | Typical address | Best locations | Challenging locations |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 95 | Wildwood | 62.1% | 54.1% | 68.7% | 48.8% |
| 96 | Scottsdale | 60.7% | 54.0% | 67.0% | 49.0% |
| 97 | Kennedy Park | 60.3% | 54.5% | 65.0% | 49.5% |
| 98 | West Woodlawn | 59.8% | 54.1% | 64.1% | 49.2% |
| 99 | Marynook | 59.1% | 54.9% | 62.6% | 49.6% |
The Full Chicago Neighborhood Ranking
All 99 neighborhoods we rank in or around Chicago, 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 99 ranked neighborhoods
| # | Neighborhood | At a good address | Typical address | Best locations | Challenging locations |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Palmer Square | 84.4% | 83.2% | 84.5% | 77.0% |
| 2 | Logan Square | 84.0% | 79.7% | 84.6% | 61.9% |
| 3 | Boulevard District | 83.9% | 78.6% | 84.4% | 65.2% |
| 4 | Sheffield Neighbors | 83.6% | 80.7% | 84.1% | 72.7% |
| 5 | Hermosa | 83.5% | 74.4% | 84.1% | 53.4% |
| 6 | Belmont Gardens | 83.4% | 78.2% | 84.1% | 67.0% |
| 7 | Irving Park | 83.4% | 76.6% | 84.2% | 61.8% |
| 8 | Cunningham | 83.3% | 77.8% | 84.1% | 70.2% |
| 9 | Avondale | 83.3% | 77.6% | 83.9% | 59.1% |
| 10 | University Village/Little Italy | 83.3% | 73.2% | 84.0% | 52.5% |
| 11 | Lake View East | 83.2% | 74.4% | 84.3% | 54.8% |
| 12 | Humboldt Park | 83.2% | 72.7% | 84.2% | 50.5% |
| 13 | West Town | 83.1% | 75.8% | 84.1% | 53.4% |
| 14 | Bucktown | 82.7% | 74.3% | 84.5% | 54.4% |
| 15 | Big Woods Marmion | 82.7% | 73.2% | 84.6% | 52.8% |
| 16 | Goose Island | 82.7% | 70.8% | 83.9% | 52.2% |
| 17 | Lincoln Park | 82.6% | 73.8% | 83.9% | 57.5% |
| 18 | Old Town | 82.3% | 72.0% | 84.0% | 55.2% |
| 19 | Pigeon Hill | 82.2% | 76.8% | 83.2% | 65.0% |
| 20 | Pilsen | 82.2% | 75.4% | 83.1% | 54.5% |
| 21 | Budlong Woods | 81.9% | 75.7% | 82.6% | 63.9% |
| 22 | Ravenswood | 81.9% | 72.9% | 83.7% | 54.1% |
| 23 | Park West | 81.8% | 71.4% | 82.9% | 54.8% |
| 24 | Albany Park | 81.8% | 69.5% | 84.1% | 49.7% |
| 25 | Lake View | 81.7% | 71.1% | 84.5% | 49.6% |
| 26 | Roscoe Village | 81.6% | 75.7% | 83.0% | 66.7% |
| 27 | Noble Square | 81.5% | 75.1% | 82.9% | 62.5% |
| 28 | Wrightwood Neighbors | 81.5% | 73.9% | 82.4% | 60.9% |
| 29 | North Park | 81.4% | 65.6% | 82.9% | 49.4% |
| 30 | Old Irving Park | 81.3% | 71.2% | 83.8% | 52.3% |
| 31 | Kilbourn Park | 81.2% | 76.3% | 82.1% | 66.9% |
| 32 | Heart of Chicago | 80.7% | 70.0% | 83.7% | 54.0% |
| 33 | Edgewater Beach | 80.6% | 72.5% | 82.0% | 57.4% |
| 34 | Northeast Area | 80.6% | 72.4% | 83.4% | 58.3% |
| 35 | Bowmanville | 80.5% | 73.1% | 82.6% | 61.8% |
| 36 | South Loop | 80.4% | 66.1% | 84.3% | 48.7% |
| 37 | West Humboldt Park | 80.0% | 66.6% | 83.2% | 49.4% |
| 38 | McKinley Park | 79.6% | 67.8% | 83.0% | 51.2% |
| 39 | Edgewater | 79.5% | 70.9% | 82.6% | 50.8% |
| 40 | Near West Side | 79.5% | 70.6% | 82.5% | 55.3% |
| 41 | Little Village | 79.4% | 67.6% | 83.9% | 50.3% |
| 42 | Montclare | 79.4% | 63.8% | 82.1% | 49.1% |
| 43 | Kelvin Park | 79.3% | 72.4% | 82.8% | 57.0% |
| 44 | Rogers Park | 79.1% | 65.3% | 82.7% | 49.5% |
| 45 | Uptown | 79.1% | 65.0% | 83.2% | 50.1% |
| 46 | Cragin | 78.9% | 70.3% | 83.6% | 52.8% |
| 47 | Reedwood | 78.9% | 69.4% | 81.4% | 51.4% |
| 48 | Bridgeport | 78.6% | 66.8% | 83.3% | 50.8% |
| 49 | Graceland West | 78.5% | 71.4% | 79.4% | 57.4% |
| 50 | Brighton Park | 78.5% | 66.3% | 83.2% | 49.4% |
| 51 | West Rogers Park | 78.0% | 64.9% | 83.0% | 49.5% |
| 52 | Streeterville | 77.8% | 67.9% | 79.1% | 52.5% |
| 53 | Belmont Central | 77.6% | 65.2% | 82.9% | 49.8% |
| 54 | Gage Park | 77.3% | 65.0% | 81.8% | 49.6% |
| 55 | North Center | 77.2% | 66.2% | 81.8% | 51.8% |
| 56 | Portage Park | 77.2% | 64.7% | 83.6% | 49.7% |
| 57 | South Austin | 77.0% | 62.5% | 82.7% | 48.8% |
| 58 | Wicker Park | 76.1% | 66.0% | 80.0% | 52.3% |
| 59 | West Chatham | 76.1% | 63.2% | 81.1% | 50.9% |
| 60 | Dunning | 75.4% | 62.1% | 79.8% | 49.4% |
| 61 | Galewood | 75.2% | 63.8% | 82.0% | 49.1% |
| 62 | Archer Heights | 75.2% | 62.4% | 83.3% | 48.7% |
| 63 | North Austin | 75.2% | 59.5% | 79.5% | 48.8% |
| 64 | Mount Greenwood | 75.0% | 59.9% | 81.7% | 48.9% |
| 65 | Mayfair | 74.1% | 64.4% | 76.5% | 51.3% |
| 66 | Garfield Ridge | 73.8% | 60.5% | 80.9% | 49.1% |
| 67 | West Lawn | 73.4% | 60.7% | 80.9% | 49.0% |
| 68 | Chicago Lawn | 73.4% | 60.6% | 76.3% | 49.2% |
| 69 | Jefferson Park | 73.4% | 60.5% | 79.4% | 48.9% |
| 70 | West Elsdon | 72.9% | 57.9% | 76.4% | 49.1% |
| 71 | East Hyde Park | 72.7% | 63.1% | 73.9% | 49.8% |
| 72 | Illinois Medical District | 72.7% | 62.3% | 76.8% | 49.5% |
| 73 | Belmont Heights | 72.6% | 60.0% | 77.8% | 49.5% |
| 74 | North Mayfair | 72.5% | 60.9% | 78.8% | 49.7% |
| 75 | Chatham | 72.4% | 57.9% | 77.6% | 49.0% |
| 76 | Douglas Park | 72.2% | 61.9% | 80.5% | 50.8% |
| 77 | Morgan Park | 72.0% | 60.4% | 81.2% | 49.0% |
| 78 | Beverly | 72.0% | 60.1% | 79.9% | 49.7% |
| 79 | Irving Woods | 71.9% | 61.1% | 77.8% | 50.0% |
| 80 | Southeast Area | 71.8% | 64.6% | 77.8% | 50.3% |
| 81 | Central Street | 71.5% | 62.0% | 77.2% | 49.4% |
| 82 | Burnside | 71.3% | 61.1% | 77.6% | 50.2% |
| 83 | Schorsch Village | 71.3% | 60.0% | 74.7% | 49.9% |
| 84 | Hyde Park | 71.2% | 60.2% | 78.3% | 49.0% |
| 85 | Near North Side | 70.9% | 60.6% | 74.9% | 50.3% |
| 86 | East Beverly | 69.3% | 59.8% | 72.9% | 52.3% |
| 87 | The Loop | 68.4% | 57.6% | 75.6% | 48.8% |
| 88 | Kenwood | 66.0% | 57.5% | 71.3% | 49.0% |
| 89 | Washington Park | 65.6% | 55.9% | 74.5% | 48.8% |
| 90 | West Beverly | 65.4% | 56.0% | 72.4% | 49.3% |
| 91 | Roseland | 65.0% | 56.6% | 70.5% | 48.8% |
| 92 | Grand Crossing | 64.1% | 55.4% | 75.2% | 48.9% |
| 93 | Edison Park | 63.5% | 54.5% | 76.8% | 48.8% |
| 94 | West Morgan Park | 62.4% | 54.9% | 64.2% | 49.6% |
| 95 | Wildwood | 62.1% | 54.1% | 68.7% | 48.8% |
| 96 | Scottsdale | 60.7% | 54.0% | 67.0% | 49.0% |
| 97 | Kennedy Park | 60.3% | 54.5% | 65.0% | 49.5% |
| 98 | West Woodlawn | 59.8% | 54.1% | 64.1% | 49.2% |
| 99 | Marynook | 59.1% | 54.9% | 62.6% | 49.6% |
Keep in mind that results depend heavily on the exact location; strong sites often exist within neighborhoods that seem less favorable overall. StreetSpring's survivability scores are updated regularly, so the most accurate prediction for your exact storefront is always available in the live tool.
Where in or Around Chicago Would a Business Make the Most Money?
StreetSpring can give you the precise likelihood that hundreds of different businesses will last at an exact address. In Palmer Square, the top-ranked neighborhood in or around Chicago, a new business at a good address has about an 84.4% chance of lasting two or more years. In Marynook, the last-ranked, the same figure is 59.1%. 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.
The right location can make a business; the wrong one can break it. Based on StreetSpring's 2026 analysis for Chicago, 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 Chicago?
When selecting a location it is crucial to select a location with a very high Survivability Score. Revenue Capture Score is the top factor to weigh before signing a lease, because it measures how much of the local customer spending a business at that address can win. Revenue Capture Score has two drivers:
1. Projected Market Share: StreetSpring models market share by mapping every relevant competitor within each service radius, weighting them by quality and proximity, and layering in the accessibility and tenant mix around each location. StreetSpring's accuracy is built on studying businesses that serve more than 180 million+ Americans. Clustering works when it draws more customers to the area than any single business could alone (this is why car dealerships often cluster together). However, oversaturation forces businesses to compete primarily on price, squeezing margins.
2. Forecasted Consumer Spend: Consumer spending forecasts are generated separately for each business type using proprietary models trained on hundreds of thousands of U.S. business outcomes, so the spending potential for a coffee shop and a nail salon at the same address will differ significantly; thus, a Chinese Restaurant will have a different forecasted spend than a Music Store, a Chicken Shop, a Liquor Store, and others: and every one of those business types would produce a distinct forecast at the exact same storefront. StreetSpring relies on its own proprietary forecasting engine to deliver these predictions.
Together, these produce:
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 Chicago are:
- Palmer Square
- Logan Square
- Boulevard District
Some other important factors to consider:
Ownership Rates: Survivability Scores for service-oriented businesses improve in areas with high homeownership, where customers are more likely to become regulars rather than transient visitors. The top 3 neighborhoods in and around Chicago with the highest ownership rates are: West Beverly, Scottsdale, and Edison Park.
Employment Rates: For businesses such as restaurants that rely more on disposable incomes, Survivability Scores are boosted when a large share of nearby consumers are employed. The top 3 neighborhoods in and around Chicago with the highest employment rates are: Goose Island, Streeterville, and North Center.
Housing Occupancy: The Census counts how many housing units in each neighborhood stand vacant; StreetSpring's model reads that figure alongside competition, consumer spending and other neighborhood characteristics. The top 3 neighborhoods in and around Chicago with the highest housing occupancy rates are: West Lawn, Bowmanville, and Scottsdale.
See the Survivability Score for your new business
Where Should I Start, and How Do I Find the Right Data for Chicago?
According to StreetSpring's 2026 analysis, Palmer Square, Logan Square, and Boulevard District are the strongest starting points in or around Chicago, 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 Chicago neighborhood (including survivability scores by type) is at Chicago 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 Chicago: updated regularly.
Get your address-level survivability score →
Neighborhood rankings are useful, but the exact odds for your location can only be seen by running a current survivability check in StreetSpring.
What Should Landlords in or Around Chicago Know When Evaluating Tenant Success?
Aggregate neighborhood scores obscure the specific opportunities and risks at each individual property and storefront. Savvy landlords leverage survivability data to maximize occupancy and net operating income.
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 Chicago?
Traditional site-selection processes focus on demographics and foot traffic, which describe a market but don't predict business survivability, but StreetSpring highlights which addresses offer the best odds for long-term success across every business subtype in and around Chicago. 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 Chicago?
Micro-location factors create major differences in success rates. Survival rate variation comes down to the specific combination of competition quality, consumer spending power, and customer flow that exists only at that exact address. 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 Chicago list, at a good address in each:
Palmer Square: ranked #1 of 99 in Chicago, the strongest neighborhood overall
- Acupuncture Clinic (90.0% chance of lasting two or more years at a good address)
- Dentist Office (90.0% chance of lasting two or more years at a good address)
- Physical Therapy Clinic (90.0% chance of lasting two or more years at a good address)
- Veterinary Clinic (90.0% chance of lasting two or more years at a good address)
- Dermatology Clinic (90.0% chance of lasting two or more years at a good address)
Brighton Park: ranked #50 of 99, the middle of the Chicago list
- Chiropractor Office (89.6% chance of lasting two or more years at a good address)
- Veterinary Clinic (87.9% chance of lasting two or more years at a good address)
- Dentist Office (86.6% chance of lasting two or more years at a good address)
- Acupuncture Clinic (86.6% chance of lasting two or more years at a good address)
- Dermatology Clinic (86.6% chance of lasting two or more years at a good address)
Full Brighton Park business guide
Marynook: ranked #99 of 99, the last in the Chicago list
- Chiropractor Office (88.7% 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)
- Bar (84.0% chance of lasting two or more years at a good address)
- Convenience Store (83.2% chance of lasting two or more years at a good address)
- Clothing Store (83.2% 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
Market conditions shift, and the best way to verify current odds for a specific address is to run a live survivability check through StreetSpring. See the full rankings and get a live survivability score for any address in Chicago.
- Chicago Business Survivability Rankings: overall rankings by business type across all Chicago neighborhoods
- Business Survivability in Palmer Square
- Business Survivability in Logan Square
- Business Survivability in Boulevard District
- StreetSpring Methodology
Every Neighborhood We Rank in Chicago
Survivability rankings for each Chicago neighborhood we score, one page per neighborhood, with the business-type detail behind each one.
- Beverly
- Bowmanville
- Bridgeport
- Brighton Park
- Burnside
- Chatham
- Chicago Lawn
- Dunning
- Edison Park
- Gage Park
- Galewood
- Hermosa
- Hyde Park
- Lake View
- Lincoln Park
- North Austin
- North Park
- Pilsen
- Portage Park
- Ravenswood
- West Town
- Wildwood
Technical note: Aggregated survivability rankings for Chicago are available in machine-readable format for research and integration purposes.
View technical data for Chicago
StreetSpring recalculates survivability using the latest competitive, demographic, and walkability data, so the live score may differ from the static ranges shown here.