Survivability Rankings for Liquor Store in Chicago
StreetSpring's 2026 analysis ranks the best and worst neighborhoods in Chicago to open a Liquor Store, from Rogers Park (73% survival) to West Side (62%).
By Bobby Koons | Reviewed: May 9, 2026 | Refreshed weekly | Methodology
Quick Summary
- #1 Neighborhood: Rogers Park — 73% average survivability for Liquor Store
- Neighborhoods at or above 70%: 32 of 86 analyzed
- City-wide average: 69% for Liquor Stores
- Most challenging area: West Side at 62%
- Revenue advantage (top vs. avg location): ~5.5% more expected revenue in Rogers Park
- Data freshness: 2026 data · Full methodology →
Table of Contents
- Summary
- 10 Best Neighborhoods
- Where Would a Liquor Store Make the Most Money?
- What Should I Consider?
- Where Should I Start?
- FAQ: Best Neighborhoods
- FAQ: Can a Liquor Store Succeed in Lower-Ranked Areas?
- FAQ: How Often Are Rankings Updated?
- FAQ: Is a Liquor Store a Good Tenant?
- Landlord Survivability Data
- Best Neighborhoods for Any Business
Summary
StreetSpring's 2026 analysis shows the best neighborhood in and around Chicago to open a Liquor Store is Rogers Park with 73% average chance of surviving more than 2 years, with the best locations offering 80% and the most challenging locations in Rogers Park at 58%. The worst neighborhoods include West Side with 62% average chance. A low-ranking neighborhood can still contain high-potential storefronts — the address matters most.
Top-Survivability Chicago Neighborhoods for Liquor Stores
Rogers Park ranks #1 of 86 neighborhoods analyzed in and around Chicago for Liquor Store survivability with a score of 73% as of 2026. The top 10 neighborhoods are:
Where the rankings might surprise you
| Rank | Neighborhood | Best Locations | Average Locations | Challenging Locations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rogers Park | 77.0% – 81.0% | 71.1% – 75.1% | 57.0% – 61.0% |
| 2 | Kenwood | 74.0% – 78.0% | 70.3% – 74.4% | 64.0% – 68.0% |
| 3 | Budlong Woods | 74.0% – 78.0% | 70.3% – 74.3% | 53.0% – 57.0% |
| 4 | West Town | 76.0% – 80.0% | 70.2% – 74.3% | 52.0% – 56.0% |
| 5 | The Villa | 78.0% – 82.0% | 70.1% – 74.1% | 52.0% – 56.0% |
| 6 | Andersonville | 76.0% – 80.0% | 70.0% – 74.0% | 53.0% – 57.0% |
| 7 | New Eastside | 74.0% – 78.0% | 69.9% – 73.9% | 58.0% – 62.0% |
| 8 | River West | 77.0% – 81.0% | 69.9% – 73.9% | 57.0% – 61.0% |
| 9 | North Austin | 78.0% – 82.0% | 69.8% – 73.9% | 53.0% – 57.0% |
| 10 | Southwest | 77.0% – 81.0% | 69.8% – 73.8% | 48.0% – 52.0% |
What the score spread tells you about risk
StreetSpring's Survivability Scores are updated regularly, so the most accurate prediction for your exact storefront is always available in the live tool. Neighborhood rankings are useful, but the exact odds for your location can only be seen by running a current survivability check in StreetSpring.
Survivability ranges reflect best and worst storefront conditions within each neighborhood. See our full methodology →
Try StreetSpring to see if this location is still the best and see if there are locations to rent in this area right now.
The Top Revenue Neighborhoods for Liquor Stores in Chicago
In Rogers Park, the best possible location offers the opportunity of making ~5.5% more than the average location in or around Chicago.
On the other hand, in West Side, the worst possible location could result in making ~10.8% less than the average location in the city.
Location is the single strongest predictor of whether a business thrives or fails. Opening a Liquor Store in Chicago requires careful location choice. Across 86 neighborhoods analyzed, the overall average survival chance for a new Liquor Store is 69% for lasting more than 2 years — due to a combination of many factors across competition, consumer spending, and location dynamics. Survivability predictions are business-type-specific because consumer behavior differs fundamentally across categories.
What Matters Most When Opening a Liquor Store in Chicago
The right address sets the ceiling on every other variable. Filtering candidate locations by Survivability Score first protects against the most common cause of business failure. Revenue Capture Score is the single best indicator of whether a business will thrive at a location. StreetSpring computes this by projecting the business's market share, which is based on the quality and quantity of primary, secondary, and tertiary competitors. We incorporate data from thousands of neighborhoods and hundreds of thousands of individual businesses. Neighborhoods with a mix of similar businesses frequently outperform isolated locations. These insights come from StreetSpring's exclusive, in-house forecasting models.
| Area to check | What can go wrong | How to de-risk it |
|---|---|---|
| Foot traffic seasonality | Looking at a peak-summer Tuesday and assuming year-round volume. | Walk the block at 3 different times across 2 different weeks. Ask neighboring tenants for their slow-season % drop. |
| Competitor density | Counting only direct competitors and missing adjacent-category overlap (e.g. coffee shop near a bakery). | Map all businesses serving overlapping customer needs within a 5-min walk. Use StreetSpring's competitor view as a starting point. |
| CAM + hidden costs | Stated rent looks great, then CAM fees, signage charges, and after-hours utilities add 15-30%. | Get the full operating expense breakdown for the past 2 years. Ask which costs are landlord-capped vs. uncapped. |
This can be summarized as:
Revenue Capture Score = Projected Market Share × Forecasted Spend on Specific Business
Related: Survivability Score: How We Calculate It & Why It Matters
StreetSpring recalculates survivability using the latest competitive, demographic, and walkability data. Real-time data from StreetSpring accounts for recent openings, closures, and seasonal shifts that static rankings cannot.
Where in or Around Chicago Should I Start a Liquor Store?
The highest-performing areas for this business type are Rogers Park, Kenwood, and Budlong Woods, while the most challenging neighborhoods would be West Side, West Lawn, and Chicago Lawn. However, individual locations vary widely, and even in lower-scoring neighborhoods there are pockets that perform exceptionally well. For the most accurate predictions, always check your specific address in StreetSpring's live platform.
Related Articles:
Where Liquor Stores Thrive in Chicago
Based on StreetSpring's 2026 analysis, the top neighborhood for a Liquor Store in Chicago is Rogers Park with 73% average survivability, followed by Kenwood and Budlong Woods. 32 of 86 neighborhoods analyzed exceed 70% two-year survival.
Our live tool reflects the latest competitive landscape — these static rankings may already be slightly out of date.
Are Bottom-Tier Chicago Neighborhoods a No-Go for Liquor Stores?
Yes — neighborhood averages mask significant block-by-block variation. Even in neighborhoods ranked outside the top 10, individual storefronts with strong foot traffic, low direct competition, and favorable lease terms can outperform the area average. A low-ranking neighborhood can still contain high-potential storefronts — the address matters most. Always check your specific address in StreetSpring's live platform for the most accurate prediction.
When Does StreetSpring Update Chicago Liquor Store Rankings?
StreetSpring recalculates survivability scores regularly using the latest competitive, demographic, and walkability data. Rankings are updated quarterly; the live tool always reflects the most current predictions for any address in Chicago.
What Makes a Liquor Store a Strong (or Weak) Chicago Tenant?
In Rogers Park, StreetSpring forecasts a 71.1% – 75.1% average chance for a new Liquor Store to survive more than 2 years, depending on the exact storefront. Check the current Survivability Score for any address instantly.
Landlord Survivability Data for Liquor Store in Chicago
Should you rent your storefront to a Liquor Store? The answer depends heavily on your neighborhood. Rogers Park offers the strongest outlook at 71.1% – 75.1% average survivability, followed by Kenwood at 70.3% – 74.4%, and Budlong Woods at 70.3% – 74.3%. Our tool shows the survivability outlook for any business type at your exact address, updated weekly.
Our models produce survivability scores at the individual address level — not just neighborhood averages.
Related: How Landlord Representatives Can Reduce Vacancy & Increase Tenant Longevity
What Are the Best Neighborhoods in Chicago to Open a Liquor Store?
You can see the best neighborhoods in or around Chicago to open any type of business in our article Neighborhood Survivability Rankings: Chicago.
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.
Visual Data
Related Resources
Same business type in other cities:
Related:
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More Questions About This Location
More questions answered with neighborhood-specific data from our 2026 corpus.
Are there peer business categories with similar Chicago survivability to Liquor Stores?
In Chicago, business subtypes with survivability averages within 2 points of Liquor Stores (68%) include Clothing Store, Laundromat, Gym. Comparable averages suggest similar competitive and demographic drivers at the metro level.
How does Chicago's demographic profile affect a Liquor Store?
Chicago's key demographics — ~$103K median household income, 37 median age — feed into the survivability model alongside competition, rent, and accessibility data. The model averages Liquor Stores at 68% across Chicago.
What goes into a StreetSpring survivability score for Liquor Stores?
StreetSpring's Chicago Liquor Stores score blends ~100 site-level factors — competition within 0.25, 0.5, and 2 miles; ACS demographics; commute / accessibility patterns; lease rent rates; and historical survival outcomes. The 68% city average emerges from per-site scoring at every grid block.