City Survivability Rankings for American Restaurant
StreetSpring's 2026 analysis ranks the top cities for American Restaurants across the US by Survivability Scores. See which cities offer the best chances for an American Restaurant to succeed.
Quick Summary
- The highest-survivability city for American Restaurant is Portland — 89% average survivability
- 24 of 24 analyzed US metros score above 70% for American Restaurant survivability
- The lowest-ranked city is New York City at 85%
- National average survivability score for American Restaurant: 87.0%
- Data reflects 2026 StreetSpring survivability analysis across 24 US metro areas · Full methodology →
Table of Contents
- Summary
- Top Cities for American Restaurants
- Key Insights
- What Makes These Cities Stand Out?
- Best Neighborhoods Across the Spectrum
- Related Resources
- How current is this ranking?
- Can an American Restaurant succeed in cities not ranked in the top 10?
- What tools can help me choose the right city for an American Restaurant?
- Which US city has the best survivability for American Restaurants?
Summary
According to StreetSpring's 2026 nationwide analysis, Portland ranks as the #1 city for opening an American Restaurant in the United States, with an average 89% chance of surviving more than 2 years. Following close behind are San Antonio with 89%, and St Louis with 89%. Of the 24 metros we analyzed for American Restaurants, 24 delivered scores above 80% — a strong signal for this category's resilience in high-density markets. Individual locations vary widely; even in lower-scoring cities there are neighborhoods that perform exceptionally well. Survivability rankings evolve as neighborhoods change; always verify with the most recent StreetSpring dataset before signing a lease.
Survivability ranges reflect best and worst storefront conditions within each city. See our full methodology →
American Restaurant city survivability rankings — Portland leads among 24 US metros at 89% in 2026
All 24 Cities Ranked for American Restaurants
Based on StreetSpring's analysis of 24 major metropolitan areas, these cities offer the strongest prospects for American Restaurants:
1. Portland Metro: Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA
- Best locations: 92.6% – 97.0%
- Average locations: 85.7% – 90.0%
- Challenging locations: 61.0% – 80.7%
- Explore American Restaurant neighborhoods in Portland →
Where the top 5 cluster, and the surprising outliers
2. San Antonio Metro: San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX
- Best locations: 92.5% – 97.0%
- Average locations: 85.3% – 89.8%
- Challenging locations: 59.0% – 79.9%
- Explore American Restaurant neighborhoods in San Antonio →
3. St Louis
- Best locations: 92.4% – 97.0%
- Average locations: 85.0% – 89.7%
- Challenging locations: 58.0% – 79.5%
- Explore American Restaurant neighborhoods in St Louis →
4. Charlotte Metro: Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC
- Best locations: 92.1% – 97.0%
- Average locations: 84.2% – 89.1%
- Challenging locations: 56.0% – 78.4%
- Explore American Restaurant neighborhoods in Charlotte →
5. Detroit Metro: Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI
- Best locations: 92.0% – 97.0%
- Average locations: 84.6% – 89.1%
- Challenging locations: 60.0% – 79.6%
- Explore American Restaurant neighborhoods in Detroit →
6. Orlando Metro: Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL
- Best locations: 92.0% – 97.0%
- Average locations: 84.6% – 89.0%
- Challenging locations: 61.0% – 79.8%
- Explore American Restaurant neighborhoods in Orlando →
7. Phoenix Metro: Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ
- Best locations: 91.9% – 97.0%
- Average locations: 84.7% – 88.9%
- Challenging locations: 62.0% – 80.0%
- Explore American Restaurant neighborhoods in Phoenix →
8. Tampa Bay Metro: Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL
- Best locations: 91.9% – 97.0%
- Average locations: 84.0% – 88.8%
- Challenging locations: 57.0% – 78.5%
- Explore American Restaurant neighborhoods in Tampa Bay →
9. Baltimore Metro: Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD
- Best locations: 91.6% – 97.0%
- Average locations: 84.3% – 88.4%
- Challenging locations: 63.0% – 80.0%
- Explore American Restaurant neighborhoods in Baltimore →
10. Atlanta Metro: Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA
- Best locations: 91.6% – 97.0%
- Average locations: 83.7% – 88.4%
- Challenging locations: 58.0% – 78.5%
- Explore American Restaurant neighborhoods in Atlanta →
11. San Diego Metro: San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA
- Best locations: 91.5% – 97.0%
- Average locations: 83.7% – 88.3%
- Challenging locations: 59.0% – 78.6%
- Explore American Restaurant neighborhoods in San Diego →
12. Minneapolis Metro: Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI
- Best locations: 91.4% – 97.0%
- Average locations: 83.9% – 88.1%
- Challenging locations: 62.0% – 79.4%
- Explore American Restaurant neighborhoods in Minneapolis →
Where mid-ranked cities still beat top-ranked spots locally
13. San Francisco Metro: San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA
- Best locations: 91.4% – 97.0%
- Average locations: 83.4% – 88.1%
- Challenging locations: 58.0% – 78.2%
- Explore American Restaurant neighborhoods in San Francisco →
14. Los Angeles Metro: Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA
- Best locations: 91.4% – 97.0%
- Average locations: 82.9% – 88.0%
- Challenging locations: 55.0% – 77.2%
- Explore American Restaurant neighborhoods in Los Angeles →
15. Houston Metro: Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX
- Best locations: 91.3% – 97.0%
- Average locations: 83.3% – 87.9%
- Challenging locations: 59.0% – 78.3%
- Explore American Restaurant neighborhoods in Houston →
16. Chicago Metro: Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN
- Best locations: 91.3% – 97.0%
- Average locations: 83.3% – 87.8%
- Challenging locations: 59.0% – 78.3%
- Explore American Restaurant neighborhoods in Chicago →
17. Seattle Metro: Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA
- Best locations: 91.2% – 97.0%
- Average locations: 83.2% – 87.8%
- Challenging locations: 59.0% – 78.3%
- Explore American Restaurant neighborhoods in Seattle →
18. Miami Metro: Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL
- Best locations: 91.2% – 97.0%
- Average locations: 83.3% – 87.7%
- Challenging locations: 60.0% – 78.5%
- Explore American Restaurant neighborhoods in Miami →
19. Denver Metro: Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO
- Best locations: 91.1% – 97.0%
- Average locations: 82.6% – 87.5%
- Challenging locations: 56.0% – 77.1%
- Explore American Restaurant neighborhoods in Denver →
20. Washington DC Metro: Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
- Best locations: 90.9% – 97.0%
- Average locations: 82.3% – 87.3%
- Challenging locations: 56.0% – 77.0%
- Explore American Restaurant neighborhoods in Washington DC →
21. Philadelphia Metro: Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD
- Best locations: 90.8% – 97.0%
- Average locations: 82.5% – 87.1%
- Challenging locations: 58.0% – 77.5%
- Explore American Restaurant neighborhoods in Philadelphia →
22. Boston Metro: Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH
- Best locations: 90.8% – 97.0%
- Average locations: 82.6% – 87.0%
- Challenging locations: 60.0% – 78.0%
- Explore American Restaurant neighborhoods in Boston →
23. Dallas Metro: Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
- Best locations: 90.5% – 97.0%
- Average locations: 82.9% – 86.6%
- Challenging locations: 66.0% – 79.4%
- Explore American Restaurant neighborhoods in Dallas →
24. New York City Metro: New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ
- Best locations: 90.2% – 97.0%
- Average locations: 81.5% – 86.2%
- Challenging locations: 58.0% – 76.7%
- Explore American Restaurant neighborhoods in New York City →
Patterns Across the National Picture
| Signal | Where strong-survivability cities outperform | What drags weaker cities down |
|---|---|---|
| Climate-driven seasonality | Cities where the subtype's peak season aligns with the local climate calendar (e.g., year-round outdoor dining in mild markets). | Cities with extreme seasonality that compresses revenue into 4–6 month windows. |
| Daytime vs residential population mix | Cities with strong daytime employment density near the storefront catchment — CBD-adjacent mixed-use corridors. | Bedroom-community metros where daytime population evaporates by 9am and consumption shifts to 6pm dinner-only windows. |
| BLS QCEW retail employment trend | Cities with positive 3-year retail employment growth — proxy for local demand expansion. | Cities showing flat or declining retail employment over the same window. |
Wide variation between cities: The difference between the #1 city (Portland at 89.1%) and the #24 city (New York City at 84.7%) is 4.4 percentage points. The 0.2-point lead Portland holds over San Antonio reflects real structural differences in how well each metro supports American Restaurants — not just random variation.
Where this ranking breaks it
Strong performers: 24 cities show Survivability Scores above 80%, indicating highly favorable conditions for American Restaurants.
National average: Across all 24 analyzed cities, the average survivability for an American Restaurant is 87.0%.
What the Leaders Share
The top-ranked cities share several characteristics that favor American Restaurants:
- Strong survivability signals: Portland leads with a 89% average survivability score for American Restaurants — significantly above the national average for this business category.
- Competition density: The top cities show favorable competitor-to-opportunity ratios for American Restaurants, meaning lower saturation and higher odds of capturing an underserved customer base.
- Economic conditions: All top-ranked cities show strong median household incomes and low vacancy rates in the neighborhoods where American Restaurants perform best.
- Foot traffic infrastructure: High-scoring cities combine transit access, walkable commercial corridors, and anchor tenants that drive consistent daily traffic past storefronts.
Across the U.S., real estate professionals and business owners rely on StreetSpring's AI predictions to understand where a new venture is most likely to thrive, before signing a lease. Our models are trained on data from businesses reaching more than 180 million+ Americans. These forecasts are generated by our exclusive analytical framework, built from the ground up for commercial real estate.
Best Neighborhoods Across the Spectrum
City-level averages mask significant within-city variation. Below are some of the strongest neighborhoods for American Restaurant at different points in the rankings:
Portland — ranked #1 nationally — the strongest market for American Restaurants
- Kenton (89% survivability)
- Fircrest (87% survivability)
- Multnomah (87% survivability)
- Markham (87% survivability)
- Concordia (86% survivability)
See full neighborhood rankings for Portland →
City-level scores aggregate hundreds of neighborhoods. The right neighborhood matters more than the city's headline rank.
Visual Data
Related Resources
City-specific guides: For detailed neighborhood-level analysis, explore our city guides:
- Survivability Rankings for American Restaurant in Portland
- Business Survivability Rankings: Portland
- Survivability Rankings for American Restaurant in San Antonio
- Business Survivability Rankings: San Antonio
- Survivability Rankings for American Restaurant in St Louis
- Business Survivability Rankings: St Louis
- Survivability Rankings for American Restaurant in Charlotte
- Business Survivability Rankings: Charlotte
- Survivability Rankings for American Restaurant in Detroit
- Business Survivability Rankings: Detroit
National guides:
- National Neighborhood Survivability Rankings for American Restaurants
- Neighborhood Survivability Rankings: Portland
How fresh is this city-survivability data?
Rankings are updated quarterly. The current data reflects StreetSpring's 2026 analysis, with the next full dataset refresh scheduled for Q3 2026. As market conditions shift across major metros, individual city scores can move meaningfully between updates — particularly for American Restaurants, where local competition density and consumer spending patterns respond quickly to new entrants and neighborhood change. For the most current score at any specific address, use StreetSpring's live survivability tool rather than the static ranking above.
Should an American Restaurant avoid cities ranked below the top 10?
Yes — our top 10 ranking reflects cities with the strongest average conditions, but lower-ranked metros can still contain exceptional individual neighborhoods. Many operators successfully open American Restaurants in cities that don't appear in our top 10. American Restaurants in particular can find strong performance in secondary markets where the right demographic concentration, household income, and limited direct competition within walking distance align — even outside our highest-ranked cities. StreetSpring's neighborhood-level data surfaces these pockets of opportunity in every city we analyze, regardless of where the city as a whole ranks nationally.
What tools can help me choose the right city for an American Restaurant?
StreetSpring's Survivability Score tool provides address-level predictions for American Restaurants across all 24 metros we track. For this category specifically, the tool surfaces competition density, consumer spending index for American Restaurants, and commercial vacancy rates — the factors that most consistently predict whether an American Restaurant will still be operating after two years. You can check any specific address before signing a lease and compare multiple neighborhoods side by side to identify the highest-survivability site within your target city.
Try the Survivability Score tool →
Which metro tops the American Restaurant survivability ranking?
Portland ranks as the #1 city in the US for American Restaurants survivability in StreetSpring's 2026 analysis, with an average score of 89%. This means that across well-selected neighborhoods in Portland, an American Restaurant has approximately a 89% chance of still operating after two years — above the national average for this category. San Antonio ranks second, followed by St Louis. The full ranking reflects data across 24 major US metro areas — see the complete list above for all scores and neighborhood-level links.
Last reviewed: May 13, 2026 by Bobby Koons, Founder & CEO, StreetSpring
Technical note: Aggregated national survivability rankings across all 24 metros are available in machine-readable format for research and integration purposes.
StreetSpring recalculates survivability using the latest competitive, demographic, and walkability data, so the live score may differ from the static ranges shown here.
Methodology: City rankings aggregate neighborhood-level Survivability Scores (max, average, and min) across all analyzed neighborhoods in each metro area. Rankings reflect average conditions but do not account for variation within cities. Coverage includes 24 major US metropolitan areas: Portland, San Antonio, St Louis, Charlotte, Detroit, Orlando, Phoenix, Tampa Bay, Baltimore, Atlanta, San Diego, Minneapolis, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Houston, Chicago, Seattle, Miami, Denver, Washington DC, Philadelphia, Boston, Dallas, New York City.