City Survivability Rankings for Convenience Store

StreetSpring's 2026 analysis ranks the top cities for Convenience Stores across the US by Survivability Scores. See which cities offer the best chances for a Convenience Store to succeed.

•16 min read

Quick Summary

  • Survivability Score: the projected chance a business type lasts two or more years at a specific address
  • The highest-ranked city for Convenience Store is Chicago: 84.5% at a good address, 76.1% at a typical address
  • Dallas is left out of this ranking while a gap in its input data is repaired, and San Antonio is left out because it has too few scored locations to rank fairly
  • 16 of 22 analyzed US metros average above 70% for Convenience Store survivability at a typical address
  • The lowest-ranked city is Phoenix at 81.4%
  • National average chance of lasting two or more years for Convenience Store: 71.0%
  • Data reflects 2026 StreetSpring survivability analysis across 22 US metro areas · Full methodology →

Table of Contents

Summary

According to StreetSpring's 2026 nationwide analysis, Chicago ranks as the #1 city for opening a Convenience Store in the United States, with an 84.5% chance of lasting two or more years at a good address. Following close behind are Philadelphia with 84.5%, and Seattle with 84.1%. Convenience Stores consistently deliver a 71.0% survivability average across our 22 analyzed metros, with top-ranked Chicago demonstrating the strongest conditions. Location-level factors like visibility, foot traffic, and adjacent tenants can override city-level trends in either direction. Use this data to narrow your shortlist, then visit each top city in person to assess foot traffic and competitive density.

Survivability ranges reflect best and worst storefront conditions within each city. See our full methodology →

Convenience Stores city survivability range chart: Chicago vs Phoenix (2026)

Best-to-worst Convenience Store survivability within individual metros: Chicago, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Houston and Phoenix. Each box spans the middle of that metro's range; whiskers are its best and worst locations (2026).

All 22 Cities Ranked for Convenience Stores

Based on StreetSpring's analysis of 22 major metropolitan areas, these cities offer the strongest prospects for Convenience Stores:

#MetroMetro areaChance of lasting two or more years at a good address
1ChicagoChicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN84.5%
2PhiladelphiaPhiladelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD84.5%
3SeattleSeattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA84.1%
4Washington DCWashington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV84.1%
5MiamiMiami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL84.1%
6Los AngelesLos Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA84.1%
7New York CityNew York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ84.1%
8San FranciscoSan Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA84.1%
9PortlandPortland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA84.1%
10BostonBoston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH84.1%
11DetroitDetroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI83.7%
12AtlantaAtlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA83.2%
13OrlandoOrlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL83.2%
14San DiegoSan Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA83.2%
15St. LouisSt. Louis, MO-IL83.2%
16BaltimoreBaltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD83.2%
17Tampa BayTampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL83.2%
18CharlotteCharlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC82.8%
19DenverDenver-Aurora-Centennial, CO82.8%
20MinneapolisMinneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI82.8%
21HoustonHouston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX82.3%
22PhoenixPhoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ81.4%

1. Chicago Metro: Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN

  • At a good address: 84.5%
  • At a typical address: 76.1%
  • Best scored location: 85.0%
  • Weakest scored location: 49.0%

2. Philadelphia Metro: Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD

3. Seattle Metro: Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA

4. Washington DC Metro: Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV

5. Miami Metro: Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL

6. Los Angeles Metro: Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA

7. New York City Metro: New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ

8. San Francisco Metro: San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA

9. Portland Metro: Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA

10. Boston Metro: Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH

  • At a good address: 84.1%
  • At a typical address: 68.5%
  • Best scored location: 85.0%
  • Weakest scored location: 49.0%

11. Detroit Metro: Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI

12. Atlanta Metro: Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA

  • At a good address: 83.2%
  • At a typical address: 73.3%
  • Best scored location: 85.0%
  • Weakest scored location: 49.0%

13. Orlando Metro: Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL

14. San Diego Metro: San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA

15. St. Louis Metro: St. Louis, MO-IL

16. Baltimore Metro: Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD

17. Tampa Bay Metro: Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL

18. Charlotte Metro: Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC

  • At a good address: 82.8%
  • At a typical address: 72.9%
  • Best scored location: 85.0%
  • Weakest scored location: 49.0%

19. Denver Metro: Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO

20. Minneapolis Metro: Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI

21. Houston Metro: Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX

22. Phoenix Metro: Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ

Key Insights

Cities cluster tightly: The difference between the #1 city (Chicago at 84.5%) and the #22 city (Phoenix at 81.4%) is 3.10 percentage points. Less than a percentage point separates Chicago from Philadelphia. For Convenience Stores, that is small next to the spread between the best and worst addresses in either city.

National average: Across all 22 analyzed cities, the average survivability for a Convenience Store is 71.0%.

What Makes These Cities Stand Out?

The top-ranked cities share several characteristics that favor Convenience Stores:

  • Strong survivability signals: Chicago leads with a 76% average chance of lasting two or more years for Convenience Stores: significantly above the national average for this business category.
  • Competition density: The top cities show favorable competitor-to-opportunity ratios for Convenience Stores, meaning lower saturation and higher odds of capturing an underserved customer base.
  • Low market saturation: Top cities for Convenience Stores have fewer direct competitors per square mile than lower-ranked metros, leaving meaningful whitespace for well-positioned new entrants.
  • Consumer demand signals: StreetSpring's data captures competitor review velocity, spending patterns, and demographic fit, all pointing toward sustained demand for Convenience Stores in these markets.

StreetSpring analyzes millions of data points with AI to forecast business survivability across U.S. neighborhoods. Our platform has analyzed hundreds of thousands of business outcomes across major U.S. metros. StreetSpring's predictions leverage proprietary datasets covering competition, spending, and mobility.

City-specific guides: For detailed neighborhood-level analysis, explore our city guides:

National guides:

How current is this ranking?

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 Convenience Stores, 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.

Can a Convenience Store succeed in cities not ranked in 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 Convenience Stores in cities that don't appear in our top 10. Convenience Stores 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 a Convenience Store?

StreetSpring's Survivability Score tool provides address-level predictions for Convenience Stores across all 22 metros we track. For this category specifically, the model reads competition density, the consumer spending index for Convenience Stores, and Census neighborhood characteristics such as the housing vacancy rate, and turns them into the projected chance that a Convenience Store lasts two or more years at a given address. 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 US city has the best survivability for Convenience Stores?

Chicago ranks as the #1 city in the US for Convenience Stores survivability in StreetSpring's 2026 analysis, with an average 76% chance of lasting two or more years. This means that across well-selected neighborhoods in Chicago, a Convenience Store has approximately a 76% chance of still operating after two years, above the national average for this category. Philadelphia ranks second, followed by Seattle. The full ranking reflects data across 22 major US metro areas: see the complete list above for all scores and neighborhood-level links.

Last reviewed: October 2026 by Robert 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.

View national technical data

StreetSpring recalculates survivability using the latest competitive, demographic, and walkability data, so the live score may differ from the static ranges shown here.

Methodology: Each metro's figures pool the scored locations in its published neighborhoods. Metros are ranked the way the national data file ranks them, on the chance of lasting two or more years at a good address; the typical-address figure is shown alongside. Coverage includes 22 major US metropolitan areas: Chicago, Philadelphia, Seattle, Washington DC, Miami, Los Angeles, New York City, San Francisco, Portland, Boston, Detroit, Atlanta, Orlando, San Diego, St. Louis, Baltimore, Tampa Bay, Charlotte, Denver, Minneapolis, Houston, Phoenix. 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.