City Survivability Rankings for Diner
StreetSpring's 2026 analysis ranks the top cities for Diners across the US by Survivability Scores. See which cities offer the best chances for a Diner to succeed.
Quick Summary
- The highest-survivability city for Diner is Portland — 89% average survivability
- 24 of 24 analyzed US metros score above 70% for Diner survivability
- The lowest-ranked city is New York City at 85%
- National average survivability score for Diner: 86.7%
- Data reflects 2026 StreetSpring survivability analysis across 24 US metro areas · Full methodology →
Table of Contents
- Summary
- Top Cities for Diners
- Key Insights
- What Makes These Cities Stand Out?
- Best Neighborhoods Across the Spectrum
- Related Resources
- How current is this ranking?
- Can a Diner succeed in cities not ranked in the top 10?
- What tools can help me choose the right city for a Diner?
- Which US city has the best survivability for Diners?
Summary
According to StreetSpring's 2026 nationwide analysis, Portland ranks as the #1 city for opening a Diner 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 88%. Diners sit at a national average of 86.7% survivability across our 24-city analysis, with Portland leading the field by a meaningful margin. That said, city averages don't tell the whole story — there are standout locations even in areas that appear less suitable at first glance. Market conditions shift frequently — use StreetSpring's live tool to confirm the current picture before committing to a location.
Survivability ranges reflect best and worst storefront conditions within each city. See our full methodology →
Diner city survivability rankings — Portland leads among 24 US metros at 89% in 2026
Where Diners Stand Across 24 US Metros
Based on StreetSpring's analysis of 24 major metropolitan areas, these cities offer the strongest prospects for Diners:
1. Portland Metro: Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA
- Best locations: 92.5% – 97.0%
- Average locations: 85.4% – 89.8%
- Challenging locations: 60.0% – 80.2%
- Explore Diner neighborhoods in Portland →
What the score range across cities tells you
2. San Antonio Metro: San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX
- Best locations: 92.5% – 97.0%
- Average locations: 85.3% – 89.7%
- Challenging locations: 60.0% – 80.1%
- Explore Diner neighborhoods in San Antonio →
3. St Louis
- Best locations: 92.2% – 97.0%
- Average locations: 84.8% – 89.4%
- Challenging locations: 59.0% – 79.6%
- Explore Diner neighborhoods in St Louis →
4. Orlando Metro: Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL
- Best locations: 91.9% – 97.0%
- Average locations: 84.7% – 88.9%
- Challenging locations: 62.0% – 80.0%
- Explore Diner neighborhoods in Orlando →
5. Charlotte Metro: Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC
- Best locations: 91.9% – 97.0%
- Average locations: 84.3% – 88.9%
- Challenging locations: 59.0% – 79.1%
- Explore Diner neighborhoods in Charlotte →
6. Phoenix Metro: Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ
- Best locations: 91.7% – 97.0%
- Average locations: 84.1% – 88.5%
- Challenging locations: 60.0% – 79.1%
- Explore Diner neighborhoods in Phoenix →
7. Baltimore Metro: Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD
- Best locations: 91.6% – 97.0%
- Average locations: 84.4% – 88.3%
- Challenging locations: 64.0% – 80.2%
- Explore Diner neighborhoods in Baltimore →
8. Tampa Bay Metro: Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL
- Best locations: 91.6% – 97.0%
- Average locations: 83.4% – 88.3%
- Challenging locations: 56.0% – 77.8%
- Explore Diner neighborhoods in Tampa Bay →
9. Detroit Metro: Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI
- Best locations: 91.5% – 97.0%
- Average locations: 83.8% – 88.3%
- Challenging locations: 60.0% – 79.0%
- Explore Diner neighborhoods in Detroit →
10. Atlanta Metro: Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA
- Best locations: 91.5% – 97.0%
- Average locations: 83.8% – 88.3%
- Challenging locations: 60.0% – 78.9%
- Explore Diner neighborhoods in Atlanta →
11. San Diego Metro: San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA
- Best locations: 91.4% – 97.0%
- Average locations: 83.7% – 88.0%
- Challenging locations: 61.0% – 79.1%
- Explore Diner neighborhoods in San Diego →
12. San Francisco Metro: San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA
- Best locations: 91.3% – 97.0%
- Average locations: 83.4% – 87.8%
- Challenging locations: 60.0% – 78.6%
- Explore Diner neighborhoods in San Francisco →
The metro-level signals behind these scores
13. Los Angeles Metro: Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA
- Best locations: 91.2% – 97.0%
- Average locations: 82.8% – 87.8%
- Challenging locations: 56.0% – 77.3%
- Explore Diner neighborhoods in Los Angeles →
14. Houston Metro: Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX
- Best locations: 91.2% – 97.0%
- Average locations: 83.0% – 87.7%
- Challenging locations: 58.0% – 77.9%
- Explore Diner neighborhoods in Houston →
15. Minneapolis Metro: Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI
- Best locations: 91.1% – 97.0%
- Average locations: 83.3% – 87.6%
- Challenging locations: 61.0% – 78.7%
- Explore Diner neighborhoods in Minneapolis →
16. Dallas Metro: Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
- Best locations: 91.0% – 97.0%
- Average locations: 83.6% – 87.4%
- Challenging locations: 65.0% – 79.8%
- Explore Diner neighborhoods in Dallas →
17. Seattle Metro: Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA
- Best locations: 91.0% – 97.0%
- Average locations: 82.8% – 87.4%
- Challenging locations: 59.0% – 78.0%
- Explore Diner neighborhoods in Seattle →
18. Miami Metro: Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL
- Best locations: 90.9% – 97.0%
- Average locations: 83.2% – 87.3%
- Challenging locations: 63.0% – 79.1%
- Explore Diner neighborhoods in Miami →
19. Denver Metro: Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO
- Best locations: 90.9% – 97.0%
- Average locations: 82.8% – 87.3%
- Challenging locations: 60.0% – 78.2%
- Explore Diner neighborhoods in Denver →
20. Washington DC Metro: Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
- Best locations: 90.8% – 97.0%
- Average locations: 82.6% – 87.0%
- Challenging locations: 60.0% – 78.0%
- Explore Diner neighborhoods in Washington DC →
21. Chicago Metro: Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN
- Best locations: 90.7% – 97.0%
- Average locations: 82.5% – 86.9%
- Challenging locations: 60.0% – 77.9%
- Explore Diner neighborhoods in Chicago →
22. Boston Metro: Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH
- Best locations: 90.6% – 97.0%
- Average locations: 82.2% – 86.8%
- Challenging locations: 59.0% – 77.5%
- Explore Diner neighborhoods in Boston →
23. Philadelphia Metro: Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD
- Best locations: 90.5% – 97.0%
- Average locations: 81.9% – 86.6%
- Challenging locations: 58.0% – 77.0%
- Explore Diner neighborhoods in Philadelphia →
24. New York City Metro: New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ
- Best locations: 90.3% – 97.0%
- Average locations: 81.7% – 86.3%
- Challenging locations: 59.0% – 77.1%
- Explore Diner neighborhoods in New York City →
Top Findings From the City Rankings
| Signal | Where strong-survivability cities outperform | What drags weaker cities down |
|---|---|---|
| Market size vs saturation | Mid-sized metros with established demand but room for new entrants — under-served pockets in 1.5M–5M population markets. | Either tier-1 cities saturated with national chains, or thin markets under 500K population where demand can't sustain a category. |
| Cross-subtype clustering | Cities where the subtype clusters near complementary categories (e.g., coffee shops near coworking + gyms). | Cities where the subtype is dispersed across isolated storefronts without supporting foot-traffic. |
| 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 88.8%) and the #24 city (New York City at 84.8%) is 4.0 percentage points. A 0.1-point gap separating Portland and San Antonio indicates that for Diners, choosing the right metro is a higher-stakes decision than for many other business types.
Three findings worth pulling out of the data
Strong performers: 24 cities show Survivability Scores above 80%, indicating highly favorable conditions for Diners.
National average: Across all 24 analyzed cities, the average survivability for a Diner is 86.7%.
The Common Threads in Top Diner Cities
The top-ranked cities share several characteristics that favor Diners:
- Strong survivability signals: Portland leads with a 89% average survivability score for Diners — significantly above the national average for this business category.
- Competition density: The top cities show favorable competitor-to-opportunity ratios for Diners, meaning lower saturation and higher odds of capturing an underserved customer base.
- Foot traffic infrastructure: High-scoring cities combine transit access, walkable commercial corridors, and anchor tenants that drive consistent daily traffic past storefronts.
- Geographic distribution: The top cities span multiple U.S. regions, giving franchise operators or multi-location owners diverse market options without concentrating risk.
Our survivability predictions are built on one of the largest commercial real estate datasets available, covering 24 major metros. We apply advanced machine learning to massive commercial real estate datasets to build accurate models. StreetSpring uses custom-built, proprietary algorithms to produce these predictions.
Best Neighborhoods Across the Spectrum
Where you open matters more than which city ranks highest. The strongest neighborhoods for Diners can be found across the entire national distribution:
Portland — ranked #1 nationally — the strongest market for Diners
- Kenton (89% survivability)
- Multnomah (88% survivability)
- Ogden (87% survivability)
- Markham (86% survivability)
- Gresham (85% survivability)
See full neighborhood rankings for Portland →
New York City — ranked #24 of 24 — among the lower-ranked national markets
- Rockaway-Park (89% survivability)
- Coney-Island (87% survivability)
- Brighton-Beach (87% survivability)
- Newark (87% survivability)
- Eltingville (86% survivability)
See full neighborhood rankings for New York City →
These examples show that a city's national rank for Diners is a starting signal — neighborhood-level data is what drives an actual location decision.
Visual Data
Related Resources
City-specific guides: For detailed neighborhood-level analysis, explore our city guides:
- Survivability Rankings for Diner in Portland
- Business Survivability Rankings: Portland
- Survivability Rankings for Diner in San Antonio
- Business Survivability Rankings: San Antonio
- Survivability Rankings for Diner in St Louis
- Business Survivability Rankings: St Louis
- Survivability Rankings for Diner in Orlando
- Business Survivability Rankings: Orlando
- Survivability Rankings for Diner in Charlotte
- Business Survivability Rankings: Charlotte
National guides:
- National Neighborhood Survivability Rankings for Diners
- Neighborhood Survivability Rankings: Portland
When was this ranking last refreshed?
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 Diners, 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 a Diner 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 Diners in cities that don't appear in our top 10. Diners 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.
How can I narrow down cities for a Diner?
StreetSpring's Survivability Score tool provides address-level predictions for Diners across all 24 metros we track. For this category specifically, the tool surfaces competition density, consumer spending index for Diners, and commercial vacancy rates — the factors that most consistently predict whether a Diner 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 Diner survivability ranking?
Portland ranks as the #1 city in the US for Diners survivability in StreetSpring's 2026 analysis, with an average score of 89%. This means that across well-selected neighborhoods in Portland, a Diner 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, StreetSpring founder — updated weekly
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, Orlando, Charlotte, Phoenix, Baltimore, Tampa Bay, Detroit, Atlanta, San Diego, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Houston, Minneapolis, Dallas, Seattle, Miami, Denver, Washington DC, Chicago, Boston, Philadelphia, New York City.