Neighborhood Survivability Rankings: San Diego
StreetSpring's 2026 analysis ranks the best and worst neighborhoods in San Diego 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: Old Town: 84.0% at a good address, 76.5% at a typical address
- Most challenging: Robinhood-Bon Vivant: 59.2% average survivability
- 83 neighborhoods ranked across the San Diego 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 Old Town first in San Diego, with the best locations offering a 84.2% chance of lasting more than two years. Across all business types that could open in Old Town, the average location shows a 76.5% chance of lasting more than two years. Every address is unique; the neighborhood score is a guide, but your specific storefront's score may be meaningfully higher or lower.
What Are the 10 Best Neighborhoods in or Around San Diego to Open a Business?
The top 10 neighborhoods in or around San Diego to open a business are:
| # | Neighborhood | At a good address | Typical address | Best locations | Challenging locations |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old Town | 84.0% | 76.5% | 84.2% | 61.8% |
| 2 | Kearny Mesa | 83.9% | 76.0% | 84.6% | 49.9% |
| 3 | Harborside | 83.8% | 74.1% | 84.3% | 56.3% |
| 4 | Midtown | 83.4% | 69.8% | 84.0% | 52.6% |
| 5 | Miramar | 83.1% | 72.5% | 84.6% | 50.8% |
| 6 | Morro Hills | 82.5% | 74.9% | 84.4% | 52.2% |
| 7 | Rolando | 82.5% | 73.4% | 83.7% | 57.6% |
| 8 | Barrio Logan | 82.5% | 73.0% | 84.3% | 51.5% |
| 9 | Roseville-Fleetridge | 82.5% | 70.3% | 83.7% | 54.4% |
| 10 | Lincoln Park | 82.4% | 68.2% | 83.2% | 50.2% |
See the Survivability Score for your new business
What Are the Hardest Places in or Around San Diego to Open a Business?
The hardest neighborhoods in or around San Diego to open a business are:
| # | Neighborhood | At a good address | Typical address | Best locations | Challenging locations |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 79 | Countryside | 70.1% | 60.5% | 73.5% | 51.5% |
| 80 | Sunbow | 68.7% | 59.2% | 79.3% | 49.3% |
| 81 | Ocean Hills | 68.2% | 55.7% | 74.7% | 48.8% |
| 82 | Southwestern College Estates | 65.1% | 61.0% | 77.9% | 53.7% |
| 83 | Robinhood-Bon Vivant | 64.9% | 59.2% | 72.6% | 53.3% |
The Full San Diego Neighborhood Ranking
All 83 neighborhoods we rank in or around San Diego, 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 83 ranked neighborhoods
| # | Neighborhood | At a good address | Typical address | Best locations | Challenging locations |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old Town | 84.0% | 76.5% | 84.2% | 61.8% |
| 2 | Kearny Mesa | 83.9% | 76.0% | 84.6% | 49.9% |
| 3 | Harborside | 83.8% | 74.1% | 84.3% | 56.3% |
| 4 | Midtown | 83.4% | 69.8% | 84.0% | 52.6% |
| 5 | Miramar | 83.1% | 72.5% | 84.6% | 50.8% |
| 6 | Morro Hills | 82.5% | 74.9% | 84.4% | 52.2% |
| 7 | Rolando | 82.5% | 73.4% | 83.7% | 57.6% |
| 8 | Barrio Logan | 82.5% | 73.0% | 84.3% | 51.5% |
| 9 | Roseville-Fleetridge | 82.5% | 70.3% | 83.7% | 54.4% |
| 10 | Lincoln Park | 82.4% | 68.2% | 83.2% | 50.2% |
| 11 | Montecito | 81.9% | 69.0% | 83.9% | 51.9% |
| 12 | University Heights | 81.8% | 71.0% | 84.4% | 50.9% |
| 13 | Rolling Hills Ranch | 81.7% | 71.3% | 83.2% | 54.0% |
| 14 | Central Chula Vista | 81.5% | 71.4% | 83.9% | 53.8% |
| 15 | Grantville | 81.5% | 68.1% | 84.0% | 49.2% |
| 16 | Chollas View | 81.4% | 65.7% | 82.9% | 52.7% |
| 17 | Point Loma Heights | 81.2% | 70.3% | 83.5% | 49.8% |
| 18 | Carmel Mountain | 81.2% | 66.9% | 84.6% | 49.3% |
| 19 | Redwood Village | 81.1% | 67.1% | 83.3% | 52.7% |
| 20 | Otay Town | 80.9% | 68.5% | 83.6% | 50.5% |
| 21 | Pacific Beach | 80.9% | 68.3% | 84.0% | 51.1% |
| 22 | Terra Nova | 80.8% | 67.7% | 83.0% | 53.8% |
| 23 | Torrey Pines | 80.7% | 69.6% | 83.5% | 51.2% |
| 24 | El Cerrito | 80.6% | 61.8% | 82.8% | 50.2% |
| 25 | San Miguel Ranch | 80.4% | 69.9% | 82.3% | 50.5% |
| 26 | Hilltop | 80.4% | 67.9% | 83.2% | 51.0% |
| 27 | Eastlake Vistas | 80.3% | 74.6% | 81.4% | 59.7% |
| 28 | Mountain View | 80.3% | 70.5% | 82.2% | 51.1% |
| 29 | Park West | 80.3% | 68.5% | 81.6% | 53.6% |
| 30 | La Playa | 80.2% | 74.3% | 83.7% | 62.4% |
| 31 | Grant Hill | 79.9% | 73.1% | 83.0% | 59.7% |
| 32 | University City | 79.9% | 67.2% | 84.0% | 49.2% |
| 33 | Loma Portal | 79.8% | 72.3% | 83.3% | 53.6% |
| 34 | Ocean Beach | 79.8% | 71.6% | 83.6% | 54.1% |
| 35 | Core-Columbia | 79.6% | 71.3% | 80.9% | 58.6% |
| 36 | Guajome | 79.6% | 71.1% | 83.3% | 54.0% |
| 37 | Bonita Long Canyon | 79.6% | 68.5% | 81.0% | 51.6% |
| 38 | Feaster | 79.5% | 70.5% | 81.5% | 53.6% |
| 39 | Millenia | 79.4% | 74.5% | 80.6% | 66.4% |
| 40 | Rancho Del Rey | 79.3% | 67.1% | 83.7% | 50.6% |
| 41 | Normal Heights | 79.2% | 71.7% | 80.9% | 58.0% |
| 42 | Peacock | 79.0% | 67.9% | 82.7% | 52.4% |
| 43 | Clairemont Mesa East | 78.9% | 66.9% | 84.4% | 49.9% |
| 44 | La Jolla | 78.9% | 66.6% | 83.7% | 49.6% |
| 45 | El Rancho Del Rey | 78.9% | 65.9% | 81.9% | 51.2% |
| 46 | Mount Hope | 78.8% | 69.3% | 80.1% | 52.0% |
| 47 | Mira Mesa | 78.8% | 63.7% | 84.5% | 48.9% |
| 48 | Hillsborough | 78.7% | 70.4% | 80.2% | 52.1% |
| 49 | Eastlake Woods | 78.7% | 70.3% | 80.2% | 53.4% |
| 50 | Jamacha-Lomita | 78.4% | 65.4% | 81.8% | 50.3% |
| 51 | Castle Park | 78.2% | 63.6% | 83.2% | 49.4% |
| 52 | Mission Valley West | 78.0% | 67.4% | 80.9% | 52.4% |
| 53 | Otay Valley | 77.9% | 65.3% | 80.0% | 50.3% |
| 54 | Logan Heights | 77.7% | 69.9% | 81.0% | 51.3% |
| 55 | Eastlake Shores | 77.7% | 64.9% | 79.3% | 53.7% |
| 56 | Southcrest | 77.4% | 64.2% | 81.4% | 52.4% |
| 57 | Talmadge | 77.4% | 59.7% | 81.2% | 49.6% |
| 58 | Eastlake Greens | 77.2% | 65.2% | 83.6% | 49.3% |
| 59 | Nestor | 77.2% | 63.9% | 82.9% | 49.7% |
| 60 | Egger Highlands | 77.1% | 62.0% | 81.8% | 49.4% |
| 61 | North Chula Vista | 77.0% | 65.0% | 80.3% | 49.2% |
| 62 | Birdland | 77.0% | 62.6% | 81.7% | 50.4% |
| 63 | Eastlake Trails | 76.1% | 68.5% | 79.1% | 57.7% |
| 64 | Lomas Verdes | 76.1% | 67.6% | 81.4% | 57.7% |
| 65 | Golden Hill | 76.1% | 64.9% | 82.9% | 53.9% |
| 66 | Hillcrest | 76.0% | 61.7% | 80.1% | 49.1% |
| 67 | Windingwalk | 75.8% | 65.8% | 79.5% | 54.1% |
| 68 | Heritage | 75.4% | 65.7% | 79.9% | 52.5% |
| 69 | Rosebank | 75.1% | 65.4% | 83.4% | 53.0% |
| 70 | Bayfront | 75.0% | 64.2% | 80.4% | 50.1% |
| 71 | Sabre Springs | 74.8% | 63.2% | 82.0% | 49.8% |
| 72 | South Park | 74.8% | 62.0% | 79.7% | 50.0% |
| 73 | Miramar Ranch North | 74.0% | 62.6% | 83.3% | 49.2% |
| 74 | Del Mar Heights | 73.9% | 63.7% | 81.4% | 51.6% |
| 75 | Greg Rogers | 73.9% | 63.1% | 81.4% | 49.5% |
| 76 | Kensington | 73.2% | 63.0% | 82.6% | 50.8% |
| 77 | Heritage Hills | 72.5% | 61.4% | 77.9% | 50.7% |
| 78 | Palm City | 71.0% | 61.8% | 76.1% | 51.3% |
| 79 | Countryside | 70.1% | 60.5% | 73.5% | 51.5% |
| 80 | Sunbow | 68.7% | 59.2% | 79.3% | 49.3% |
| 81 | Ocean Hills | 68.2% | 55.7% | 74.7% | 48.8% |
| 82 | Southwestern College Estates | 65.1% | 61.0% | 77.9% | 53.7% |
| 83 | Robinhood-Bon Vivant | 64.9% | 59.2% | 72.6% | 53.3% |
However, the specific location is very important and there are some great locations in neighborhoods that might not appear to be a great fit. Neighborhood-level data is directional; for your precise storefront, StreetSpring's live survivability score accounts for the latest competitive and spending conditions.
Where in or Around San Diego Would a Business Make the Most Money?
Our address-level scoring shows the exact survivability odds for 500+ business types at any storefront. In Old Town, the top-ranked neighborhood in or around San Diego, a new business at a good address has about an 84.0% chance of lasting two or more years. In Robinhood-Bon Vivant, the last-ranked, the same figure is 64.9%. 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.
Every site-selection decision starts with location, the one factor you can check before you sign a lease. Based on StreetSpring's 2026 analysis for San Diego, 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 San Diego?
Location selection is a high-stakes decision, and the Survivability Score gives each site a projected chance of lasting two or more years. Consider how differently two businesses perform at the same address: a Brazilian Restaurant will have a different forecasted spend than a Dance Club, a Lebanese Restaurant, an Afghan Restaurant, and others: and all of those would have different projections for each location. StreetSpring uses its own proprietary forecasting tools to make these predictions.
The most important factor for a business's success is the Revenue Capture Score at the location it selects. StreetSpring computes this by projecting the business's market share, which is based on the quality and quantity of primary, secondary, and tertiary competitors across varying distances and service levels, along with mobility patterns. We have been studying the businesses serving more than 180 million+ Americans. The right amount of competition creates a destination effect, where multiple similar businesses collectively attract more foot traffic than any one would alone (this is why car dealerships often cluster together). However, when competition is too intense, even well-run businesses struggle to capture enough revenue. 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.
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 San Diego are:
- Old Town
- Kearny Mesa
- Harborside
Some other important factors to consider:
Ownership Rates: Owner-occupied neighborhoods generate more reliable recurring demand for local businesses, which StreetSpring's model captures through the ownership rate input. The top 3 neighborhoods in and around San Diego with the highest ownership rates are: Torrey Pines, La Playa, and Kensington.
Employment Rates: Neighborhoods with high employment levels support stronger consumer spending, which directly benefits businesses whose revenue depends on discretionary income. The top 3 neighborhoods in and around San Diego with the highest employment rates are: Old Town, Del Mar Heights, and Park West.
Housing Occupancy: Occupancy here means housing occupancy from the Census, the share of residential units that are occupied, and it is one input among many in StreetSpring's model. The top 3 neighborhoods in and around San Diego with the highest housing occupancy rates are: Mountain View, Redwood Village, and Sabre Springs.
See the Survivability Score for your new business
Where Should I Start, and How Do I Find the Right Data for San Diego?
According to StreetSpring's 2026 analysis, Old Town, Kearny Mesa, and Harborside are the strongest starting points in or around San Diego, 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 San Diego neighborhood (including survivability scores by type) is at San Diego 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 San Diego: updated regularly.
Get your address-level survivability score →
Market conditions shift, and the best way to verify current odds for a specific address is to run a live survivability check through StreetSpring.
What Should Landlords in or Around San Diego Know When Evaluating Tenant Success?
Broad trends don't capture the unique dynamics of each storefront. Using address-level survivability scores, landlords can identify the business types most likely to pay rent consistently for years, not just the first 12 months.
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 San Diego?
Traditional site selection often relies on subjective judgment and partial datasets, but StreetSpring highlights which addresses offer the best odds for long-term success across every business subtype in and around San Diego. 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 San Diego?
Performance can vary dramatically within just a few hundred feet. No two addresses share the same competitive landscape, mobility patterns, and spending environment, which is why survivability scores are calculated at the individual address level. 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?
Survivability Scores translate location quality into a single probability: the chance a given business type lasts two or more years at that exact address, based on competition, spending potential, and local demand. Full methodology → 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 San Diego list, at a good address in each:
Old Town: ranked #1 of 83 in San Diego, the strongest neighborhood overall
- Eye Care Center (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)
- Dermatology Clinic (90.0% chance of lasting two or more years at a good address)
- Mental Health Clinic (90.0% chance of lasting two or more years at a good address)
- Acupuncture Clinic (90.0% chance of lasting two or more years at a good address)
Peacock: ranked #42 of 83, the middle of the San Diego list
- Veterinary Clinic (89.6% chance of lasting two or more years at a good address)
- Chiropractor Office (87.9% chance of lasting two or more years at a good address)
- Dentist Office (87.4% chance of lasting two or more years at a good address)
- Dermatology Clinic (87.4% chance of lasting two or more years at a good address)
- Acupuncture Clinic (87.4% chance of lasting two or more years at a good address)
Robinhood-Bon Vivant: ranked #83 of 83, the last in the San Diego list
- Veterinary Clinic (87.9% chance of lasting two or more years at a good address)
- Chiropractor Office (83.2% chance of lasting two or more years at a good address)
- Cafe (81.9% chance of lasting two or more years at a good address)
- Hair Salon (78.2% chance of lasting two or more years at a good address)
- Spa (77.7% 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
Static rankings can't capture every recent change in competition or consumer spending, which is why StreetSpring's real-time tool is the best place to check today's survivability score for a particular location. See the full rankings and get a live survivability score for any address in San Diego.
- San Diego Business Survivability Rankings: overall rankings by business type across all San Diego neighborhoods
- Business Survivability in Old Town
- Business Survivability in Kearny Mesa
- Business Survivability in Harborside
- StreetSpring Methodology
Every Neighborhood We Rank in San Diego
Survivability rankings for each San Diego neighborhood we score, one page per neighborhood, with the business-type detail behind each one.
- Barrio Logan
- Birdland
- Grantville
- Hillcrest
- Kensington
- La Jolla
- La Playa
- Loma Portal
- Mira Mesa
- Miramar
- Mount Hope
- Nestor
- Ocean Beach
- Palm City
- Rolando
- Talmadge
Cities and Towns We Rank in the San Diego Metro
Whole municipalities in the San Diego metro, ranked separately from the neighborhoods above, one page per place.
Technical note: Aggregated survivability rankings for San Diego are available in machine-readable format for research and integration purposes.
View technical data for San Diego
StreetSpring recalculates survivability using the latest competitive, demographic, and walkability data, so the live score may differ from the static ranges shown here.