Neighborhood Survivability Rankings: Washington DC

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: U Street Corridor: 84.4% at a good address (shared with 3 other neighborhoods), 83.2% at a typical address
• Most challenging: Tara-Leeway Heights: 54.7% average survivability
• 129 neighborhoods ranked across the Washington DC 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 U Street Corridor first in Washington DC, sharing the top figure at a good address with 3 other neighborhoods, with the best locations offering a 84.5% chance of lasting more than two years. Across all business types that could open in U Street Corridor, the average location shows a 83.2% chance of lasting more than two years. That said, neighborhood averages don't tell the whole story: there are standout locations even in areas that may appear less suitable.

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What Are the 10 Best Neighborhoods in or Around Washington DC to Open a Business?

The top 10 neighborhoods in or around Washington DC to open a business are:

See the Survivability Score for your new business

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What Are the Hardest Places in or Around Washington DC to Open a Business?

The hardest neighborhoods in or around Washington DC to open a business are:

The Full Washington DC Neighborhood Ranking

All 129 neighborhoods we rank in or around Washington DC, 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 129 ranked neighborhoods

#	Neighborhood	At a good address	Typical address	Best locations	Challenging locations
1	U Street Corridor	84.4%	83.2%	84.5%	77.0%
2	Shaw	84.4%	82.3%	84.5%	72.5%
3	Eckington	84.4%	81.8%	84.6%	68.9%
4	Landmark/Van Dorn	84.4%	79.8%	84.6%	53.6%
5	Pleasant Plains	84.3%	82.0%	84.5%	70.8%
6	LeDroit Park	84.2%	83.2%	84.4%	80.3%
7	Truxton Circle	84.2%	82.5%	84.4%	74.2%
8	Edgewood	84.1%	81.6%	84.5%	72.7%
9	Bloomingdale	84.1%	81.1%	84.5%	69.8%
10	NoMa	84.1%	80.2%	84.4%	67.9%
11	Arlandria/Chirilagua	84.1%	79.3%	84.5%	60.4%
12	Southwest Waterfront	84.1%	78.3%	84.6%	53.5%
13	Sixteenth Street Heights	84.1%	76.1%	84.5%	51.7%
14	Southwest Federal Center	84.0%	80.0%	84.5%	57.2%
15	Park View	84.0%	79.7%	84.4%	58.3%
16	Petworth	84.0%	78.4%	84.5%	52.7%
17	Mount Pleasant	83.9%	77.7%	84.5%	58.8%
18	Eisenhower East	83.8%	79.3%	84.3%	62.4%
19	Braddock Road Metro	83.8%	75.9%	84.4%	57.5%
20	Columbia Heights	83.8%	73.1%	84.6%	49.7%
21	Radnor/Fort Myer Heights	83.7%	77.7%	84.2%	56.5%
22	Beauregard	83.7%	77.6%	84.4%	60.4%
23	South Bethesda	83.7%	74.3%	84.0%	58.4%
24	Sudley	83.6%	68.1%	84.6%	49.5%
25	Woodley Park	83.5%	75.5%	84.4%	56.9%
26	Brentwood	83.5%	73.7%	84.6%	51.0%
27	Logan Circle	83.5%	72.6%	84.5%	49.6%
28	Columbia Heights West	83.5%	70.8%	84.3%	55.3%
29	Aurora Highlands	83.4%	75.5%	84.5%	52.1%
30	Old Town North	83.3%	75.9%	84.1%	55.8%
31	North Rosslyn	83.3%	72.5%	84.1%	55.6%
32	Cleveland Park	83.2%	74.3%	84.5%	54.0%
33	Alexandria West	83.2%	72.1%	84.5%	51.1%
34	Fairlington/Bradlee	83.0%	78.8%	83.7%	67.0%
35	Southwest Quadrant	83.0%	71.2%	84.1%	53.2%
36	Observatory Circle	82.9%	76.4%	84.3%	61.4%
37	Mount Vernon Square	82.9%	74.0%	83.9%	56.3%
38	Maywood	82.8%	74.6%	83.5%	62.6%
39	Kalorama	82.7%	75.5%	83.7%	57.1%
40	Massachusetts Heights	82.6%	77.9%	83.1%	67.7%
41	Arboretum	82.6%	75.8%	83.3%	62.5%
42	Woodland-Normanstone Terrace	82.6%	75.1%	83.8%	55.0%
43	Tenleytown	82.6%	74.3%	83.4%	56.5%
44	Barney Circle	82.6%	63.1%	84.1%	49.0%
45	Swampoodle	82.5%	77.1%	83.8%	62.3%
46	Taylor Run/Duke Street	82.5%	70.5%	84.4%	50.8%
47	Foxcroft Heights	82.4%	68.8%	83.1%	53.0%
48	Potomac West	82.3%	72.0%	84.1%	50.0%
49	Friendship Heights	82.3%	68.2%	83.8%	50.5%
50	Capitol Hill	82.2%	73.3%	84.2%	49.9%
51	Georgetown	82.2%	71.6%	84.1%	49.8%
52	Shepherd Park	82.2%	68.7%	83.9%	49.2%
53	Near Northeast	82.1%	71.6%	84.5%	54.2%
54	Brightwood Park	82.0%	73.4%	83.1%	56.4%
55	Buckingham	81.9%	71.2%	83.6%	52.2%
56	Ivy City	81.8%	73.8%	84.1%	58.1%
57	Navy Yard	81.8%	72.1%	84.2%	50.6%
58	North Highland	81.7%	75.0%	84.3%	55.6%
59	King Street Metro/Eisenhower Avenue	81.5%	75.2%	82.8%	56.0%
60	Penn Quarter	81.5%	70.9%	82.6%	56.9%
61	Eisenhower West	81.4%	70.2%	84.3%	50.5%
62	Green Valley	81.4%	68.2%	84.0%	50.3%
63	Alcova Heights	81.2%	70.0%	84.0%	52.8%
64	Seminary Hill/Strawberry Hill	81.2%	68.4%	84.5%	49.1%
65	Potomac Yard/Potomac Greens	81.1%	70.5%	83.3%	53.3%
66	Colonial Village	81.0%	65.0%	83.8%	49.5%
67	The Palisades	80.9%	69.0%	83.7%	50.8%
68	Foggy Bottom	80.9%	68.6%	83.2%	49.5%
69	Skyland	80.8%	74.0%	81.9%	61.4%
70	Catholic University	80.8%	68.2%	84.4%	48.9%
71	Clarendon-Courthouse	80.8%	66.7%	82.7%	49.7%
72	Manor Park	80.7%	69.6%	84.5%	50.1%
73	Douglass	80.6%	71.6%	83.0%	52.6%
74	Crestwood	80.6%	69.9%	84.4%	49.7%
75	Brookland	80.6%	68.4%	83.9%	49.7%
76	Stronghold	80.4%	72.9%	82.3%	61.2%
77	Adams Morgan	80.4%	70.5%	83.5%	51.7%
78	Anacostia	80.4%	69.9%	83.1%	49.8%
79	Penrose	80.4%	65.1%	83.6%	49.2%
80	Lyon Park	79.9%	63.9%	83.9%	49.2%
81	Judiciary Square	79.7%	69.4%	81.1%	55.3%
82	Fairlawn	79.7%	66.5%	83.9%	50.8%
83	Waverly Hills	79.6%	64.5%	83.7%	50.7%
84	North Cleveland Park	79.5%	68.8%	84.0%	52.5%
85	Douglas Park	79.5%	68.1%	83.1%	52.6%
86	Randle Highlands	79.5%	66.9%	82.9%	49.3%
87	Kingman Park	79.5%	62.1%	83.2%	48.9%
88	Buena Vista	79.4%	66.8%	82.6%	49.2%
89	Columbia Forest	79.2%	68.3%	81.6%	53.9%
90	Glover Park	79.2%	67.9%	83.9%	49.8%
91	Brightwood	79.1%	69.0%	82.6%	50.4%
92	Takoma	79.0%	68.4%	81.8%	50.6%
93	West End	78.5%	68.1%	80.3%	51.4%
94	Arlington Heights	78.5%	64.3%	81.4%	49.2%
95	Westover Village	78.4%	64.2%	81.5%	50.2%
96	Langston	78.1%	64.1%	83.1%	49.8%
97	Glencarlyn	77.7%	63.5%	81.1%	49.8%
98	Forest Hills	77.5%	62.8%	84.3%	49.2%
99	American University Park	77.3%	64.7%	83.3%	49.1%
100	Old Town	77.2%	66.7%	82.8%	50.2%
101	North Potomac Yard	77.1%	68.8%	80.6%	57.5%
102	Cherrydale	77.0%	64.3%	82.1%	49.3%
103	Dupont Circle	76.5%	62.4%	82.4%	49.3%
104	Cathedral Heights	76.4%	66.2%	80.5%	51.9%
105	Carver	76.3%	66.1%	78.9%	52.2%
106	Claremont	76.3%	65.4%	83.5%	50.9%
107	Lyon Village	76.2%	64.3%	82.0%	50.5%
108	Ashton Heights	75.8%	59.2%	80.9%	48.8%
109	Trinidad	75.4%	65.3%	81.0%	51.3%
110	Arlington Ridge	75.0%	60.8%	84.0%	49.3%
111	North Ridge/Rosemont	75.0%	59.1%	83.8%	48.8%
112	Bethesda Center	74.8%	65.3%	76.3%	51.4%
113	Downtown	74.1%	62.2%	80.7%	48.8%
114	Burleith	73.6%	64.1%	76.6%	49.4%
115	Woodlands	73.4%	64.0%	77.7%	53.2%
116	High View Park	73.2%	63.3%	82.5%	50.9%
117	Foxhall	73.1%	67.9%	74.5%	57.3%
118	Waycroft-Woodlawn	72.9%	58.9%	78.6%	48.8%
119	Woodmont	72.7%	60.2%	82.4%	49.4%
120	Ballston-Virginia Square	72.7%	59.9%	79.9%	48.9%
121	Bluemont	72.6%	58.3%	82.7%	48.8%
122	East Falls Church	72.4%	58.3%	82.1%	48.8%
123	Highland Park-Overlee Knolls	71.2%	61.2%	77.1%	49.9%
124	Barry Farm	70.6%	59.1%	72.8%	50.0%
125	Barcroft	70.5%	57.5%	79.0%	48.9%
126	McLean Gardens	70.0%	61.9%	71.7%	52.8%
127	Arlington View	70.0%	60.6%	75.2%	50.3%
128	Arlington Forest	67.2%	55.6%	71.6%	48.8%
129	Tara-Leeway Heights	60.9%	54.7%	67.7%	49.0%

Neighborhood rankings indicate general trends, but StreetSpring's address-level precision will reveal the best and worst spots within each area. Market conditions shift, and the best way to verify current odds for a specific address is to run a live survivability check through StreetSpring.

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Where in or Around Washington DC Would a Business Make the Most Money?

StreetSpring generates location-specific predictions tailored to your exact site. In U Street Corridor, the top-ranked neighborhood in or around Washington DC, a new business at a good address has about an 84.4% chance of lasting two or more years. In Tara-Leeway Heights, the last-ranked, the same figure is 60.9%. 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.

Location is the part of the decision this projection measures, and inside one city it moves the projected chance a long way. Based on StreetSpring's 2026 analysis for Washington DC, 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

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What Should I Consider When Opening a Business in or Around Washington DC?

When selecting a location it is crucial to select a location with a very high Survivability Score. Consider how differently two businesses perform at the same address: an Armenian Restaurant will have a different forecasted spend than a Tex-Mex Restaurant, an Ukrainian Restaurant, a Juice & Smoothie Bar, and others: and all of those would have different projections for each location. The underlying models are StreetSpring's own: built, trained, and maintained by our team using data that external platforms cannot access.

Revenue Capture Score is the top factor to weigh before signing a lease, because it measures how much of the local customer spending a business at that address can win. Market share is projected by analyzing the full competitive landscape (primary, secondary, and tertiary competitors at multiple distance bands) combined with consumer spending patterns for the specific address. StreetSpring's training dataset includes millions of transactions and business lifecycle events. Some competition is beneficial to attract customers with similar intents to the same area (this is why car dealerships often cluster together). However, a saturated market leaves too little revenue for any single operator to capture enough share to survive. 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

The 3 neighborhoods in and around Washington DC that rank highest overall, across every business type StreetSpring ranks, are:

1. U Street Corridor
2. Shaw
3. Eckington

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 Washington DC with the highest ownership rates are: High View Park, Woodmont, and Arlington Forest.

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 Washington DC with the highest employment rates are: Old Town North, North Highland, and Judiciary Square.

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 Washington DC with the highest housing occupancy rates are: North Cleveland Park, The Palisades, and Barcroft.

See the Survivability Score for your new business

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Where Should I Start, and How Do I Find the Right Data for Washington DC?

According to StreetSpring's 2026 analysis, U Street Corridor, Shaw, and Eckington are the strongest starting points in or around Washington DC, 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 Washington DC neighborhood (including survivability scores by type) is at Washington DC 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 Washington DC: updated regularly.

Get your address-level survivability score →

The best-performing neighborhoods today may look different in six months; check StreetSpring's live tool for the current score at any specific location.

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What Should Landlords in or Around Washington DC Know When Evaluating Tenant Success?

Aggregate statistics mask the wide variation in outcomes at individual properties. Landlords who understand Survivability Scores can set better rents, reduce turnover, and match incoming tenants with spaces where they are most likely to succeed.

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.

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What Tools Can Tenant-Rep Agents Use to Find the Most Promising Locations in Washington DC?

Site selection has historically been as much art as science: StreetSpring replaces the guesswork with a direct survivability probability for every address, but StreetSpring highlights which addresses offer the best odds for long-term success across every business subtype in and around Washington DC. For a breakdown of the AI tools agents use to select the strongest sites, see: AI Tools for Tenant Reps

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Why Do Business Survival Rates Vary So Much Between Neighborhoods in Washington DC?

Micro-location factors create major differences in success rates. Every location has its own combination of foot traffic, competition, and customer demographics. 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

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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.

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How Does StreetSpring Compare to Other Site-Selection Tools?

The key difference between StreetSpring and traditional site-selection tools is outcome focus: StreetSpring tells you if the business will survive, not just what the foot traffic looks like today. Full comparison →

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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 Washington DC list, at a good address in each:

U Street Corridor: ranked #1 of 129 in Washington DC, the strongest neighborhood overall

• Veterinary Clinic (90.0% chance of lasting two or more years at a good address)
• Eye Care Center (90.0% chance of lasting two or more years at a good address)
• Dentist Office (89.6% chance of lasting two or more years at a good address)
• Physical Therapy Clinic (89.2% chance of lasting two or more years at a good address)
• Acupuncture Clinic (89.2% chance of lasting two or more years at a good address)

Potomac Yard/Potomac Greens: ranked #65 of 129, the middle of the Washington DC list

• Veterinary Clinic (88.3% chance of lasting two or more years at a good address)
• Eye Care Center (88.3% chance of lasting two or more years at a good address)
• Chiropractor Office (86.6% chance of lasting two or more years at a good address)
• Physical Therapy Clinic (86.2% chance of lasting two or more years at a good address)
• Dentist Office (86.2% chance of lasting two or more years at a good address)

Tara-Leeway Heights: ranked #129 of 129, the last in the Washington DC list

• Veterinary Clinic (80.2% chance of lasting two or more years at a good address)
• Spa (77.2% chance of lasting two or more years at a good address)
• Coffee Shop (76.4% chance of lasting two or more years at a good address)
• Gym (73.6% chance of lasting two or more years at a good address)
• Cafe (73.6% 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

Market conditions shift, and the best way to verify current odds for a specific address is to run a live survivability check through StreetSpring. See the full rankings and get a live survivability score for any address in Washington DC.

• Washington DC Business Survivability Rankings: overall rankings by business type across all Washington DC neighborhoods
• Business Survivability in U Street Corridor
• Business Survivability in Shaw
• Business Survivability in Eckington
• StreetSpring Methodology

Every Neighborhood We Rank in Washington DC

Survivability rankings for each Washington DC neighborhood we score, one page per neighborhood, with the business-type detail behind each one.

• Adams Morgan
• Alcova Heights
• Anacostia
• Arlington View
• Ashton Heights
• Barcroft
• Barney Circle
• Bloomingdale
• Bluemont
• Brentwood
• Brightwood
• Brookland
• Buckingham
• Buena Vista
• Capitol Hill
• Cherrydale
• Claremont
• Cleveland Park
• Crestwood
• Douglas Park
• Douglass
• Downtown
• Dupont Circle
• Edgewood
• Fairlawn
• Foggy Bottom
• Forest Hills
• Georgetown
• Glencarlyn
• Glover Park
• Green Valley
• High View Park
• Ivy City
• Kalorama
• Kingman Park
• Langston
• Logan Circle
• Lyon Park
• Lyon Village
• Manor Park
• Mount Pleasant
• Navy Yard
• NoMa
• Old Town
• Park View
• Penrose
• Petworth
• Shepherd Park
• Stronghold
• Takoma
• The Palisades
• Trinidad
• Waverly Hills
• Woodley Park

Cities and Towns We Rank in the Washington DC Metro

Whole municipalities in the Washington DC metro, ranked separately from the neighborhoods above, one page per place.

• Chevy Chase
• Forest Glen
• Tysons
• Wakefield

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Technical note: Aggregated survivability rankings for Washington DC are available in machine-readable format for research and integration purposes.

View technical data for Washington DC

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