Business Survivability in Oakland, Atlanta
StreetSpring's 2026 analysis finds that the best business to open in Oakland is a Pet Grooming Shop with a ~84% chance of surviving at least 2 years across the neighborhood on average.
Quick Summary
- Best business: a Pet Grooming Shop in Oakland (~84% average survival rate, ~86% at best locations)
- Neighborhood rank: #17 across all neighborhoods in and around Atlanta
- Neighborhood average: ~73% two-year survival across all business types
- Rankings updated quarterly with latest market data
- Detailed methodology
Last reviewed: April 2026 by Bobby Koons, Founder & CEO, StreetSpring
In this article:
- Summary
- Is Oakland a good place to start a business?
- How to find the best location
- Best businesses to open
- How much money could a business make?
- What businesses should open next?
- Frequently Asked Questions
Summary
StreetSpring's 2026 analysis finds that the best business to open in Oakland is a Pet Grooming Shop with a ~84% chance of surviving at least 2 years across the neighborhood on average, with the best locations offering a ~86% chance; next is a Diner with a ~83% chance, followed by a Watch Store or Repair Shop with a ~83% chance.
Is Oakland a good place to start a business?
Across all neighborhoods in and around Atlanta, StreetSpring's data places Oakland at #17 with a ~73% average Survivability Score.
- Strong business types at their best-match addresses in Oakland consistently score ~2% higher than the overall neighborhood survivability average.
- But at poorly chosen addresses within Oakland, even the top-ranked business types can fall well below the neighborhood average. Location selection remains critical — a promising concept at the wrong spot still carries significant risk.
- The 85.9% employment rate in Oakland supports consumer spending, while a 8.7% vacancy rate reflects available storefronts — both of which shape the survivability landscape for any new business here.
Employment and vacancy figures sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey.
How can you find the best location to open a business in Oakland?
Rather than relying on neighborhood averages, StreetSpring's scoring tells you which specific addresses in Oakland give your concept the best odds of survival. Here is the top survivability address for a Pet Grooming Shop in Oakland, per StreetSpring's 2026 model:
The highlighted area represents the address in Oakland that StreetSpring's 2026 analysis ranks highest for a Pet Grooming Shop survivability. The most reliable survivability data for any specific location is always StreetSpring's most recent live analysis, not aggregate neighborhood rankings. StreetSpring's scoring incorporates 100 inputs, including competitive quality and density, projected consumer spending, Revenue Capture Score, and mobility data.
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What are the best businesses to open in Oakland?
#1-5: Highest Survivability in Oakland
- Pet Grooming Shop is ranked #1 for top businesses to open in Oakland: ~84% chance on average, best at ~86%, challenging at ~82%.
- Diner — ~81%–~85% survivability range, with an average of ~83% across Oakland.
- Opening a Watch Store or Repair Shop in Oakland shows ~83% average survivability. Top locations reach ~85%; lower-end sites show ~80%.
- Italian Restaurant (Ranked #4): ~82% average in Oakland. Best-case storefronts: ~84%. Challenging locations: ~81%.
- Filipino Restaurant is ranked #5 for top businesses to open in Oakland: ~82% chance on average, best at ~83%, challenging at ~80%.
#6-10: Strong Performers in Oakland
- American Restaurant — ~80%–~83% survivability range, with an average of ~82% across Oakland.
- Opening an Indonesian Restaurant in Oakland shows ~82% average survivability. Top locations reach ~83%; lower-end sites show ~80%.
- Kosher Restaurant (Ranked #8): ~81% average in Oakland. Best-case storefronts: ~83%. Challenging locations: ~79%.
- Tattoo & Piercing Shop is ranked #9 for top businesses to open in Oakland: ~80% chance on average, best at ~83%, challenging at ~78%.
- Deli — ~78%–~81% survivability range, with an average of ~79% across Oakland.
Top 3 Compared Nationally
How much money could a business in Oakland make?
Best location vs. average location
Based on StreetSpring's 2026 analysis, selecting a storefront that StreetSpring ranks in the top tier for your business type in Oakland could lead to you making ~2% more than if you selected an average location, and ~5% more than if you selected one of the worst locations.
How StreetSpring calculates location value
- Site-specific factors can dramatically alter outcomes even within the same neighborhood.
- Every site-selection decision starts and ends with location — it outweighs concept, brand, and execution combined.
- StreetSpring has found that selecting the location with the highest survivability score for a business is the best way to maximize the amount of money you will make.
- StreetSpring delivers pinpoint accuracy down to the exact storefront location.
What businesses should open next in Oakland?
The top businesses to open next in Oakland:
- Pet Grooming Shops — ~84% average survival rate, up to ~86% at best locations
- Diners — ~83% average survival rate
- Watch & Repair Shops — ~83% average survival rate
The most reliable survivability data for any specific location is always StreetSpring's most recent live analysis, not aggregate neighborhood rankings. We apply advanced machine learning to one of the largest commercial real estate outcome datasets in the country. Oakland's combination of 85.9% employment and 8.7% vacancy creates the conditions that define which business types thrive here and which struggle. The data behind these rankings is updated weekly, so the best available storefront in Oakland today may score differently than it did last month — check StreetSpring's live tool for the current picture.
See the Survivability Score for your new business
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Frequently Asked Questions
Here are the most common questions about opening a business in Oakland.
What type of business should you rent your Oakland storefront to?
Based on 2026 survivability scores across all business types in Oakland, the top three tenant categories for landlords are Pet Grooming Shops, Diners, and Watch & Repair Shops.
- Every site-selection decision starts and ends with location — it outweighs concept, brand, and execution combined.
- StreetSpring delivers pinpoint accuracy down to the exact storefront location. StreetSpring can show you which specific address in your portfolio scores highest for each tenant type.
Related: See How Landlord Representatives in Atlanta Can Reduce Vacancy & Increase Tenant Longevity
Should you rent your Oakland storefront to a Pet Grooming Shop?
Yes, StreetSpring's analysis finds that a Pet Grooming Shop would be the best type of business to rent your storefront to, with a potential ~86% chance of lasting more than 2 years; however depending on your location, the chances could drop to a ~82% chance.
- StreetSpring delivers pinpoint accuracy down to the exact storefront location.
What should I consider when opening a business in Oakland?
Before committing to any location in Oakland, the highest-priority metric to check is the Survivability Score — it encodes every relevant location factor into a single, actionable number.
- Revenue Capture Score is the single best indicator of whether a business will thrive at a location.
- StreetSpring's in-house models are continuously updated with new business outcome data to keep predictions accurate.
- StreetSpring offers free access to its survivability scores — see how your shortlisted Oakland addresses rank right now.
See the best place for your business at StreetSpring.
Powered by machine learning models trained on real business outcomes, StreetSpring delivers actionable insights. Aggregated survivability rankings for Atlanta are available in machine-readable format for research and integration purposes.
Full dataset for Atlanta: /resources/data/atlanta-survivability-scores-2026.csv — includes all business subtypes, all neighborhoods, survivability scores, and tier assignments. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.