What are the best businesses to open in Somerville?

The top businesses to open in Somerville include Indonesian Restaurant with a ~84% chance on average of surviving more than 2 years, best-case locations reaching ~86%, followed by Pet Boarding Facility and Pet Store.

What businesses are most in demand in Somerville?

Based on StreetSpring's 2026 survivability analysis, the most in-demand business types in Somerville are Indonesian Restaurants, Pet Boarding Facilities, and Pet Stores.

Is Somerville a good place to start a business?

Somerville is ranked number 43 across neighborhoods in and around Boston to start a business, with an average Survivability Score of ~76%. Top-performing business types at the best addresses in Somerville show a ~2% survival rate advantage over the neighborhood average.

Business Survivability in Somerville, Boston

Q: How does income in Somerville compare to the rest of Boston?

Somerville's median household income (~$138K) is above the Boston metro median (~$135K) by approximately $2K. Income is close to the metro median, so business-type fit depends more on local demographics and competition.

StreetSpring's 2026 analysis finds that the best business to open in Somerville is an Indonesian Restaurant with a ~84% chance of surviving at least 2 years across the neighborhood on average.

April 24, 2026•18 min read

Quick Summary

Best business: an Indonesian Restaurant in Somerville (~84% average survival rate, ~86% at best locations)

Neighborhood rank: #43 across all neighborhoods in and around Boston

Neighborhood average: ~76% two-year survival across all business types

Rankings updated quarterly with latest market data

Detailed methodology

Last reviewed: May 9, 2026 by Bobby Koons, StreetSpring founder — updated weekly

In this article:

Summary
Is Somerville 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 Somerville is an Indonesian Restaurant 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 Pet Boarding Facility with a ~84% chance, followed by a Pet Store with a ~84% chance.

What does the data say about opening in Somerville?

**Peer neighborhoods:** Looking at demographic mix and amenity density across the 24 metros StreetSpring covers, Somerville clusters most tightly with **Forest Knolls (San Francisco)** and **East Passyunk (Philadelphia)**. Common thread: many nearby parks, high high-earner share, and older housing stock. Survival outcomes for those neighborhoods provide a useful comparison set for Somerville.

**Where Somerville businesses actually fail.** Among the 93 tracked subtypes, **Pet Boarding Facilities** post the highest average survivability (84%). But across Somerville's sites, the spread for this subtype runs **80% to 90%** — a 10-point gap that says *the address matters more than the subtype*. For saturation context, Gyms are the most densely-clustered tracked subtype in the neighborhood (19 competitors within 0.5 miles).

Among all neighborhoods in and around Boston, Somerville ranks #43 for business survivability, with an average score of ~76%.

Top-performing business types at the best addresses in Somerville show a ~2% survival rate advantage over the neighborhood average.
Yet the same categories that score highest in Somerville can underperform significantly at the wrong address. Location precision within the neighborhood matters as much as choosing the neighborhood itself.
At 95.0% employed, Somerville's consumer base has the spending capacity that makes the neighborhood viable for a wide range of business types — though location selection within the neighborhood still determines actual survivability.

Employment and vacancy figures sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey.

Where in Somerville should you open a business?

StreetSpring narrows the decision down to the exact address — showing which blocks in Somerville produce the highest survivability scores for your concept. StreetSpring's 2026 model ranks this area #1 in Somerville for an Indonesian Restaurant:

Walking the neighborhood: what to look for

Loading live map preview...

Per the 2026 StreetSpring analysis, this circle outlines the optimal area for an Indonesian Restaurant in Somerville. However, individual locations vary widely, and even in lower-scoring neighborhoods there are pockets that perform exceptionally well. StreetSpring's prediction model analyzes 100 factors across competition, spending on the specific potential business, projected revenue, projected market share, Revenue Capture Score, mobility patterns, and many more.

Check if this location is still available →

The strongest business categories for Somerville

#1-5: Highest Survivability in Somerville

Indonesian Restaurant is ranked #1 for top businesses to open in Somerville: ~84% chance on average, best at ~86%, challenging at ~82%.
Pet Boarding Facility — ~82%–~86% survivability range, with an average of ~84% across Somerville.
Opening a Pet Store in Somerville shows ~84% average survivability. Top locations reach ~86%; lower-end sites show ~82%.
Dance Club (Ranked #4): ~83% average in Somerville. Best-case storefronts: ~85%. Challenging locations: ~81%.
Japanese / Sushi Restaurant is ranked #5 for top businesses to open in Somerville: ~83% chance on average, best at ~84%, challenging at ~81%.

#6-10: Strong Performers in Somerville

Music Store — ~80%–~85% survivability range, with an average of ~82% across Somerville.
Opening a Deli in Somerville shows ~82% average survivability. Top locations reach ~83%; lower-end sites show ~80%.
Pet Grooming Shop (Ranked #8): ~82% average in Somerville. Best-case storefronts: ~84%. Challenging locations: ~80%.
Taiwanese Restaurant is ranked #9 for top businesses to open in Somerville: ~82% chance on average, best at ~84%, challenging at ~80%.
Veterinary Clinic — ~80%–~84% survivability range, with an average of ~82% across Somerville.

Top 3 Compared Nationally

How much money could a business in Somerville make?

Best location vs. average location

Based on StreetSpring's 2026 analysis, identifying the optimal address for your business type in Somerville could lead to you making ~2% more than if you selected an average location, and ~4% 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.
Location is the single strongest predictor of whether a business thrives or fails.
Every percentage point of Survivability Score represents a real difference in expected revenue — choosing the highest-scoring address is the most reliable financial decision you can make at the outset.
StreetSpring's address-level precision means the difference between choosing a site with a 65% survival rate and one with a 90% rate — even within the same neighborhood.

Where the next great business in Somerville should go

The top businesses to open next in Somerville:

Indonesian Restaurants — ~84% average survival rate, up to ~86% at best locations
Pet Boarding Facilities — ~84% average survival rate
Pet Stores — ~84% average survival rate

However, individual locations vary widely, and even in lower-scoring neighborhoods there are pockets that perform exceptionally well. We have been studying the businesses serving more than 180 million+ Americans. Somerville's employment rate (95.0%) and vacancy rate (4.3%) together define the economic context that StreetSpring's model uses to score survivability for each business type at each address. These rankings are a snapshot; StreetSpring recalculates survivability for every location in Somerville weekly, incorporating the latest competitive openings, closures, and spending data — check current locations now.

See the Survivability Score for your new business

Related Articles:

See the Boston Business Survivability Rankings
See the Boston Neighborhood Survivability Rankings

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are the most common questions about opening a business in Somerville.

What type of business should you rent your Somerville storefront to?

For landlords in Somerville, StreetSpring's 2026 analysis identifies Indonesian Restaurants, Pet Boarding Facilities, and Pet Stores as the business types most likely to produce stable, long-term tenancy.

Location is the single strongest predictor of whether a business thrives or fails.
StreetSpring's address-level precision means the difference between choosing a site with a 65% survival rate and one with a 90% rate — even within the same neighborhood. Run your specific address through StreetSpring to see which tenant categories give you the best odds of stable, long-term occupancy.

Should you rent your Somerville storefront to an Indonesian Restaurant?

StreetSpring's data confirms an Indonesian Restaurant as the highest-survivability tenant type for Somerville. The best addresses show a ~86% chance of lasting more than 2 years; less optimal addresses score around ~82%.

StreetSpring's address-level precision means the difference between choosing a site with a 65% survival rate and one with a 90% rate — even within the same neighborhood.

What should I consider when opening a business in Somerville?

StreetSpring's Survivability Score for your Somerville address is the clearest forward-looking indicator of whether your business will be operating two years from now — make it the first number you check.

High Revenue Capture Score is the clearest signal that a location can sustain a business over the long term.
Each forecast is specific to the exact address and business type, generated by StreetSpring's internally developed prediction engine.
You can access the most up-to-date forecasts with StreetSpring for free.

See the best place for your business at StreetSpring.

Using predictive analytics, StreetSpring helps entrepreneurs and landlords make smarter location decisions. Aggregated survivability rankings for Boston are available in machine-readable format for research and integration purposes.

The hidden costs of operating in this neighborhood

Consideration	Common pitfall	What to verify before signing
Workforce availability	Hiring radius is smaller than you think — many neighborhoods can't staff a full team at standard wages.	Pull BLS wage data for your industry in this metro. Walk through your staffing plan with a local restaurant/retail operator before signing.
Foot traffic seasonality	Looking at a peak-summer Tuesday and assuming year-round volume.	Walk the block at 3 different times across 2 different weeks. Ask neighboring tenants for their slow-season % drop.
Permits & licensing	Assuming a 30-day permit timeline, hitting 90+ days, paying rent on a non-operating storefront.	Call the local zoning office before signing. Confirm your use is already permitted; if not, factor a 2-3 month variance timeline.

Full dataset for Boston: /resources/data/boston-survivability-scores-2026.csv — includes all business subtypes, all neighborhoods, survivability scores, and tier assignments. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.

Visual Data

Treemap of Boston business mix by survivability score — Treemap of business mix in Boston — cell size = number of locations, color = average survivability score.

Radar chart of business-subtype survivability in Somerville, Boston — Top business types scored in Somerville, Boston — each axis is a subtype, taller = stronger survival rate.

Bubble chart of business subtypes in Boston by survivability score and location density — Every business subtype in Boston plotted by score vs location count — bubble size shows market depth.

How we measure this: Foot traffic measured at the city-block level using a combination of pedestrian-network analysis and Walk Score.

**Authoritative baseline:** BLS Business Employment Dynamics, March 2025 release publishes 5-year survival rates by industry. For sectors StreetSpring covers, the range runs from **47.8%** (Active Life) to **61.8%** (Health & Medical), with restaurants at **50.0%** and retail at **47.9%**. Location-specific factors drive the actual variance around these baselines.

**About Somerville** — Somerville is a city located directly to the northwest of Boston, and north of Cambridge, in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the city had a total population of 81,045 people. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Somerville%2C_Massachusetts))

**Daytime worker density (Somerville):** LEHD LODES Workplace Area Characteristics show a **7.6:1 daytime-to-resident ratio** for Somerville — a strong commercial-corridor / CBD signal. Median workplace jobs within a 1-mile radius across Somerville: **30,824**, of which roughly **2,417** are retail-sector. Higher daytime ratios favor weekday-lunch / commuter-traffic businesses; balanced ratios favor residential + weekend demand patterns.

Landmark anchor: Somerville's cultural-anchor is Museum of Bad Art, an art-museum that pulls weekend and tourist foot-traffic into the surrounding blocks.

**Economic context that bounds the demand environment in Somerville:** Per ACS, neighborhood unemployment is **5.0%** (in line with the 24-metro neighborhood median). BLS QCEW shows the Boston metro's average weekly wage at **$1,631** (above our 24-metro median). And Suffolk County permitted **2,338** new residential units in 2025 per Census BPS — a population-and-demand growth signal.

Related Resources

Related:

Local Data Questions

Local-context questions, answered with neighborhood-specific numbers.

Is Somerville a high-employment or high-unemployment area?

ACS labor-force data shows an employment rate of about 95% in Somerville, versus 96% across Boston. Employment is close to the metro median, suggesting stable underlying demand.

Is Somerville's population younger or older than the Boston average?

Somerville's median age is 35 versus a Boston metro median of 41 — younger by 6 years. This shapes which business types tend to survive: A younger profile tends to drive demand for nightlife, fitness, and casual dining over family-oriented services.

What's the national survival baseline for businesses by sector?

Per BLS Business Employment Dynamics (March 2025), 5-year survival rates by sector range from 47.8% (Active Life — gyms, studios) to 61.8% (Health & Medical), with Restaurants at 50% and Retail at 47.9%. Boston-specific factors layer on top of these national baselines.

What's the typical commute pattern in Somerville?

Somerville's median commute (~37 min) is above the Boston metro median (32 min). Commute patterns are typical for the metro, so foot traffic timing should not be a primary differentiator.

How does income in Somerville compare to the rest of Boston?

Somerville's median household income (~~$138K) is above the Boston metro median (~~$135K) by approximately $2K. Income is close to the metro median, so business-type fit depends more on local demographics and competition.