What is the best neighborhood in Boston to open a Beauty Salon?

Based on StreetSpring's 2026 analysis, the best neighborhood in Boston to open a Beauty Salon is Strawberry Hill, with 80% average survivability. 68 of 88 neighborhoods analyzed exceed the 70% two-year survival threshold.

How much more revenue can a Beauty Salon make in the best vs. average Boston neighborhood?

In Strawberry Hill, the best possible Beauty Salon location in Boston offers approximately 9.3% more expected revenue than the average location. The worst-performing neighborhoods could yield approximately 18.6% less than average.

What is the city-wide average survivability for Beauty Salon in Boston?

The city-wide average survivability for Beauty Salon across Boston is 73% for surviving more than 2 years. Top neighborhoods like Strawberry Hill substantially outperform this average, reaching 80%.

What are the worst neighborhoods for Beauty Salon in Boston?

The most challenging neighborhoods in Boston for Beauty Salon include Wellesley with 59% average survival chance, Medfield, and Lynn. Our data shows that roughly 15% of top-performing locations sit in neighborhoods ranked below the city median.

How accurate are StreetSpring's Beauty Salon survivability predictions?

StreetSpring's models achieve 95–99% accuracy across business types, analyzing 100+ factors with a ±3% margin of error. StreetSpring analyzes your specific address against comparable businesses to forecast success.

Survivability Rankings for Beauty Salon in Boston

StreetSpring's 2026 analysis ranks the best and worst neighborhoods in Boston to open a Beauty Salon, from Strawberry Hill (80% survival) to Wellesley (...

April 24, 2026•16 min read

By Bobby Koons | Last updated: May 3, 2026 | Weekly methodology review | Methodology

Quick Summary

#1 Neighborhood: Strawberry Hill — 80% average survivability for Beauty Salon

Neighborhoods at or above 70%: 68 of 88 analyzed

City-wide average: 73% for Beauty Salons

Most challenging area: Wellesley at 59%

Revenue advantage (top vs. avg location): ~9.3% more expected revenue in Strawberry Hill

Data freshness: 2026 data · Full methodology →

Summary
10 Best Neighborhoods
Where Would a Beauty Salon Make the Most Money?
What Should I Consider?
Where Should I Start?
FAQ: Best Neighborhoods
FAQ: Can a Beauty Salon Succeed in Lower-Ranked Areas?
FAQ: How Often Are Rankings Updated?
FAQ: Is a Beauty Salon a Good Tenant?
Landlord Survivability Data
Best Neighborhoods for Any Business

Summary

Of all the neighborhoods in and around Boston, Strawberry Hill ranks #1 for opening a Beauty Salon with 80% average chance of surviving more than 2 years, with the best locations offering 87% and the most challenging locations in Strawberry Hill at 70%. The worst neighborhoods include Wellesley with 59% average chance. Remember that a neighborhood average smooths over wide variation — your exact block could significantly outperform.

What Are the Best Neighborhoods in Boston to Open a Beauty Salon?

**Peer-neighborhood context:** Strawberry Hill's neighborhood signature — captured across demographics, employment density, and amenity mix — most closely matches **Jamaica Plain (Boston)** and **Cathedral Heights (Washington DC)**. They share high high-earner share, more college-educated, and higher-income, so Beauty Salons outcomes in those neighborhoods are a useful sanity-check on the Boston rankings above.

**Where Beauty Salons fail in Boston.** Across 88 neighborhoods, the citywide average is 73% — but neighborhood-level scores range **59% to 80%**. Top: **Strawberry Hill** at 80% (4 existing competitors). Bottom: **Wellesley** at 59%. The 21-point gap is the failure surface: getting the neighborhood wrong costs more than getting the address right.

Strawberry Hill ranks #1 of 88 neighborhoods analyzed in and around Boston for Beauty Salon survivability with a score of 80% as of 2026. The top 10 neighborhoods are:

How rent and competition shape the leaderboard

Rank	Neighborhood	Best Locations	Average Locations	Challenging Locations
1	Strawberry Hill	84.0% – 88.0%	77.6% – 82.0%	69.0% – 73.0%
2	Fenway	84.0% – 88.0%	77.2% – 81.5%	70.0% – 74.0%
3	Riverside	80.0% – 84.0%	75.9% – 80.3%	71.0% – 75.0%
4	Ball Square	80.0% – 84.0%	75.3% – 79.7%	69.0% – 73.0%
5	Watertown	83.0% – 87.0%	75.2% – 79.6%	62.0% – 66.0%
6	South Dorchester	82.0% – 86.0%	75.2% – 79.6%	66.0% – 70.0%
7	Everett	83.0% – 87.0%	75.1% – 79.4%	68.0% – 72.0%
8	East Boston	85.0% – 89.0%	75.0% – 79.4%	61.0% – 65.0%
9	Union Square	80.0% – 84.0%	75.0% – 79.4%	70.0% – 74.0%
10	Malden	83.0% – 87.0%	75.0% – 79.4%	63.0% – 67.0%

The data signals behind these scores

For the most current predictions, visit StreetSpring to analyze your specific location in real-time. StreetSpring's Survivability Scores are updated regularly, so the most accurate prediction for your exact storefront is always available in the live tool.

Survivability ranges reflect best and worst storefront conditions within each neighborhood. See our full methodology →

Try StreetSpring to see if this location is still the best and see if there are locations to rent in this area right now.

Which Boston Neighborhoods Drive the Highest Beauty Salon Revenue?

In Strawberry Hill, the best possible location offers the opportunity of making ~9.3% more than the average location in or around Boston.

On the other hand, in Wellesley, the worst possible location could result in making ~18.6% less than the average location in the city.

The difference between success and failure often comes down to where you sign the lease. Opening a Beauty Salon in Boston requires careful location choice. Across 88 neighborhoods analyzed, the overall average survival chance for a new Beauty Salon is 73% for lasting more than 2 years — due to a combination of many factors across competition, consumer spending, and location dynamics. The same location can be excellent for one business type and poor for another.

Key Considerations Before Opening a Beauty Salon in Boston

Picking the right location is the single highest-leverage decision in launching this business — Survivability Score is the lens that frames the rest of the decision. Revenue Capture Score captures the interplay between market share and consumer spending — the two biggest drivers of success. StreetSpring computes this by projecting the business's market share, which is based on the quality and quantity of primary, secondary, and tertiary competitors. Our platform incorporates data from thousands of neighborhoods nationwide. Strategic clustering can actually boost performance by creating destination zones. StreetSpring's predictions leverage proprietary datasets covering competition, spending, and mobility.

Area to check	What can go wrong	How to de-risk it
Permitted hours	Late-night or early-morning ops blocked by zoning, neighborhood association, or shared-wall restrictions.	Confirm the permitted hours-of-operation are in your lease AND in the local code. Pull recent variances or complaints from the zoning portal.
CAM + hidden costs	Stated rent looks great, then CAM fees, signage charges, and after-hours utilities add 15-30%.	Get the full operating expense breakdown for the past 2 years. Ask which costs are landlord-capped vs. uncapped.
Competitor density	Counting only direct competitors and missing adjacent-category overlap (e.g. coffee shop near a bakery).	Map all businesses serving overlapping customer needs within a 5-min walk. Use StreetSpring's competitor view as a starting point.

This can be summarized as:

Revenue Capture Score = Projected Market Share × Forecasted Spend on Specific Business

StreetSpring recalculates survivability using the latest competitive, demographic, and walkability data. The live platform incorporates the most recent foot traffic, competitor, and spending data for your exact address.

The Best Place to Start a Beauty Salon in Boston

Based on our analysis, the leading neighborhoods are Strawberry Hill, Fenway, and Riverside, while the most challenging neighborhoods would be Wellesley, Medfield, and Lynn. A low-ranking neighborhood can still contain high-potential storefronts — the address matters most. For the most accurate predictions, always check your specific address in StreetSpring's live platform.

Related Articles:

Where in Boston Should You Open a Beauty Salon?

Based on StreetSpring's 2026 analysis, the top neighborhood for a Beauty Salon in Boston is Strawberry Hill with 80% average survivability, followed by Fenway and Riverside. 68 of 88 neighborhoods analyzed exceed 70% two-year survival.

Market dynamics shift frequently; validate these insights with real-time data from StreetSpring.

Are Bottom-Tier Boston Neighborhoods a No-Go for Beauty Salons?

Yes — neighborhood averages mask significant block-by-block variation. Even in neighborhoods ranked outside the top 10, individual storefronts with strong foot traffic, low direct competition, and favorable lease terms can outperform the area average. For the most current predictions, visit StreetSpring to analyze your specific location in real-time. Always check your specific address in StreetSpring's live platform for the most accurate prediction.

The Update Schedule for Boston Beauty Salons Data

StreetSpring recalculates survivability scores regularly using the latest competitive, demographic, and walkability data. Rankings are updated quarterly; the live tool always reflects the most current predictions for any address in Boston.

What Makes a Beauty Salon a Strong (or Weak) Boston Tenant?

In Strawberry Hill, StreetSpring forecasts a 77.6% – 82.0% average chance for a new Beauty Salon to survive more than 2 years, depending on the exact storefront. Check the current Survivability Score for any address instantly.

Landlord Survivability Data for Beauty Salon in Boston

Should you rent your storefront to a Beauty Salon? The answer depends heavily on your neighborhood. Strawberry Hill offers the strongest outlook at 77.6% – 82.0% average survivability, followed by Fenway at 77.2% – 81.5%, and Riverside at 75.9% – 80.3%. Our tool shows the survivability outlook for any business type at your exact address, updated weekly.

StreetSpring analyzes your specific address against comparable businesses to forecast success.

Which Boston Neighborhoods Are Strongest for Beauty Salons?

You can see the best neighborhoods in or around Boston to open any type of business in our article Neighborhood Survivability Rankings: Boston.

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

View technical data for Boston

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

Visual Data

Headline survivability statistic for Beauty Salon in Boston — Headline survivability stat for Beauty Salon in Boston.

Dumbbell chart comparing best vs worst locations for businesses in boston — Best vs worst neighborhood per business type — the gap shows how much location choice matters within a city.

How we measure this: We compare each address to the ~30-50 most similar addresses within 1 mile to surface its relative ranking.

**About Boston** — Boston is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Massachusetts. It serves as a cultural and financial center of New England, a region of the Northeastern United States. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boston))

**City-wide daytime/nighttime spread (Boston):** Boston's neighborhoods span the daytime-density range from sparse residential to dense commercial. Median daytime/resident ratio: **0.25**; top-quartile ratio: **2.36** across 129 tracked neighborhoods (LEHD LODES 2022). That's a strongly-residential profile — pick the right side of the ratio for your concept's demand-timing.

**Where Boston sits on operating costs:** Commercial power **10.9¢/kWh** (above the 24-metro median), state min wage **$15.00/hr** (below), combined sales tax **6.2%** (below), and commercial property tax **1.20%** (above). Composite read: **average** for operating overhead. None of these are dispositive on their own — but they bound the runway a new Boston storefront has to find product-market fit.

**BLS context:** The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS Business Employment Dynamics, March 2025 release) reports a **50.5% 5-year survival rate** for Beauty Salons nationally. StreetSpring's Boston model — which weights site-specific factors like competitive saturation, demographics, and accessibility — produces an average **survivability score of 69%** for Beauty Salons across the city.

Related Resources

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