Business Survivability in Chatham, Chicago
StreetSpring's 2026 analysis finds that the best business to open in Chatham is a Kosher Restaurant with a ~89% chance of surviving at least 2 years across the neighborhood on average.
Quick Summary
- Best business: a Kosher Restaurant in Chatham (~89% average survival rate, ~91% at best locations)
- Neighborhood rank: #56 across all neighborhoods in and around Chicago
- Neighborhood average: ~81% two-year survival across all business types
- Rankings updated quarterly with latest market data
- Detailed methodology
Reviewed: April 30, 2026 by Bobby Koons, StreetSpring founder
In this article:
- Summary
- Is Chatham 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 Chatham is a Kosher Restaurant with a ~89% chance of surviving at least 2 years across the neighborhood on average, with the best locations offering a ~91% chance; next is an Italian Restaurant with a ~89% chance, followed by a Filipino Restaurant with a ~89% chance.
Is Chatham the right neighborhood for a new business?
StreetSpring's analysis places Chatham at #56 in Chicago for new business survival odds, with a neighborhood-wide average of ~81%.
- Best-case locations for the top business types in Chatham produce survivability scores ~2% above the neighborhood-wide average.
- But at poorly chosen addresses within Chatham, 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.
- StreetSpring's model incorporates Chatham's 15.3% vacancy rate as a direct input: higher vacancy concentrations suppress foot traffic and reduce survivability for nearby businesses.
Employment and vacancy figures sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey.
Pinpointing the best locations within Chatham
Rather than relying on neighborhood averages, StreetSpring's scoring tells you which specific addresses in Chatham give your concept the best odds of survival. Of all available storefronts analyzed in Chatham, StreetSpring ranks this area highest for a Kosher Restaurant in 2026:
Why the right block matters more than the right neighborhood
This map shows the optimal location for a Kosher Restaurant in Chatham based on StreetSpring's 2026 survivability analysis. Competition and spending patterns shift constantly; StreetSpring's live tool reflects the most current conditions for any specific address. The prediction model incorporates 100 location-specific factors, including competitive density, forecasted consumer spending, mobility patterns, and Revenue Capture Score.
Check if this location is still available →
Which business types have the highest survivability in Chatham?
#1-5: Highest Survivability in Chatham
- Opening a Kosher Restaurant in Chatham shows ~89% average survivability. Top locations reach ~91%; lower-end sites show ~87%.
- Italian Restaurant (Ranked #2): ~89% average in Chatham. Best-case storefronts: ~91%. Challenging locations: ~88%.
- Filipino Restaurant is ranked #3 for top businesses to open in Chatham: ~89% chance on average, best at ~91%, challenging at ~87%.
- Pet Grooming Shop — ~87%–~91% survivability range, with an average of ~89% across Chatham.
- Opening a Singaporean Restaurant in Chatham shows ~89% average survivability. Top locations reach ~91%; lower-end sites show ~88%.
#6-10: Strong Performers in Chatham
- American Restaurant (Ranked #6): ~89% average in Chatham. Best-case storefronts: ~90%. Challenging locations: ~87%.
- Indonesian Restaurant is ranked #7 for top businesses to open in Chatham: ~89% chance on average, best at ~91%, challenging at ~87%.
- Ukrainian Restaurant — ~86%–~91% survivability range, with an average of ~89% across Chatham.
- Opening a Diner in Chatham shows ~89% average survivability. Top locations reach ~91%; lower-end sites show ~87%.
- Chicken Shop (Ranked #10): ~89% average in Chatham. Best-case storefronts: ~91%. Challenging locations: ~87%.
Top 3 Compared Nationally
- Filipino Restaurant — See how this compares to other cities →
The revenue potential of a Chatham location
Best location vs. average location
Based on StreetSpring's 2026 analysis, securing a location with maximum Revenue Capture potential in Chatham 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
- However, each business concept should be evaluated for fit within each potential location.
- Site selection is the highest-leverage decision most entrepreneurs make — it sets every other variable in motion.
- StreetSpring's analysis shows that businesses in top-scoring locations generate meaningfully more revenue and stay open longer than those in average locations.
- Our address-level scoring shows the exact survivability odds for over 700 business types at any given storefront.
What Chatham needs more of (per our model)
The top businesses to open next in Chatham:
- Kosher Restaurants — ~89% average survival rate, up to ~91% at best locations
- Italian Restaurants — ~89% average survival rate
- Filipino Restaurants — ~89% average survival rate
Competition and spending patterns shift constantly; StreetSpring's live tool reflects the most current conditions for any specific address. Our platform incorporates data from thousands of neighborhoods nationwide. The 78.2% employment rate in Chatham is a key signal of consumer health; when combined with the 15.3% vacancy rate, it produces a competitive landscape that favors the business types ranked above. The data behind these rankings is updated weekly, so the best available storefront in Chatham 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 Chatham.
What type of business should you rent your Chatham storefront to?
Based on 2026 survivability scores across all business types in Chatham, the top three tenant categories for landlords are Kosher Restaurants, Italian Restaurants, and Filipino Restaurants.
- Site selection is the highest-leverage decision most entrepreneurs make — it sets every other variable in motion.
- Our address-level scoring shows the exact survivability odds for over 700 business types at any given storefront. Landlords can use StreetSpring to match their exact address to the tenant types most likely to stay open and paying rent for 2+ years.
Related: See How Landlord Representatives in Chicago Can Reduce Vacancy & Increase Tenant Longevity
Should you rent your Chatham storefront to a Kosher Restaurant?
Based on StreetSpring's 2026 analysis, a Kosher Restaurant ranks as the top tenant type for your Chatham storefront — best-case locations show a ~91% survival rate, while the most challenging addresses drop to ~87%.
- Our address-level scoring shows the exact survivability odds for over 700 business types at any given storefront.
What should I consider when opening a business in Chatham?
When evaluating potential locations in Chatham, start with the Survivability Score. It accounts for competition, spending, mobility, and market share in a single figure.
- Revenue Capture Score is what separates locations that look similar on the surface but produce dramatically different business outcomes.
- Every survivability score is produced by StreetSpring's private prediction engine — not available through any other platform.
- StreetSpring's live scoring tool is free: enter any address in Chatham to see its current Survivability Score for your business type.
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 Chicago are available in machine-readable format for research and integration purposes.
Build-out budget rules-of-thumb for this neighborhood
| Factor | Where new owners get tripped up | Questions to ask before you sign |
|---|---|---|
| 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. |
| 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. |
| Lease term | Locking into 7-10 years without break clauses, then needing to relocate after year 2. | Negotiate a relocation or termination clause. Confirm assignment + sublease rights are in writing. |
Full dataset for Chicago: /resources/data/chicago-survivability-scores-2026.csv — includes all business subtypes, all neighborhoods, survivability scores, and tier assignments. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.
Visual Data
Related Resources
Related:
Related:
- Business Survivability in Adair Park, Atlanta
- Business Survivability in Ansley Park, Atlanta
- Business Survivability in Ardmore, Atlanta
Beyond the Numbers: Local Context
Further questions, with answers anchored on this neighborhood's actual data.
How does Chatham's commute profile affect retail demand?
ACS data puts the median commute at ~38 minutes in Chatham, compared to 35 minutes metro-wide. Commute patterns are typical for the metro, so foot traffic timing should not be a primary differentiator.
What does household composition look like in Chatham?
ACS data puts average household size in Chatham at 2.2, compared to 2.3 across Chicago. Household composition is close to the metro average.
How does income in Chatham compare to the rest of Chicago?
Chatham's median household income ($66K) is below the Chicago metro median ($103K) by approximately $37K. Lower median income tends to favor value-oriented retail, fast-casual food, and necessity-driven services.
How does Chicago's survivability compare to national sector averages?
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%. Chicago-specific factors layer on top of these national baselines.