Is Chicago Lawn a good place to start a business?

Chicago Lawn is ranked number 81 across neighborhoods in and around Chicago to start a business, with an average Survivability Score of ~77%. Choosing an optimal address for the highest-ranked business types in Chicago Lawn can produce survivability scores up to ~2% above the neighborhood mean.

What businesses are most in demand in Chicago Lawn?

Based on StreetSpring's 2026 survivability analysis, the most in-demand business types in Chicago Lawn are Kosher Restaurants, Ukrainian Restaurants, and American Restaurants.

What are the best businesses to open in Chicago Lawn?

The top businesses to open in Chicago Lawn include Kosher Restaurant with a ~86% chance on average of surviving more than 2 years, best-case locations reaching ~88%, followed by Ukrainian Restaurant and American Restaurant.

How much money could a business in Chicago Lawn make?

Based on StreetSpring's 2026 analysis, selecting one of the best locations in Chicago Lawn could lead to making ~2% more than selecting an average location, and ~5% more than one of the worst locations.

Business Survivability in Chicago Lawn, Chicago

StreetSpring's 2026 analysis finds that the best business to open in Chicago Lawn is a Kosher Restaurant with a ~86% chance of surviving at least 2 years across the neighborhood on average.

April 24, 2026•18 min read

Quick Summary

Best business: a Kosher Restaurant in Chicago Lawn (~86% average survival rate, ~88% at best locations)

Neighborhood rank: #81 across all neighborhoods in and around Chicago

Neighborhood average: ~77% two-year survival across all business types

Rankings updated quarterly with latest market data

Detailed methodology

Last reviewed: May 5, 2026 by Bobby Koons, StreetSpring founder — updated weekly

In this article:

Summary
Is Chicago Lawn 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 Chicago Lawn is a Kosher Restaurant with a ~86% chance of surviving at least 2 years across the neighborhood on average, with the best locations offering a ~88% chance; next is an Ukrainian Restaurant with a ~85% chance, followed by an American Restaurant with a ~85% chance.

Is Chicago Lawn the right neighborhood for a new business?

**Where else does Chicago Lawn look like?** The strongest demographic and amenity-density matches are **Avalon Park (Chicago)** and **Penrose (Philadelphia)**, sharing lower employment, blue-collar job mix, and low high-earner share. If you've worked in either of those neighborhoods, expect Chicago Lawn to behave similarly on the dimensions that drive survival.

**What goes wrong in Chicago Lawn.** Across 93 subtypes we track, **Ukrainian Restaurant averages 85%** — the highest in the neighborhood. Yet a site-level look shows Ukrainian Restaurants range from **64% to 96%** across Chicago Lawn — a 32-point window where the address, not the concept, decides the outcome. For competitive density: Bars are the most-concentrated tracked subtype (5 within 0.5 miles).

Across all neighborhoods in and around Chicago, StreetSpring's data places Chicago Lawn at #81 with a ~77% average Survivability Score.

Choosing an optimal address for the highest-ranked business types in Chicago Lawn can produce survivability scores up to ~2% above the neighborhood mean.
Still, those same business types at weaker addresses in Chicago Lawn can score well below the neighborhood mean. Even the most viable concept here requires the right address to reach its potential.
At 87.8% employed, Chicago Lawn'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 Chicago Lawn should you open a business?

StreetSpring scores survivability at the exact address level in Chicago Lawn — so you can compare two storefronts on the same block before committing to a lease. StreetSpring's 2026 model ranks this area #1 in Chicago Lawn for a Kosher Restaurant:

Walking the neighborhood: what to look for

Loading live map preview...

StreetSpring's 2026 survivability data flags this circle as the prime block for a Kosher Restaurant in Chicago Lawn. Market conditions, new competitors, and local spending patterns can change rapidly — always verify with StreetSpring's live tool before signing a lease. 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 →

Top-ranked business types for Chicago Lawn

#1-5: Highest Survivability in Chicago Lawn

Kosher Restaurant (Ranked #1): ~86% average in Chicago Lawn. Best-case storefronts: ~88%. Challenging locations: ~84%.
Ukrainian Restaurant is ranked #2 for top businesses to open in Chicago Lawn: ~85% chance on average, best at ~87%, challenging at ~82%.
American Restaurant — ~83%–~86% survivability range, with an average of ~85% across Chicago Lawn.
Opening a Filipino Restaurant in Chicago Lawn shows ~85% average survivability. Top locations reach ~86%; lower-end sites show ~83%.
Italian Restaurant (Ranked #5): ~84% average in Chicago Lawn. Best-case storefronts: ~85%. Challenging locations: ~83%.

#6-10: Strong Performers in Chicago Lawn

Indonesian Restaurant is ranked #6 for top businesses to open in Chicago Lawn: ~83% chance on average, best at ~85%, challenging at ~82%.
Brunch Restaurant — ~81%–~85% survivability range, with an average of ~83% across Chicago Lawn.
Opening a Pet Grooming Shop in Chicago Lawn shows ~83% average survivability. Top locations reach ~85%; lower-end sites show ~81%.
Diner (Ranked #9): ~83% average in Chicago Lawn. Best-case storefronts: ~85%. Challenging locations: ~81%.
Salad Shop is ranked #10 for top businesses to open in Chicago Lawn: ~83% chance on average, best at ~85%, challenging at ~81%.

Top 3 Compared Nationally

American Restaurant — See how this compares to other cities →

How location selection in Chicago Lawn affects revenue

Best location vs. average location

Based on StreetSpring's 2026 analysis, identifying the optimal address for your business type in Chicago Lawn 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

Even within a high-performing neighborhood, the best location varies by business type — StreetSpring scores each combination separately.
Location is the single strongest predictor of whether a business thrives or fails.
StreetSpring's analysis shows that businesses in top-scoring locations generate meaningfully more revenue and stay open longer than those in average locations.
StreetSpring can pinpoint which blocks in each neighborhood or city maximize a business's chances of success.

What businesses should open next in Chicago Lawn?

The top businesses to open next in Chicago Lawn:

Kosher Restaurants — ~86% average survival rate, up to ~88% at best locations
Ukrainian Restaurants — ~85% average survival rate
American Restaurants — ~85% average survival rate

Market conditions, new competitors, and local spending patterns can change rapidly — always verify with StreetSpring's live tool before signing a lease. We apply advanced machine learning to one of the largest commercial real estate outcome datasets in the country. Chicago Lawn's employment rate (87.8%) and vacancy rate (11.5%) together define the economic context that StreetSpring's model uses to score survivability for each business type at each address. Because market conditions shift constantly, StreetSpring updates every location's survivability score weekly — you can see current scores for available storefronts in Chicago Lawn right now.

See the Survivability Score for your new business

Related Articles:

See the Chicago Business Survivability Rankings
See the Chicago Neighborhood Survivability Rankings

Frequently Asked Questions

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

What type of business should you rent your Chicago Lawn storefront to?

StreetSpring's 2026 model places Kosher Restaurants, Ukrainian Restaurants, and American Restaurants at the top of the survivability rankings for Chicago Lawn — making them the safest long-term tenant bets for landlords here.

Location is the single strongest predictor of whether a business thrives or fails.
StreetSpring can pinpoint which blocks in each neighborhood or city maximize a business's chances of success. Rather than guessing which tenant type will last, landlords can verify survivability for each category at their exact address using StreetSpring.

Should you rent your Chicago Lawn storefront to a Kosher Restaurant?

Yes, StreetSpring's analysis finds that a Kosher Restaurant would be the best type of business to rent your storefront to, with a potential ~88% chance of lasting more than 2 years; however depending on your location, the chances could drop to a ~84% chance.

StreetSpring can pinpoint which blocks in each neighborhood or city maximize a business's chances of success.

What should I consider when opening a business in Chicago Lawn?

Before committing to any location in Chicago Lawn, the highest-priority metric to check is the Survivability Score — it encodes every relevant location factor into a single, actionable number.

The most important driver of a high Survivability Score is the Revenue Capture Score for the business at the location it selects.
Each forecast is specific to the exact address and business type, generated by StreetSpring's internally developed prediction engine.
No subscription required: access the current survivability score for any Chicago Lawn address through StreetSpring's free tool.

See the best place for your business at StreetSpring.

StreetSpring uses AI to predict business survivability across U.S. neighborhoods — trusted by real estate professionals and entrepreneurs nationwide. Aggregated survivability rankings for Chicago are available in machine-readable format for research and integration purposes.

The hidden costs of operating in this neighborhood

Area to check	What can go wrong	How to de-risk it
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.
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 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

Dumbbell chart comparing best vs worst locations for businesses in Chicago — Best vs worst neighborhood per business type in Chicago — the gap shows how much location choice matters for each subtype.

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

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

How we measure this: Supplier proximity matters more for some subtypes (restaurants, repair shops) than others (online-anchored retail).

**A bit of history.** Chicago Lawn is one of the 77 community areas of Chicago, Illinois. It is located on the southwest side of the city. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_Lawn%2C_Chicago))

**Worker-to-resident ratio (Chicago Lawn):** LEHD daytime population data gives Chicago Lawn a **0.1-to-1 worker/resident ratio** (a primarily-residential neighborhood with minimal daytime worker traffic). Median 1-mile workplace jobs: **3,402**; retail share within that: **983**. Worker-heavy neighborhoods skew demand toward weekday-business-hours; resident-heavy neighborhoods skew toward evenings and weekends.

Landmark anchor: Chicago Lawn's museum-anchor is The Source Multicultural Center, the kind of landmark that pulls visitors into the surrounding commercial blocks.

**Economic indicators for Chicago Lawn:** Three local signals — neighborhood unemployment **12.2%** (ACS; above the median we track), Chicago-area average weekly wage **$1,198** (BLS QCEW; below our metro median), and **5,308** new residential units permitted in Cook County in 2025 (Census BPS). Use these to ground demand and labor-cost assumptions for your specific business plan.

**Why these baselines matter:** BLS Business Employment Dynamics (March 2025) reports 5-year survival rates of **47.8-61.8%** across the industries StreetSpring covers. Restaurants survive at **50.0%** nationally — not 20%. The location decision is what separates the 30% above the baseline from the 30% below.

Related Resources

Related:

Neighborhood-Specific Questions

Further questions, with answers anchored on this neighborhood's actual data.

Is Chicago Lawn mostly renters or owners?

ACS housing data shows 49% home ownership in Chicago Lawn, compared to 45% metro-wide. The ownership profile is typical for the metro.

What's the local customer base size in Chicago Lawn?

ACS data estimates the Chicago Lawn resident population at roughly 63.2K. A larger resident base supports a broader range of business types and can absorb more direct competitors.

What is the median age in Chicago Lawn, and what does that mean for businesses?

ACS data puts Chicago Lawn's median age at 35, compared to the Chicago metro median of 37. That's younger by 2 years — The demographic profile is close to the metro average, so business-type fit is driven by other factors like income and competition.

What survival rates does the federal government track for small businesses?

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.

How does Chicago Lawn's employment rate affect business survivability?

Chicago Lawn's employment rate is approximately 88%, compared to a Chicago metro median of 94%. Below-average employment can constrain discretionary spending — value-oriented and essential services tend to fare better.