Business Survivability in Cragin, Chicago
StreetSpring's 2026 analysis finds that the best business to open in Cragin is a Veterinary Clinic with a ~81% chance of surviving at least 2 years across the neighborhood on average.
Quick Summary
- Survivability Score: the projected chance a business type lasts two or more years at a specific address
- Best business: a Veterinary Clinic in Cragin (~81% average survival rate, ~84% at best locations)
- Neighborhood rank: #42 across all neighborhoods in and around Chicago
- Neighborhood average: ~77% two-year survival across all business types
- Coverage: This ranking carries one row per business type and neighborhood. Its score is the projected chance of lasting two or more years, averaged across the price points StreetSpring scores separately in the tool (most types have 5). The 10 business types here are base types; the tool offers 500+ business types, counting each type at each of its price points.
- Rankings updated quarterly with latest market data
- Detailed methodology
Last reviewed: September 2026 by Robert Koons, Founder & CEO, StreetSpring
In this article:
- Summary
- Is Cragin 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 Cragin is a Veterinary Clinic with a ~81% chance of surviving at least 2 years across the neighborhood on average, with the best locations offering a ~84% chance; next is a Grocery Store with a 79.32% chance, followed by a Deli with a 78.13% chance.
Is Cragin a good place to start a business?
In Chicago's neighborhood survivability rankings, Cragin comes in at #42, with an average Survivability Score of ~77% across all business types.
- The survivability gap between the best and average addresses in Cragin reaches ~9% for the strongest-performing business categories.
- However, these same business types at the worst locations in Cragin can sometimes provide a projected Survivability Score considerably below the average. Thus, even the businesses that are most in need in Cragin could have trouble succeeding if the best location is not selected.
- Cragin's 7.0% commercial vacancy rate signals the current availability of storefronts and shapes the competitive environment that survivability scores reflect.
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 Cragin?
StreetSpring's model evaluates every available address in Cragin for your business type, ranking them by survivability so the best storefront is always identifiable. StreetSpring's 2026 model ranks this area #1 in Cragin for a Veterinary Clinic:
StreetSpring's 2026 model identifies this area as the highest-survivability location for a Veterinary Clinic in Cragin. For the most current predictions, visit StreetSpring to analyze your specific location in real-time. The model evaluates hundreds of factors — from primary and secondary competition to forecasted spend, site accessibility, and local market share potential.
Check if this location is still available →
What are the best businesses to open in Cragin?
| # | Business type | Chance of lasting two or more years |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Veterinary Clinic | 81.35% |
| 2 | Grocery Store | 79.32% |
| 3 | Deli | 78.13% |
| 4 | American Restaurant | 77.77% |
| 5 | Liquor Store | 77.76% |
| 6 | Mexican Restaurant | 77.60% |
| 7 | Seafood Restaurant | 76.78% |
| 8 | Coffee Shop | 75.57% |
| 9 | Dance Club | 75.14% |
| 10 | Laundromat | 74.31% |
#1-5: Highest Survivability in Cragin
- Opening a Veterinary Clinic in Cragin shows 81.35% average survivability. Top locations reach ~84%; lower-end sites show ~79%.
- Grocery Store (Ranked #2): 79.32% average in Cragin. Best-case storefronts: ~82%. Challenging locations: ~76%.
- Deli is ranked #3 for top businesses to open in Cragin: 78.13% chance on average, best at ~80%, challenging at ~74%.
- American Restaurant — ~75%–~80% survivability range, with an average of 77.77% across Cragin.
- Opening a Liquor Store in Cragin shows 77.76% average survivability. Top locations reach ~80%; lower-end sites show ~76%.
#6-10: Strong Performers in Cragin
- Mexican Restaurant (Ranked #6): 77.60% average in Cragin. Best-case storefronts: ~80%. Challenging locations: ~74%.
- Seafood Restaurant is ranked #7 for top businesses to open in Cragin: 76.78% chance on average, best at ~80%, challenging at ~74%.
- Coffee Shop — ~71%–~80% survivability range, with an average of 75.57% across Cragin.
- Opening a Dance Club in Cragin shows 75.14% average survivability. Top locations reach ~80%; lower-end sites show ~69%.
- Laundromat (Ranked #10): 74.31% average in Cragin. Best-case storefronts: ~77%. Challenging locations: ~69%.
Top 3 Compared Nationally
- Veterinary Clinic — See how this compares to other cities →
- Grocery Store — See how this compares to other cities →
- Deli — See how this compares to other cities →
How much money could a business in Cragin make?
Best location vs. average location
Based on StreetSpring's 2026 analysis, choosing an address that maximizes your Revenue Capture Score in Cragin could lead to you making ~9% more than if you selected an average location, and ~20% more than if you selected one of the worst locations.
How StreetSpring calculates location value
- Every business type has unique location requirements that must be considered.
- Location is the biggest factor in a business's future success.
- 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 Cragin?
The top businesses to open next in Cragin:
- Veterinary Clinics — 81.35% average survival rate, ~84% at the best address
- Grocery Stores — 79.32% average survival rate
- Delis — 78.13% average survival rate
For the most current predictions, visit StreetSpring to analyze your specific location in real-time. We have been studying the businesses serving more than 180 million+ Americans. StreetSpring scores 500+ business types: 153 base business types, most of them at 5 price points, which is 569 type-and-price combinations you can choose in the tool. With Cragin's 92.7% employment rate factored in, the businesses best positioned to succeed here are those that benefit from a well-employed, spending-capable local consumer base. Survivability scores are recalculated weekly as new competitors open and spending patterns shift — visit StreetSpring to see the current score for any open location in Cragin right now.
See the Survivability Score for your new business
Related Articles:
- See the Chicago Business Survivability Rankings
- See the Chicago Neighborhood Survivability Rankings
- Explore Veterinary Clinic survivability across Chicago neighborhoods
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are the most common questions about opening a business in Cragin.
What type of business should you rent your Cragin storefront to?
For landlords in Cragin, StreetSpring's 2026 analysis identifies Veterinary Clinics, Grocery Stores, and Delis as the business types most likely to produce stable, long-term tenancy.
- Location is the biggest factor in a business's future success.
- StreetSpring can pinpoint which blocks in each neighborhood or city maximize a business's chances of success. Landlords can use StreetSpring to match their exact address to the tenant types most likely to stay open and paying rent for two or more years.
Related: See How Landlord Representatives in Chicago Can Reduce Vacancy & Increase Tenant Longevity
Should you rent your Cragin storefront to a Veterinary Clinic?
Based on StreetSpring's 2026 analysis, a Veterinary Clinic ranks as the top tenant type for your Cragin storefront — best-case locations show a ~84% survival rate, while the most challenging addresses drop to ~79%.
- 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 Cragin?
When selecting a location in Cragin it is crucial to select a location with a very high Survivability Score.
- High Revenue Capture Score is the clearest signal that a location can sustain a business over the long term.
- StreetSpring's custom-built forecasting infrastructure powers every survivability score, combining data science with commercial real estate intelligence.
- The most current survivability data for Cragin is free to access on StreetSpring — no account required to check your specific address.
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 Chicago are available in machine-readable format for research and integration purposes.
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.