How can you find the best location to open a business in South Austin?

StreetSpring's prediction model analyzes 100 factors across competition, spending on the specific potential business, projected revenue, projected market share, Revenue Capture Score, and mobility patterns to pinpoint which blocks in South Austin maximize success.

How much money could a business in South Austin make?

Based on StreetSpring's 2026 analysis, selecting one of the best locations in South Austin could lead to making ~2% more than selecting an average location, and ~4% more than one of the worst locations.

What businesses are most in demand in South Austin?

Based on StreetSpring's 2026 survivability analysis, the most in-demand business types in South Austin are Filipino Restaurants, Bangladeshi Restaurants, and South American Restaurants.

Is South Austin a good place to start a business?

South Austin is ranked number 28 across neighborhoods in and around Chicago to start a business, with an average Survivability Score of ~83%. The most promising business types in the best locations score a ~2% higher chance of surviving 2 years than the average.

What are the best businesses to open in South Austin?

The top businesses to open in South Austin include Filipino Restaurant with a ~90% chance on average of surviving more than 2 years, best-case locations reaching ~91%, followed by Bangladeshi Restaurant and South American Restaurant.

Business Survivability in South Austin, Chicago

StreetSpring's 2026 analysis finds that the best business to open in South Austin is a Filipino Restaurant with a ~90% chance of surviving at least 2 years across the neighborhood on average.

April 24, 2026•18 min read

Quick Summary

Best business: a Filipino Restaurant in South Austin (~90% average survival rate, ~91% at best locations)

Neighborhood rank: #28 across all neighborhoods in and around Chicago

Neighborhood average: ~83% two-year survival across all business types

Rankings updated quarterly with latest market data

Detailed methodology

Reviewed: May 4, 2026 by Bobby Koons, StreetSpring founder

In this article:

Summary
Is South Austin 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 South Austin is a Filipino Restaurant with a ~90% chance of surviving at least 2 years across the neighborhood on average, with the best locations offering a ~91% chance; next is a Bangladeshi Restaurant with a ~90% chance, followed by a South American Restaurant with a ~90% chance.

Is South Austin the right neighborhood for a new business?

**Where else does South Austin look like?** The strongest demographic and amenity-density matches are **Gage Park (Chicago)** and **Yale Heights (Baltimore)**, sharing lower employment, longer commutes, and low high-earner share. If you've worked in either of those neighborhoods, expect South Austin to behave similarly on the dimensions that drive survival.

**What goes wrong in South Austin.** Across 93 subtypes we track, **Bangladeshi Restaurant averages 90%** — the highest in the neighborhood. Yet a site-level look shows Bangladeshi Restaurants range from **69% to 96%** across South Austin — a 27-point window where the address, not the concept, decides the outcome. For competitive density: Bars are the most-concentrated tracked subtype (0 within 0.5 miles).

South Austin earns the #28 spot in Chicago for new business survivability, with an average score of ~83% across all business types analyzed.

The most promising business types in the best locations score a ~2% higher chance of surviving 2 years than the average.
That said, the same business types at the worst-fit addresses in South Austin can drop substantially below average. The survivability gap between the best and worst addresses in a single neighborhood can be 20 points or more.
The 8.4% commercial vacancy rate in South Austin is a leading indicator of the neighborhood's business health; StreetSpring factors this directly into each business type's survivability score.

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

Where in South Austin should you open a business?

With StreetSpring, location selection in South Austin moves from guesswork to a precise, address-level survivability score for any business type you're considering. This is the address StreetSpring's 2026 analysis recommends most strongly for a Filipino Restaurant in South Austin:

Why the right block matters more than the right neighborhood

Loading live map preview...

This map shows the optimal location for a Filipino Restaurant in South Austin based on StreetSpring's 2026 survivability analysis. Market conditions, new competitors, and local spending patterns can change rapidly — always verify with StreetSpring's live tool before signing a lease. 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 →

Top-ranked business types for South Austin

#1-5: Highest Survivability in South Austin

Opening a Filipino Restaurant in South Austin shows ~90% average survivability. Top locations reach ~91%; lower-end sites show ~88%.
Bangladeshi Restaurant (Ranked #2): ~90% average in South Austin. Best-case storefronts: ~92%. Challenging locations: ~88%.
South American Restaurant is ranked #3 for top businesses to open in South Austin: ~90% chance on average, best at ~91%, challenging at ~88%.
Taiwanese Restaurant — ~88%–~92% survivability range, with an average of ~90% across South Austin.
Opening a Chinese Restaurant in South Austin shows ~90% average survivability. Top locations reach ~91%; lower-end sites show ~88%.

#6-10: Strong Performers in South Austin

Brazilian Restaurant (Ranked #6): ~90% average in South Austin. Best-case storefronts: ~92%. Challenging locations: ~88%.
Chicken Shop is ranked #7 for top businesses to open in South Austin: ~90% chance on average, best at ~92%, challenging at ~88%.
Indonesian Restaurant — ~88%–~92% survivability range, with an average of ~90% across South Austin.
Opening a Hungarian Restaurant in South Austin shows ~90% average survivability. Top locations reach ~91%; lower-end sites show ~88%.
Deli (Ranked #10): ~90% average in South Austin. Best-case storefronts: ~91%. Challenging locations: ~88%.

Top 3 Compared Nationally

Filipino Restaurant — See how this compares to other cities →
Bangladeshi Restaurant — See how this compares to other cities →

How location selection in South Austin affects revenue

Best location vs. average location

Based on StreetSpring's 2026 analysis, selecting a storefront that StreetSpring ranks in the top tier for your business type in South Austin 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

Location fit is business-type-specific: a spot that's ideal for a coffee shop may underperform for a nail salon at the same address.
Site selection is the highest-leverage decision most entrepreneurs make — it sets every other variable in motion.
Across every business type we've analyzed, location quality as measured by Survivability Score is the strongest predictor of financial performance.
Every survivability score StreetSpring produces is specific to the exact address and business type — not averaged across a zip code or neighborhood.

The biggest opportunity gaps in South Austin

The top businesses to open next in South Austin:

Filipino Restaurants — ~90% average survival rate, up to ~91% at best locations
Bangladeshi Restaurants — ~90% average survival rate
South American Restaurants — ~90% 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. StreetSpring's accuracy is built on studying businesses that serve more than 180 million+ Americans across 24 cities. The survivability rankings for South Austin are grounded in real economic conditions: 86.5% employment and 8.4% vacancy are among the key inputs that separate high-scoring locations from low-scoring ones here. New competitors open and close every week, changing the survivability landscape for every address in South Austin. StreetSpring's weekly updates mean you can always see the current score for any available storefront.

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 South Austin.

What type of business should you rent your South Austin storefront to?

According to StreetSpring's 2026 data, the strongest tenant types for a storefront in South Austin are Filipino Restaurants, Bangladeshi Restaurants, and South American Restaurants.

Site selection is the highest-leverage decision most entrepreneurs make — it sets every other variable in motion.
Every survivability score StreetSpring produces is specific to the exact address and business type — not averaged across a zip code or neighborhood. StreetSpring's free tool lets you check the survivability score for any business type at any address in South Austin — a powerful filter when evaluating prospective tenants.

Should you rent your South Austin storefront to a Filipino Restaurant?

Yes, StreetSpring's analysis finds that a Filipino Restaurant would be the best type of business to rent your storefront to, with a potential ~91% chance of lasting more than 2 years; however depending on your location, the chances could drop to a ~88% chance.

Every survivability score StreetSpring produces is specific to the exact address and business type — not averaged across a zip code or neighborhood.

What should I consider when opening a business in South Austin?

In South Austin, the single most important factor in your site-selection decision is the Survivability Score of the specific address you're evaluating.

Revenue Capture Score matters more than any other single metric when predicting business outcomes.
These predictions are generated by StreetSpring's proprietary machine learning system, validated against hundreds of thousands of real business outcomes.
No subscription required: access the current survivability score for any South Austin address through StreetSpring's free tool.

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.

The hidden costs of operating in this neighborhood

Consideration	Common pitfall	What to verify 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.
Insurance + compliance	General liability quoted at a starter rate, then jumping 2-3x once you add property + workers' comp + business interruption.	Get binding quotes from 2 insurers before signing the lease. Most landlords require minimum coverage levels — read those terms first.
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

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

Bubble chart of business subtypes in Chicago by survivability score and location density — Every business subtype in Chicago 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.

**Daytime worker density (South Austin):** LEHD LODES Workplace Area Characteristics show a **0.1:1 daytime-to-resident ratio** for South Austin — a primarily-residential neighborhood with minimal daytime worker traffic. Median workplace jobs within a 1-mile radius across South Austin: **6,156**, of which roughly **785** are retail-sector. Higher daytime ratios favor weekday-lunch / commuter-traffic businesses; balanced ratios favor residential + weekend demand patterns.

Landmark anchor: Columbus Park Refectory anchors South Austin's green-space backbone and shapes the neighborhood's foot-traffic patterns.

**Local economic context (South Austin, Chicago):** South Austin's ACS unemployment rate is **13.5%** (above the 24-metro neighborhood median). County-level data adds two more anchors: BLS QCEW reports Chicago-area average weekly wage of **$1,198** (below our 24-metro median), and the Census Bureau Building Permits Survey logged **5,308** new residential units in Cook County in 2025 — a rough proxy for the local growth environment a new business is opening into.

**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:

Local Context FAQ

Additional questions with answers drawn directly from local data sources.

What share of South Austin residents have a bachelor's degree or higher?

29% of South Austin adults have at least a bachelor's degree — below the Chicago metro median of 52%. Lower education attainment shifts demand toward value retail, services, and everyday needs.

How does income in South Austin compare to the rest of Chicago?

ACS data shows median household income in South Austin at roughly $72K, compared to $103K across the Chicago metro. Lower median income tends to favor value-oriented retail, fast-casual food, and necessity-driven services.

What does the employment picture in South Austin look like for new businesses?

South Austin's employment rate is approximately 87%, compared to a Chicago metro median of 94%. Below-average employment can constrain discretionary spending — value-oriented and essential services tend to fare better.

What's the poverty rate in South Austin, and what does it imply for businesses?

The poverty rate in South Austin is approximately 22%, compared to the Chicago metro median of 12%. Elevated poverty constrains discretionary retail; survivability is highest for essential services and value-oriented operators.

Is South Austin more a residential or work-destination neighborhood?

South Austin's median commute (~38 min) is above the Chicago metro median (35 min). Commute patterns are typical for the metro, so foot traffic timing should not be a primary differentiator.