What is the best neighborhood in Chicago to open a Barber Shop?

Based on StreetSpring's 2026 analysis, the best neighborhood in Chicago to open a Barber Shop is Rogers Park, with 74% average survivability. 49 of 86 neighborhoods analyzed exceed the 70% two-year survival threshold.

How much more revenue can a Barber Shop make in the best vs. average Chicago neighborhood?

In Rogers Park, the best possible Barber Shop location in Chicago offers approximately 5.3% more expected revenue than the average location. The worst-performing neighborhoods could yield approximately 9.0% less than average.

What is the city-wide average survivability for Barber Shop in Chicago?

The city-wide average survivability for Barber Shop across Chicago is 70% for surviving more than 2 years. Top neighborhoods like Rogers Park substantially outperform this average, reaching 74%.

What are the worst neighborhoods for Barber Shop in Chicago?

The most challenging neighborhoods in Chicago for Barber Shop include West Side with 64% average survival chance, Beverly View, and East Chatham. Day-to-day movement in the local market is normal, so StreetSpring's live data is the best source for an up-to-the-day score.

How often are Barber Shop rankings in Chicago updated?

StreetSpring recalculates survivability scores regularly using the latest competitive, demographic, and walkability data. The live tool always shows the most current predictions for any address in Chicago.

What should I consider when opening a Barber Shop in Chicago?

Revenue Capture Score captures the interplay between market share and consumer spending — the two biggest drivers of success. StreetSpring computes Revenue Capture Score by projecting the business's market share based on competitor quality and quantity, mobility patterns, and forecasted consumer spending for the specific business type.

Survivability Rankings for Barber Shop in Chicago

StreetSpring's 2026 analysis ranks the best and worst neighborhoods in Chicago to open a Barber Shop, from Rogers Park (74% survival) to West Side (64%).

April 24, 2026•18 min read

By Bobby Koons | Last updated: May 11, 2026 | Weekly methodology review | Methodology

Quick Summary

#1 Neighborhood: Rogers Park — 74% average survivability for Barber Shop

Neighborhoods at or above 70%: 49 of 86 analyzed

City-wide average: 70% for Barber Shops

Most challenging area: West Side at 64%

Revenue advantage (top vs. avg location): ~5.3% more expected revenue in Rogers Park

Data freshness: 2026 data · Full methodology →

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

Summary

Of all the neighborhoods in and around Chicago, Rogers Park ranks #1 for opening a Barber Shop with 74% average chance of surviving more than 2 years, with the best locations offering 81% and the most challenging locations in Rogers Park at 60%. The worst neighborhoods include West Side with 64% average chance. However, individual locations vary widely, and even in lower-scoring neighborhoods there are pockets that perform exceptionally well.

Where in Chicago Should You Open a Barber Shop?

**Peer-neighborhood context:** Rogers Park's neighborhood signature — captured across demographics, employment density, and amenity mix — most closely matches **Rock Lake (Orlando)** and **Skyland (Washington DC)**. They share blue-collar job mix, longer commutes, and low destination density, so Barber Shops outcomes in those neighborhoods are a useful sanity-check on the Chicago rankings above.

**Where Barber Shops fail in Chicago.** Across 86 neighborhoods, the citywide average is 70% — but neighborhood-level scores range **64% to 74%**. Top: **Rogers Park** at 74% (no existing competitors in our index). Bottom: **West Side** at 64%. The 10-point gap is the failure surface: getting the neighborhood wrong costs more than getting the address right.

Rogers Park ranks #1 of 86 neighborhoods analyzed in and around Chicago for Barber Shop survivability with a score of 74% as of 2026. The top 10 neighborhoods are:

Why these rankings reflect real survival outcomes

Rank	Neighborhood	Best Locations	Average Locations	Challenging Locations
1	Rogers Park	78.0% – 82.0%	71.4% – 76.3%	59.0% – 63.0%
2	Printers Row	83.0% – 87.0%	71.2% – 76.1%	65.0% – 69.0%
3	Kenwood	76.0% – 80.0%	70.8% – 75.6%	65.0% – 69.0%
4	Budlong Woods	75.0% – 79.0%	70.7% – 75.6%	56.0% – 60.0%
5	Gold Coast	78.0% – 82.0%	70.6% – 75.4%	60.0% – 64.0%
6	River West	79.0% – 83.0%	70.6% – 75.4%	61.0% – 65.0%
7	West Town	77.0% – 81.0%	70.4% – 75.2%	56.0% – 60.0%
8	Southwest	78.0% – 82.0%	70.4% – 75.2%	51.0% – 55.0%
9	New Eastside	75.0% – 79.0%	70.3% – 75.2%	58.0% – 62.0%
10	The Villa	82.0% – 86.0%	70.2% – 75.0%	53.0% – 57.0%

Notable runners-up worth a second look

These rankings are based on the latest available data; check StreetSpring for real-time updates. Because local conditions evolve weekly, the live survivability tool offers a more current snapshot than any published ranking.

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.

The Top Revenue Neighborhoods for Barber Shops in Chicago

In Rogers Park, the best possible location offers the opportunity of making ~5.3% more than the average location in or around Chicago.

On the other hand, in West Side, the worst possible location could result in making ~9.0% 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 Barber Shop in Chicago requires careful location choice. Across 86 neighborhoods analyzed, the overall average survival chance for a new Barber Shop is 70% for lasting more than 2 years — due to a combination of many factors across competition, consumer spending, and location dynamics. The interplay between location characteristics and business type produces unique survivability scores for every combination.

What Matters Most When Opening a Barber Shop in Chicago

The strongest predictor of whether this business survives two years is the quality of the location you pick — Survivability Score quantifies exactly that. 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. We incorporate data from thousands of neighborhoods and hundreds of thousands of individual businesses. Neighborhoods with a mix of similar businesses frequently outperform isolated locations. Our prediction system is built from scratch using proprietary data pipelines and validated against actual business lifecycles.

Area to check	What can go wrong	How to de-risk it
Build-out budget	Underestimating mechanical, electrical, and plumbing — the "hidden" 30-50% of build-out cost.	Get 3 quotes from licensed contractors and pad budget by +20% for surprises. Confirm landlord TI allowance in writing.
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.
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.

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. Static rankings provide a useful baseline, but the live tool captures changes that have occurred since publication.

Where in or Around Chicago Should I Start a Barber Shop?

Based on our analysis, the leading neighborhoods are Rogers Park, Printers Row, and Kenwood, while the most challenging neighborhoods would be West Side, Beverly View, and East Chatham. However, individual locations vary widely, and even in lower-scoring neighborhoods there are pockets that perform exceptionally well. Neighborhood rankings are useful, but the exact odds for your location can only be seen by running a current survivability check in StreetSpring.

Related Articles:

Which Chicago Neighborhoods Are Strongest for Barber Shops?

Based on StreetSpring's 2026 analysis, the top neighborhood for a Barber Shop in Chicago is Rogers Park with 74% average survivability, followed by Printers Row and Kenwood. 49 of 86 neighborhoods analyzed exceed 70% two-year survival.

The live platform incorporates the most recent foot traffic, competitor, and spending data for your exact address.

When Lower-Scoring Neighborhoods Can Still Work for Barber Shops

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. Location-level factors like visibility and adjacent tenants can override neighborhood-level trends. Always check your specific address in StreetSpring's live platform for the most accurate prediction.

When Does StreetSpring Update Chicago Barber Shop Rankings?

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 Chicago.

Is a Barber Shop a Good Tenant for Chicago Landlords?

In Rogers Park, StreetSpring forecasts a 71.4% – 76.3% average chance for a new Barber Shop to survive more than 2 years, depending on the exact storefront. Check the current Survivability Score for any address instantly.

Landlord Survivability Data for Barber Shop in Chicago

Should you rent your storefront to a Barber Shop? The answer depends heavily on your neighborhood. Rogers Park offers the strongest outlook at 71.4% – 76.3% average survivability, followed by Printers Row at 71.2% – 76.1%, and Kenwood at 70.8% – 75.6%. You can see the Survivability Score for your location for any business right now.

StreetSpring delivers address-level predictions, showing how likely hundreds of different businesses are to last at that exact spot.

Top-Survivability Chicago Neighborhoods for Barber Shops

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

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

View technical data for Chicago

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

Waterfall chart of best and worst Barber Shop neighborhoods in Chicago — Top and bottom neighborhoods for Barber Shop in Chicago — each step shows the gap from the city average. Wider spread = location matters more.

Headline survivability statistic for Barber Shop in Chicago — Headline survivability stat for Barber Shop in Chicago.

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

How we measure this: Shorter leases compress survival horizons. We assume a 5-year base term unless listing data overrides.

**About this market.** Chicago is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the third-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 2.74 million at the 2020 census. Source: [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago).

**Daytime-worker density across Chicago:** Per US Census LEHD LODES, the median Chicago neighborhood has a **0.74:1 daytime-to-resident ratio** (75th-percentile = 2.07, across **150** tracked neighborhoods) — a primarily-residential commercial-corridor profile. The right neighborhood pick for any subtype depends on whether the business model fits the worker-traffic or resident-traffic side of that distribution.

**Operating-cost context (Chicago):** Commercial electricity in Chicago runs about **6.7¢/kWh** (below the 24-metro median of 10.8¢), the state minimum wage is **$15.00/hr** (below the 15.00 median), combined sales tax averages **8.8%** (above the 7.7% median), and effective commercial property tax is **2.27%** (above the 0.96% median). On operating costs alone, Chicago sits in the **expensive** tier of US metros we track.

**BLS context:** The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS Business Employment Dynamics, March 2025 release) reports a **50.5% 5-year survival rate** for Barber Shops nationally. StreetSpring's Chicago model — which weights site-specific factors like competitive saturation, demographics, and accessibility — produces an average **survivability score of 63%** for Barber Shops across the city.

Same business type in other cities:

Related:

Local Data Questions

Beyond the general FAQ — data-anchored answers for this specific location.

What are the key demographic factors for Barber Shops in Chicago?

Chicago's key demographics — ~$103K median household income, 37 median age — feed into the survivability model alongside competition, rent, and accessibility data. The model averages Barber Shops at 63% across Chicago.

What does BLS data say about Barber Shop survival nationally?

Per BLS Business Employment Dynamics (March 2025 release), Barber Shops have a 50% 5-year survival rate nationally. StreetSpring's Chicago model averages 63% across tracked locations — above the national baseline by 13 percentage points.

What are the top metros nationally for opening a Barber Shop?

The three highest-scoring metros for Barber Shops are Dallas, San Antonio, Orlando (StreetSpring 2026 corpus). Chicago sits at #22 with a 63% average survivability score.

What's the gap between the best and worst Chicago locations for a Barber Shop?

The Chicago survivability spread for Barber Shops runs from 35% (challenging locations) to 86% (best locations) — a 51-point window driven entirely by site selection.

Which Chicago subtypes have comparable survivability to Barber Shops?

Chicago subtypes scoring within 2 points of Barber Shops's 63% average include Nail Salon, Convenience Store, Chiropractor Office. Survivability convergence at the metro level usually reflects shared local factors like saturation density or demographic fit.

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