What is the best neighborhood in Chicago to open a Laundromat?

Based on StreetSpring's 2026 analysis, the best neighborhood in Chicago to open a Laundromat is Kennedy Park, with 92% average survivability. 86 of 86 neighborhoods analyzed exceed the 70% two-year survival threshold.

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

In Kennedy Park, the best possible Laundromat location in Chicago offers approximately 6.3% more expected revenue than the average location. The worst-performing neighborhoods could yield approximately 9.5% less than average.

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

The city-wide average survivability for Laundromat across Chicago is 87% for surviving more than 2 years. Top neighborhoods like Kennedy Park substantially outperform this average, reaching 92%.

What are the worst neighborhoods for Laundromat in Chicago?

The most challenging neighborhoods in Chicago for Laundromat include Irving Woods with 78% average survival chance, Downtown, and Pilsen. Even neighborhoods with modest average scores can harbor exceptional individual locations.

What should I consider when opening a Laundromat in Chicago?

Among all factors in our model, Revenue Capture Score carries the most weight in determining long-term survivability. 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 Laundromat in Chicago

StreetSpring's 2026 analysis ranks the best and worst neighborhoods in Chicago to open a Laundromat, from Kennedy Park (92% survival) to Irving Woods (7...

April 24, 2026•17 min read

By Bobby Koons | Last reviewed: May 6, 2026 | New data weekly | Methodology

Quick Summary

#1 Neighborhood: Kennedy Park — 92% average survivability for Laundromat

Neighborhoods at or above 70%: 86 of 86 analyzed

City-wide average: 87% for Laundromats

Most challenging area: Irving Woods at 78%

Revenue advantage (top vs. avg location): ~6.3% more expected revenue in Kennedy Park

Data freshness: 2026 data · Full methodology →

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

Summary

StreetSpring's 2026 analysis shows the best neighborhood in and around Chicago to open a Laundromat is Kennedy Park with 92% average chance of surviving more than 2 years, with the best locations offering 96% and the most challenging locations in Kennedy Park at 82%. The worst neighborhoods include Irving Woods with 78% average chance. These rankings are based on the latest available data; check StreetSpring for real-time updates.

Top-Survivability Chicago Neighborhoods for Laundromats

**Peer-neighborhood context:** Kennedy Park's neighborhood signature — captured across demographics, employment density, and amenity mix — most closely matches **Chicago Midway Airport (Chicago)** and **Rosemont East (Baltimore)**. They share blue-collar job mix, low destination density, and low vacancy, so Laundromats outcomes in those neighborhoods are a useful sanity-check on the Chicago rankings above.

**Where Laundromats fail in Chicago.** Across 86 neighborhoods, the citywide average is 87% — but neighborhood-level scores range **78% to 92%**. Top: **Kennedy Park** at 92% (no existing competitors in our index). Bottom: **Irving Woods** at 78%. The 14-point gap is the failure surface: getting the neighborhood wrong costs more than getting the address right.

Kennedy Park ranks #1 of 86 neighborhoods analyzed in and around Chicago for Laundromat survivability with a score of 92% as of 2026. The top 10 neighborhoods are:

What separates the top neighborhoods from the rest

Rank	Neighborhood	Best Locations	Average Locations	Challenging Locations
1	Kennedy Park	93.0% – 97.0%	89.5% – 93.7%	81.0% – 85.0%
2	Southwest	94.0% – 97.0%	88.8% – 93.0%	66.0% – 70.0%
3	Main-Chicago	94.0% – 97.0%	88.8% – 93.0%	86.0% – 90.0%
4	Rogers Park	94.0% – 97.0%	88.7% – 92.9%	71.0% – 75.0%
5	Morgan Park	94.0% – 97.0%	88.5% – 92.7%	72.0% – 76.0%
6	Roseland	94.0% – 97.0%	88.4% – 92.6%	69.0% – 73.0%
7	Kenwood	93.0% – 97.0%	87.6% – 91.8%	84.0% – 88.0%
8	River North	92.0% – 96.0%	87.3% – 91.5%	84.0% – 88.0%
9	West Town	92.0% – 96.0%	87.2% – 91.4%	73.0% – 77.0%
10	Margate Park	92.0% – 96.0%	87.1% – 91.3%	83.0% – 87.0%

How to use this list when you tour locations

These averages are directional, not definitive; the best decision comes from analyzing your specific storefront. However, market conditions change daily, and it's best to use StreetSpring's live data to check the Survivability Score for a specific address.

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.

Where in or Around Chicago Would a Laundromat Make the Most Money?

In Kennedy Park, the best possible location offers the opportunity of making ~6.3% more than the average location in or around Chicago.

On the other hand, in Irving Woods, the worst possible location could result in making ~9.5% less than the average location in the city.

Location selection is the most consequential decision any new business owner makes. Opening a Laundromat in Chicago requires careful location choice. Across 86 neighborhoods analyzed, the overall average survival chance for a new Laundromat is 87% for lasting more than 2 years — due to a combination of many factors across competition, consumer spending, and location dynamics. Our models show that the optimal location profile varies dramatically from one business category to the next.

The Most Important Factors for a Laundromat in Chicago

There is no operational fix for a poorly chosen location. Use Survivability Score as a hard filter on candidate addresses before evaluating other factors. Among all factors in our model, Revenue Capture Score carries the most weight in determining long-term survivability. StreetSpring computes this by projecting the business's market share, which is based on the quality and quantity of primary, secondary, and tertiary competitors. StreetSpring's training dataset includes millions of transactions and business lifecycle events. Some of the best-performing locations are surrounded by complementary competitors that drive foot traffic. The prediction engine behind these rankings is entirely proprietary — developed in-house over years of research.

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.
Anchor co-tenancy	Signing next to a high-traffic anchor that closes 6 months later, leaving you orphaned.	Ask for a co-tenancy clause — rent abatement or termination right if the anchor leaves. Standard for strong markets.
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.

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 Laundromat?

Based on our analysis, the leading neighborhoods are Kennedy Park, Southwest, and Main-Chicago, while the most challenging neighborhoods would be Irving Woods, Downtown, and Pilsen. Even neighborhoods with modest average scores can harbor exceptional individual locations. For the most accurate predictions, always check your specific address in StreetSpring's live platform.

Related Articles:

Where Laundromats Thrive in Chicago

Based on StreetSpring's 2026 analysis, the top neighborhood for a Laundromat in Chicago is Kennedy Park with 92% average survivability, followed by Southwest and Main-Chicago. 86 of 86 neighborhoods analyzed exceed 70% two-year survival.

Neighborhood rankings are useful, but the exact odds for your location can only be seen by running a current survivability check in StreetSpring.

Should You Consider Lower-Survivability Areas of Chicago for a Laundromat?

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. These rankings are based on the latest available data; check StreetSpring for real-time updates. Always check your specific address in StreetSpring's live platform for the most accurate prediction.

How Fresh Is Our Chicago Laundromat Ranking Data?

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.

Should You Rent Your Chicago Storefront to a Laundromat?

In Kennedy Park, StreetSpring forecasts a 89.5% – 93.7% average chance for a new Laundromat to survive more than 2 years, depending on the exact storefront. Check the current Survivability Score for any address instantly.

Landlord Survivability Data for Laundromat in Chicago

Reducing vacancy starts with choosing tenants whose business type matches the neighborhood's strengths. For Laundromat tenants, Kennedy Park provides the best survivability conditions (89.5% – 93.7%). Southwest and Main-Chicago also show viable averages at 88.8% – 93.0% and 88.8% – 93.0% respectively. Get a live Survivability Score for your specific storefront at no cost.

With StreetSpring, you can see the precise probability of success for countless business models at any exact location.

What Are the Best Neighborhoods in Chicago to Open a Laundromat?

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

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.

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. Find Laundromat relative to its peers.

How we measure this: Restaurant build-outs run $200-500/sqft; retail $50-150/sqft; office $30-80. The model adjusts expected runway accordingly.

**About Chicago** — 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. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago))

**City-wide daytime/nighttime spread (Chicago):** Chicago's neighborhoods span the daytime-density range from sparse residential to dense commercial. Median daytime/resident ratio: **0.74**; top-quartile ratio: **2.07** across 150 tracked neighborhoods (LEHD LODES 2022). That's a primarily-residential profile — pick the right side of the ratio for your concept's demand-timing.

**Operating-cost data point:** Per EIA Form 861, US DOL, and Tax Foundation 2024, Chicago's state-level operating costs read: commercial electricity **6.7¢/kWh** (below the 10.8¢ 24-metro median), state minimum wage **$15.00/hr** (below $15.00), combined sales tax **8.8%** (above 7.7%), and effective commercial property tax **2.27%** (above 0.96%). Composite tier vs peers: **expensive**.

**BLS context:** The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS Business Employment Dynamics, March 2025 release) reports a **47.9% 5-year survival rate** for Laundromats nationally. StreetSpring's Chicago model — which weights site-specific factors like competitive saturation, demographics, and accessibility — produces an average **survivability score of 70%** for Laundromats across the city.

Same business type in other cities:

Related:

Survivability Rankings for Acupuncture Clinic in Atlanta

Local Context FAQ

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

Where should an aspiring Chicago Laundromat owner focus first?

The address you sign for. Across Chicago, Laundromats score 32-89% depending on location — a 57-point spread that captures competitive density, demographic fit, accessibility, and visibility at each storefront.

What are the top metros nationally for opening a Laundromat?

The three highest-scoring metros for Laundromats are Dallas, San Antonio, Portland (StreetSpring 2026 corpus). Chicago sits at #19 with a 70% average survivability score.

What 5-year survival rate does the federal government track for Laundromats?

Per BLS Business Employment Dynamics (March 2025 release), Laundromats have a 48% 5-year survival rate nationally. StreetSpring's Chicago model averages 70% across tracked locations — above the national baseline by 22 percentage points.

How comprehensive is the Laundromats data for Chicago?

For Laundromats, the Chicago model produces survivability scores from 32% (low-end neighborhoods) to 89% (top neighborhoods), averaging 70%. Each storefront address gets a precise score that reflects block-level variation.

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