Business Survivability in Koreatown, Los Angeles
StreetSpring's 2026 analysis finds that the best business to open in Koreatown is a Barber Shop with a ~81% chance of surviving at least 2 years across the neighborhood on average.
Quick Summary
- Best business: a Barber Shop in Koreatown (~81% average survival rate, ~83% at best locations)
- Neighborhood rank: #109 across all neighborhoods in and around Los Angeles
- Neighborhood average: ~75% two-year survival across all business types
- Rankings updated quarterly with latest market data
- Detailed methodology
Last reviewed: May 7, 2026 by Bobby Koons, Founder & CEO, StreetSpring
In this article:
- Summary
- Is Koreatown 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 Koreatown is a Barber Shop with a ~81% chance of surviving at least 2 years across the neighborhood on average, with the best locations offering a ~83% chance; next is a Kosher Restaurant with a ~80% chance, followed by a Filipino Restaurant with a ~80% chance.
Should you open a business in Koreatown?
Koreatown is the #109 most survivable neighborhood for new businesses in and around Los Angeles, with an average score of ~75% across all analyzed categories.
- Strong business types at their best-match addresses in Koreatown consistently score ~3% higher than the overall neighborhood survivability average.
- But these same concepts at less optimal addresses within Koreatown can score meaningfully below average. Survivability data shows that even the highest-demand business types fail at the wrong location.
- Commercial vacancy in Koreatown sits at 8.4%, a figure that factors into survivability scores for every business type in this neighborhood.
Employment and vacancy figures sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey.
Pinpointing the best locations within Koreatown
StreetSpring's address-level analysis reveals which specific storefronts in Koreatown offer the strongest survivability odds for your business type. The location below represents the address in Koreatown with the highest projected survivability for a Barber Shop:
Walking the neighborhood: what to look for
Based on StreetSpring's 2026 analysis of 100 location-specific factors, this area offers the highest projected survivability for a Barber Shop in Koreatown. For the most current predictions, visit StreetSpring to analyze your specific location in real-time. Factors evaluated include competition at every distance band, consumer spending forecasts, mobility patterns, and market share projections.
Check if this location is still available →
The strongest business categories for Koreatown
#1-5: Highest Survivability in Koreatown
- Barber Shop (Ranked #1): ~81% average in Koreatown. Best-case storefronts: ~83%. Challenging locations: ~79%.
- Kosher Restaurant is ranked #2 for top businesses to open in Koreatown: ~80% chance on average, best at ~82%, challenging at ~78%.
- Filipino Restaurant — ~78%–~81% survivability range, with an average of ~80% across Koreatown.
- Opening a Dessert Shop in Koreatown shows ~79% average survivability. Top locations reach ~81%; lower-end sites show ~77%.
- Singaporean Restaurant (Ranked #5): ~79% average in Koreatown. Best-case storefronts: ~81%. Challenging locations: ~78%.
#6-10: Strong Performers in Koreatown
- Ukrainian Restaurant is ranked #6 for top businesses to open in Koreatown: ~79% chance on average, best at ~81%, challenging at ~77%.
- American Restaurant — ~77%–~80% survivability range, with an average of ~79% across Koreatown.
- Opening a Tattoo & Piercing Shop in Koreatown shows ~79% average survivability. Top locations reach ~82%; lower-end sites show ~76%.
- Day Care Center (Ranked #9): ~79% average in Koreatown. Best-case storefronts: ~81%. Challenging locations: ~76%.
- Scandinavian Restaurant is ranked #10 for top businesses to open in Koreatown: ~79% chance on average, best at ~80%, challenging at ~77%.
Top 3 Compared Nationally
- Barber Shop — See how this compares to other cities →
- Filipino Restaurant — See how this compares to other cities →
How much money could a business in Koreatown make?
Best location vs. average location
Based on StreetSpring's 2026 analysis, choosing a high-performing site for your concept in Koreatown could lead to you making ~3% more than if you selected an average location, and ~6% more than if you selected one of the worst locations.
How StreetSpring calculates location value
- StreetSpring calculates survivability for each business type separately at each address — so the best location for your concept may differ from the neighborhood's overall top-ranked site.
- Site selection is the highest-leverage decision most entrepreneurs make — it sets every other variable in motion.
- StreetSpring's analysis shows that businesses in top-scoring locations generate meaningfully more revenue and stay open longer than those in average locations.
- StreetSpring provides address-specific survivability predictions for over 700 business types.
The biggest opportunity gaps in Koreatown
The top businesses to open next in Koreatown:
- Barber Shops — ~81% average survival rate, up to ~83% at best locations
- Kosher Restaurants — ~80% average survival rate
- Filipino Restaurants — ~80% average survival rate
For the most current predictions, visit StreetSpring to analyze your specific location in real-time. StreetSpring's training dataset includes millions of transactions and business lifecycle events. Koreatown sits at 92.4% employment and 8.4% commercial vacancy — conditions that set the ceiling and floor for Revenue Capture potential across all business types here. StreetSpring refreshes survivability scores every week to reflect new competition and updated spending data — see which locations in Koreatown are available right now and how they rank.
See the Survivability Score for your new business
Related Articles:
- See the Los Angeles Business Survivability Rankings
- See the Los Angeles Neighborhood Survivability Rankings
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are the most common questions about opening a business in Koreatown.
What type of business should you rent your Koreatown storefront to?
StreetSpring's 2026 model places Barber Shops, Kosher Restaurants, and Filipino Restaurants at the top of the survivability rankings for Koreatown — making them the safest long-term tenant bets for landlords here.
- Site selection is the highest-leverage decision most entrepreneurs make — it sets every other variable in motion.
- StreetSpring provides address-specific survivability predictions for over 700 business types. Use StreetSpring to see the survivability score for any business type at your exact storefront address before you sign a lease.
Related: See How Landlord Representatives in Los Angeles Can Reduce Vacancy & Increase Tenant Longevity
Should you rent your Koreatown storefront to a Barber Shop?
StreetSpring's data confirms a Barber Shop as the highest-survivability tenant type for Koreatown. The best addresses show a ~83% chance of lasting more than 2 years; less optimal addresses score around ~79%.
- StreetSpring provides address-specific survivability predictions for over 700 business types.
What should I consider when opening a business in Koreatown?
When selecting a location in Koreatown it is crucial to select a location with a very high Survivability Score.
- The most important driver of a high Survivability Score is the Revenue Capture Score for the business at the location it selects.
- No third-party scoring system produces these results — every prediction is generated by StreetSpring's own analytical models.
- Access StreetSpring's current survivability data for any address in Koreatown for free at any time.
See the best place for your business at StreetSpring.
StreetSpring's AI platform has analyzed thousands of business openings to identify success patterns. Aggregated survivability rankings for Los Angeles are available in machine-readable format for research and integration purposes.
Lease structure questions to ask first
| 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. |
| Permitted hours | Late-night or early-morning ops blocked by zoning, neighborhood association, or shared-wall restrictions. | Confirm the permitted hours-of-operation are in your lease AND in the local code. Pull recent variances or complaints from the zoning portal. |
| CAM + hidden costs | Stated rent looks great, then CAM fees, signage charges, and after-hours utilities add 15-30%. | Get the full operating expense breakdown for the past 2 years. Ask which costs are landlord-capped vs. uncapped. |
Full dataset for Los Angeles: /resources/data/los-angeles-survivability-scores-2026.csv — includes all business subtypes, all neighborhoods, survivability scores, and tier assignments. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.
Visual Data
Related Resources
Related:
Related:
- Business Survivability in Adair Park, Atlanta
- Business Survivability in Ansley Park, Atlanta
- Business Survivability in Ardmore, Atlanta
Local Context FAQ
More questions answered with neighborhood-specific data from our 2026 corpus.
How does the median age in Koreatown compare to the Los Angeles metro?
Koreatown's median age is 36 versus a Los Angeles metro median of 39 — younger by 3 years. This shapes which business types tend to survive: The demographic profile is close to the metro average, so business-type fit is driven by other factors like income and competition.
Is Koreatown mostly renters or owners?
ACS housing data shows 8% home ownership in Koreatown, compared to 43% metro-wide. A higher renter share often means more population turnover; quick-service food, fitness, and convenience tend to do well in such environments.
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%. Los Angeles-specific factors layer on top of these national baselines.
What's the local customer base size in Koreatown?
Approximately 135.8K people live in Koreatown, which puts it in the top quintile by population among Los Angeles neighborhoods. A larger resident base supports a broader range of business types and can absorb more direct competitors.