Business Survivability in Wilmington, Los Angeles
StreetSpring's 2026 analysis finds that the best business to open in Wilmington is a Pet Grooming Shop with a ~84% chance of surviving at least 2 years across the neighborhood on average.
Quick Summary
- Best business: a Pet Grooming Shop in Wilmington (~84% average survival rate, ~86% at best locations)
- Neighborhood rank: #80 across all neighborhoods in and around Los Angeles
- Neighborhood average: ~76% two-year survival across all business types
- Rankings updated quarterly with latest market data
- Detailed methodology
Reviewed and updated: April 25, 2026 — Bobby Koons, Founder & CEO, StreetSpring
In this article:
- Summary
- Is Wilmington 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 Wilmington is a Pet Grooming Shop with a ~84% chance of surviving at least 2 years across the neighborhood on average, with the best locations offering a ~86% chance; next is an American Restaurant with a ~84% chance, followed by a Singaporean Restaurant with a ~83% chance.
What does the data say about opening in Wilmington?
Wilmington holds the #80 position in and around Los Angeles for new business survivability, averaging ~76% across all analyzed business types.
- StreetSpring data shows the best-fit business types at prime Wilmington addresses outperform the neighborhood average by as much as ~2%.
- Yet the same categories that score highest in Wilmington can underperform significantly at the wrong address. Location precision within the neighborhood matters as much as choosing the neighborhood itself.
- The 3.1% commercial vacancy rate in Wilmington 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.
How can you find the best location to open a business in Wilmington?
StreetSpring's Wilmington data goes block by block — not just neighborhood averages — so you know which specific storefront gives your concept the strongest foundation. The map below shows the highest-scoring storefront area for a Pet Grooming Shop in Wilmington per 2026 data:
Why the right block matters more than the right neighborhood
This map shows the optimal location for a Pet Grooming Shop in Wilmington based on StreetSpring's 2026 survivability analysis. These rankings are based on the latest available data; check StreetSpring for real-time updates. 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 →
What are the best businesses to open in Wilmington?
#1-5: Highest Survivability in Wilmington
- Opening a Pet Grooming Shop in Wilmington shows ~84% average survivability. Top locations reach ~86%; lower-end sites show ~82%.
- American Restaurant (Ranked #2): ~84% average in Wilmington. Best-case storefronts: ~85%. Challenging locations: ~82%.
- Singaporean Restaurant is ranked #3 for top businesses to open in Wilmington: ~83% chance on average, best at ~86%, challenging at ~82%.
- Ukrainian Restaurant — ~81%–~85% survivability range, with an average of ~83% across Wilmington.
- Opening a Pet Boarding Facility in Wilmington shows ~83% average survivability. Top locations reach ~85%; lower-end sites show ~81%.
#6-10: Strong Performers in Wilmington
- Bangladeshi Restaurant (Ranked #6): ~83% average in Wilmington. Best-case storefronts: ~85%. Challenging locations: ~81%.
- Portuguese Restaurant is ranked #7 for top businesses to open in Wilmington: ~83% chance on average, best at ~84%, challenging at ~80%.
- French Restaurant — ~81%–~84% survivability range, with an average of ~82% across Wilmington.
- Opening a Kosher Restaurant in Wilmington shows ~82% average survivability. Top locations reach ~84%; lower-end sites show ~80%.
- Korean Restaurant (Ranked #10): ~82% average in Wilmington. Best-case storefronts: ~84%. Challenging locations: ~80%.
Top 3 Compared Nationally
- American Restaurant — See how this compares to other cities →
How much money could a business in Wilmington make?
Best location vs. average location
Based on StreetSpring's 2026 analysis, selecting one of the best locations for your business in Wilmington could lead to you making ~2% more than if you selected an average location, and ~5% more than if you selected one of the worst locations.
How StreetSpring calculates location value
- Different business models thrive in different micro-locations.
- Location is the single strongest predictor of whether a business thrives or fails.
- 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 Wilmington?
The top businesses to open next in Wilmington:
- Pet Grooming Shops — ~84% average survival rate, up to ~86% at best locations
- American Restaurants — ~84% average survival rate
- Singaporean Restaurants — ~83% average survival rate
These rankings are based on the latest available data; check StreetSpring for real-time updates. Our platform incorporates data from thousands of neighborhoods nationwide. StreetSpring's model accounts for Wilmington's 92.7% employment rate when projecting survivability — businesses reliant on discretionary spend benefit disproportionately in well-employed neighborhoods. Survivability scores are live, not static — StreetSpring updates them weekly. Visit the tool to see what's currently available in Wilmington and how each address is scoring right now.
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 Wilmington.
What type of business should you rent your Wilmington storefront to?
Based on 2026 survivability scores across all business types in Wilmington, the top three tenant categories for landlords are Pet Grooming Shops, American Restaurants, and Singaporean Restaurants.
- Location is the single strongest predictor of whether a business thrives or fails.
- StreetSpring can pinpoint which blocks in each neighborhood or city maximize a business's chances of success. StreetSpring's free tool lets you check the survivability score for any business type at any address in Wilmington — a powerful filter when evaluating prospective tenants.
Related: See How Landlord Representatives in Los Angeles Can Reduce Vacancy & Increase Tenant Longevity
Should you rent your Wilmington storefront to a Pet Grooming Shop?
Yes, StreetSpring's analysis finds that a Pet Grooming Shop would be the best type of business to rent your storefront to, with a potential ~86% chance of lasting more than 2 years; however depending on your location, the chances could drop to a ~82% chance.
- 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 Wilmington?
When selecting a location in Wilmington it is crucial to select a location with a very high Survivability Score.
- Of all the variables StreetSpring analyzes, Revenue Capture Score has the strongest predictive power.
- StreetSpring's in-house models are continuously updated with new business outcome data to keep predictions accurate.
- Access StreetSpring's current survivability data for any address in Wilmington 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Parking & visibility | Storefront looks great from the sidewalk but is invisible from the road. | Drive past at 30 mph from both directions. Count street parking + nearest paid lot capacity at peak hours. |
| Outdoor seating / sidewalk use | Signing assuming you can add patio seating, then learning the city requires a separate sidewalk-cafe permit with long lead times. | Check the city's sidewalk-cafe permit process up front. Confirm landlord allows outdoor build-out in the lease language. |
| Lease term | Locking into 7-10 years without break clauses, then needing to relocate after year 2. | Negotiate a relocation or termination clause. Confirm assignment + sublease rights are in writing. |
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
Beyond the general FAQ — data-anchored answers for this specific location.
What's the poverty rate in Wilmington, and what does it imply for businesses?
ACS data shows 19% of Wilmington residents below the federal poverty line, versus 11% metro-wide. Elevated poverty constrains discretionary retail; survivability is highest for essential services and value-oriented operators.
Is Wilmington more single-occupant or family-household?
ACS data puts average household size in Wilmington at 3.6, compared to 2.7 across Los Angeles. Larger households suggest more families — favorable for family dining, kid-oriented retail, and household services.
What's the national survival baseline for businesses by sector?
BLS Business Employment Dynamics data (March 2025 release) shows 5-year survival rates spanning 47.8% (Active Life) to 61.8% (Health & Medical) across the 11 sectors StreetSpring tracks. Restaurants — the most studied category — survive at 50% nationally, well above the often-cited "80% fail" myth.
Are storefronts and homes filling up or sitting empty in Wilmington?
Wilmington's housing vacancy rate is roughly 3%, compared to 5% across the Los Angeles metro. Vacancy is close to the metro median — lease economics are typical for the area.