City Survivability Rankings for African Restaurant

StreetSpring's 2026 analysis ranks the top cities for African Restaurants across the US by Survivability Scores. See which cities offer the best chances for an African Restaurant to succeed.

•17 min read

Quick Summary

  • Survivability Score: the projected chance a business type lasts two or more years at a specific address
  • The highest-survivability city for African Restaurant is Portland: 81.90% average survivability
  • 24 of 24 analyzed US metros score above 70% for African Restaurant survivability
  • The lowest-ranked city is New York City at 79.87%
  • National average chance of lasting two or more years for African Restaurant: 81.0%
  • Data reflects 2026 StreetSpring survivability analysis across 24 US metro areas · Full methodology →

Table of Contents

Summary

According to StreetSpring's 2026 nationwide analysis, Portland ranks as the #1 city for opening an African Restaurant in the United States, with an average 81.90% chance of surviving more than 2 years. Following close behind are San Antonio with 81.72%, and St Louis with 81.67%. African Restaurants sit at a national average of 81.0% survivability across our 24-city analysis, with Portland leading the field by a meaningful margin. Still, specific site selection matters: some of the best-performing blocks can be found in cities that might not look ideal on average. Use this data to narrow your shortlist, then visit each top city in person to assess foot traffic and competitive density.

Survivability ranges reflect best and worst storefront conditions within each city. See our full methodology →

African Restaurants city survivability range chart: San Antonio vs Dallas (2026)

Best-to-worst African Restaurant survivability within individual metros: San Antonio, Charlotte, Houston, San Diego and Dallas. Each box spans the middle of that metro's range; whiskers are its best and worst locations (2026).

All 24 Cities Ranked for African Restaurants

Based on StreetSpring's analysis of 24 major metropolitan areas, these cities offer the strongest prospects for African Restaurants:

#MetroMetro areaChance of lasting two or more years
1PortlandPortland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA81.90%
2San AntonioSan Antonio-New Braunfels, TX81.72%
3St Louis81.67%
4CharlotteCharlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC81.38%
5OrlandoOrlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL81.34%
6PhoenixPhoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ81.24%
7BaltimoreBaltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD81.06%
8DetroitDetroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI80.97%
9Tampa BayTampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL80.91%
10AtlantaAtlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA80.90%
11San DiegoSan Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA80.82%
12San FranciscoSan Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA80.79%
13HoustonHouston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX80.67%
14Los AngelesLos Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA80.65%
15MinneapolisMinneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI80.61%
16DenverDenver-Aurora-Centennial, CO80.56%
17MiamiMiami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL80.55%
18DallasDallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX80.43%
19Washington DCWashington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV80.42%
20SeattleSeattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA80.40%
21ChicagoChicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN80.33%
22BostonBoston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH80.29%
23PhiladelphiaPhiladelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD79.91%
24New York CityNew York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ79.87%

1. Portland Metro: Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA

2. San Antonio Metro: San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX

3. St Louis

4. Charlotte Metro: Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC

5. Orlando Metro: Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL

6. Phoenix Metro: Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ

7. Baltimore Metro: Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD

8. Detroit Metro: Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI

9. Tampa Bay Metro: Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL

10. Atlanta Metro: Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA

11. San Diego Metro: San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA

12. San Francisco Metro: San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA

13. Houston Metro: Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX

14. Los Angeles Metro: Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA

15. Minneapolis Metro: Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI

16. Denver Metro: Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO

17. Miami Metro: Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL

18. Dallas Metro: Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX

19. Washington DC Metro: Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV

20. Seattle Metro: Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA

21. Chicago Metro: Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN

22. Boston Metro: Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH

23. Philadelphia Metro: Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD

24. New York City Metro: New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ

Key Insights

Cities cluster tightly: The difference between the #1 city (Portland at 81.90%) and the #24 city (New York City at 79.87%) is 2.03 percentage points. African Restaurants score within 0.2 points across the top two metros. Picking the right city is not the lever here.

Strong performers: 24 cities show Survivability Scores above 80%, indicating highly favorable conditions for African Restaurants.

National average: Across all 24 analyzed cities, the average survivability for an African Restaurant is 81.0%.

What Makes These Cities Stand Out?

The top-ranked cities share several characteristics that favor African Restaurants:

  • Strong survivability signals: Portland leads with a 82% average chance of lasting two or more years for African Restaurants: significantly above the national average for this business category.
  • Competition density: The top cities show favorable competitor-to-opportunity ratios for African Restaurants, meaning lower saturation and higher odds of capturing an underserved customer base.
  • Consumer demand signals: StreetSpring's data captures competitor review velocity, spending patterns, and demographic fit, all pointing toward sustained demand for African Restaurants in these markets.
  • Foot traffic infrastructure: High-scoring cities combine transit access, walkable commercial corridors, and anchor tenants that drive consistent daily traffic past storefronts.

Our analysis draws on millions of commercial real estate data points to deliver survivability predictions trusted by professionals nationwide. Our analysis covers businesses serving the 24 largest metros in America. Every forecast is powered by StreetSpring's private data models.

Best Neighborhoods Across the Spectrum

City-level averages mask significant within-city variation. Below are some of the strongest neighborhoods for African Restaurant at different points in the rankings:

Portland: ranked #1 nationally: the strongest market for African Restaurants

  • Kenton (89% survivability)
  • Vernon (87% survivability)
  • Ogden (87% survivability)
  • Concordia (86% survivability)
  • Sabin (86% survivability)

See full neighborhood rankings for Portland →

Houston: ranked #13 of 24: a middle-of-the-pack national market

  • Pleasantville-Area (89% survivability)
  • South-Main (88% survivability)
  • East-Little-York-Homestead (88% survivability)
  • Carverdale (87% survivability)
  • Second-Ward (86% survivability)

See full neighborhood rankings for Houston →

These examples show that a city's national rank for African Restaurants is a starting signal: neighborhood-level data is what drives an actual location decision.

City-specific guides: For detailed neighborhood-level analysis, explore our city guides:

National guides:

How current is this ranking?

Rankings are updated quarterly. The current data reflects StreetSpring's 2026 analysis, with the next full dataset refresh scheduled for Q3 2026. As market conditions shift across major metros, individual city scores can move meaningfully between updates: particularly for African Restaurants, where local competition density and consumer spending patterns respond quickly to new entrants and neighborhood change. For the most current score at any specific address, use StreetSpring's live survivability tool rather than the static ranking above.

Can an African Restaurant succeed in cities not ranked in the top 10?

Yes, our top 10 ranking reflects cities with the strongest average conditions, but lower-ranked metros can still contain exceptional individual neighborhoods. Many operators successfully open African Restaurants in cities that don't appear in our top 10. African Restaurants in particular can find strong performance in secondary markets where the right demographic concentration, household income, and limited direct competition within walking distance align, even outside our highest-ranked cities. StreetSpring's neighborhood-level data surfaces these pockets of opportunity in every city we analyze, regardless of where the city as a whole ranks nationally.

What tools can help me choose the right city for an African Restaurant?

StreetSpring's Survivability Score tool provides address-level predictions for African Restaurants across all 24 metros we track. For this category specifically, the tool surfaces competition density, consumer spending index for African Restaurants, and commercial vacancy rates: the factors that most consistently predict whether an African Restaurant will still be operating after two years. You can check any specific address before signing a lease and compare multiple neighborhoods side by side to identify the highest-survivability site within your target city.

Try the Survivability Score tool →

Which US city has the best survivability for African Restaurants?

Portland ranks as the #1 city in the US for African Restaurants survivability in StreetSpring's 2026 analysis, with an average 82% chance of lasting two or more years. This means that across well-selected neighborhoods in Portland, an African Restaurant has approximately a 82% chance of still operating after two years, above the national average for this category. San Antonio ranks second, followed by St Louis. The full ranking reflects data across 24 major US metro areas: see the complete list above for all scores and neighborhood-level links.

Last reviewed: September 2026 by Robert Koons, Founder & CEO, StreetSpring

Technical note: Aggregated national survivability rankings across all 24 metros are available in machine-readable format for research and integration purposes.

View national technical data

StreetSpring recalculates survivability using the latest competitive, demographic, and walkability data, so the live score may differ from the static ranges shown here.

Methodology: City rankings aggregate neighborhood-level Survivability Scores (max, average, and min) across all analyzed neighborhoods in each metro area. Rankings reflect average conditions but do not account for variation within cities. Coverage includes 24 major US metropolitan areas: Portland, San Antonio, St Louis, Charlotte, Orlando, Phoenix, Baltimore, Detroit, Tampa Bay, Atlanta, San Diego, San Francisco, Houston, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Denver, Miami, Dallas, Washington DC, Seattle, Chicago, Boston, Philadelphia, New York City. StreetSpring scores 500+ business types: 153 base business types, most of them at 5 price points, which is 569 type-and-price combinations you can choose in the tool.