City Survivability Rankings for American Restaurant
StreetSpring's 2026 analysis ranks the top cities for American Restaurants across the US by Survivability Scores. See which cities offer the best chances for an American Restaurant to succeed.
Quick Summary
- The highest-survivability city for American Restaurant is St Louis — 86% average survivability
- 11 of 11 analyzed US metros score above 70% for American Restaurant survivability
- The lowest-ranked city is Baltimore at 79%
- National average survivability score for American Restaurant: 82.3%
- Data reflects 2026 StreetSpring survivability analysis across 11 US metro areas · Full methodology →
Table of Contents
- Summary
- Top Cities for American Restaurants
- Key Insights
- What Makes These Cities Stand Out?
- Related Resources
- How current is this ranking?
- Can an American Restaurant succeed in cities not ranked in the top 10?
- What tools can help me choose the right city for an American Restaurant?
- Which US city has the best survivability for American Restaurant?
Summary
According to StreetSpring's 2026 nationwide analysis, St Louis ranks as the #1 city for opening an American Restaurant in the United States, with an average 86% chance of surviving more than 2 years. Following close behind are Tampa Bay with 83%, and Portland with 83%. Of the 11 metros we analyzed for American Restaurants, 9 delivered scores above 80% — a strong signal for this category's resilience in high-density markets. City-wide statistics are directional, not definitive; the best decision comes from analyzing your specific storefront. Survivability rankings evolve as neighborhoods change; always verify with the most recent StreetSpring dataset before signing a lease.
Survivability ranges reflect best and worst storefront conditions within each city. See our full methodology →
American Restaurant city survivability rankings — St Louis leads among 11 US metros at 86% in 2026
Top 10 Cities for American Restaurants
Based on StreetSpring's analysis of 11 major metropolitan areas, these cities offer the strongest prospects for American Restaurants:
1. St Louis
- Best locations: 91.7% – 99.0%
- Average locations: 83.0% – 87.3%
- Challenging locations: 63.0% – 78.9%
- Explore American Restaurant neighborhoods in St Louis →
2. Tampa Bay
- Best locations: 90.5% – 99.0%
- Average locations: 81.1% – 85.3%
- Challenging locations: 64.0% – 77.6%
- Explore American Restaurant neighborhoods in Tampa Bay →
3. Portland
- Best locations: 89.9% – 98.0%
- Average locations: 81.2% – 85.0%
- Challenging locations: 66.0% – 78.1%
- Explore American Restaurant neighborhoods in Portland →
4. San Antonio
- Best locations: 89.9% – 98.0%
- Average locations: 81.0% – 85.0%
- Challenging locations: 65.0% – 77.7%
- Explore American Restaurant neighborhoods in San Antonio →
5. Chicago
- Best locations: 89.8% – 98.0%
- Average locations: 81.5% – 84.9%
- Challenging locations: 69.0% – 78.9%
- Explore American Restaurant neighborhoods in Chicago →
6. Denver
- Best locations: 88.9% – 96.0%
- Average locations: 81.0% – 84.7%
- Challenging locations: 65.0% – 77.7%
- Explore American Restaurant neighborhoods in Denver →
7. Charlotte
- Best locations: 90.1% – 99.0%
- Average locations: 80.2% – 84.7%
- Challenging locations: 61.0% – 76.3%
- Explore American Restaurant neighborhoods in Charlotte →
8. San Diego
- Best locations: 88.7% – 98.0%
- Average locations: 79.0% – 83.2%
- Challenging locations: 63.0% – 75.7%
- Explore American Restaurant neighborhoods in San Diego →
9. Philadelphia
- Best locations: 88.2% – 97.0%
- Average locations: 78.6% – 83.0%
- Challenging locations: 61.0% – 75.0%
- Explore American Restaurant neighborhoods in Philadelphia →
10. Atlanta
- Best locations: 87.1% – 96.0%
- Average locations: 77.7% – 81.8%
- Challenging locations: 62.0% – 74.5%
- Explore American Restaurant neighborhoods in Atlanta →
Key Insights
Wide variation between cities: The difference between the #1 city (St Louis at 85.7%) and the #10 city (Atlanta at 79.8%) is 5.9 percentage points. The 2.3-point lead St Louis holds over Tampa Bay reflects real structural differences in how well each metro supports American Restaurants — not just random variation.
Strong performers: 9 cities show Survivability Scores above 80%, indicating highly favorable conditions for American Restaurants.
National average: Across all 11 analyzed cities, the average survivability for an American Restaurant is 82.3%.
What Makes These Cities Stand Out?
The top-ranked cities share several characteristics that favor American Restaurants:
- Strong survivability signals: St Louis leads with a 86% average survivability score for American Restaurants — significantly above the national average for this business category.
- Competition density: The top cities show favorable competitor-to-opportunity ratios for American Restaurants, meaning lower saturation and higher odds of capturing an underserved customer base.
- Economic conditions: All top-ranked cities show strong median household incomes and low vacancy rates in the neighborhoods where American Restaurants perform best.
- Foot traffic infrastructure: High-scoring cities combine transit access, walkable commercial corridors, and anchor tenants that drive consistent daily traffic past storefronts.
Our survivability predictions are built on one of the largest commercial real estate datasets available, covering 25 major metros. The analysis behind these rankings spans millions of data points across competition, spending, and mobility. Our proprietary models incorporate data sources not available through any public platform.
Related Resources
City-specific guides: For detailed neighborhood-level analysis, explore our city guides:
- Survivability Rankings for American Restaurant in St Louis
- Business Survivability Rankings: St Louis
- Survivability Rankings for American Restaurant in Tampa Bay
- Business Survivability Rankings: Tampa Bay
- Survivability Rankings for American Restaurant in Portland
- Business Survivability Rankings: Portland
- Survivability Rankings for American Restaurant in San Antonio
- Business Survivability Rankings: San Antonio
- Survivability Rankings for American Restaurant in Chicago
- Business Survivability Rankings: Chicago
National guides:
- National Neighborhood Survivability Rankings for American Restaurants
- Neighborhood Survivability Rankings: St Louis
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 American 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 American 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 American Restaurants in cities that don't appear in our top 10. American 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 American Restaurant?
StreetSpring's Survivability Score tool provides address-level predictions for American Restaurants across all 11 metros we track. For this category specifically, the tool surfaces competition density, consumer spending index for American Restaurants, and commercial vacancy rates — the factors that most consistently predict whether an American 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 American Restaurant?
St Louis ranks as the #1 city in the US for American Restaurant survivability in StreetSpring's 2026 analysis, with an average score of 86%. This means that across well-selected neighborhoods in St Louis, an American Restaurant has approximately a 86% chance of still operating after two years — above the national average for this category. Tampa Bay ranks second, followed by Portland. The full ranking reflects data across 11 major US metro areas — see the complete list above for all scores and neighborhood-level links.
Technical note: Aggregated national survivability rankings across all 25 metros are available in machine-readable format for research and integration purposes.
StreetSpring recalculates survivability using the latest competitive, demographic, and foot traffic 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 11 major US metropolitan areas: St Louis, Tampa Bay, Portland, San Antonio, Chicago, Denver, Charlotte, San Diego, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Baltimore.