City Survivability Rankings for Bar
StreetSpring's 2026 analysis ranks the top cities for Bars across the US by Survivability Scores. See which cities offer the best chances for a Bar to succeed.
Quick Summary
- The highest-survivability city for Bar is St Louis — 84% average survivability
- 11 of 11 analyzed US metros score above 70% for Bar survivability
- The lowest-ranked city is Atlanta at 79%
- National average survivability score for Bar: 81.0%
- Data reflects 2026 StreetSpring survivability analysis across 11 US metro areas · Full methodology →
Table of Contents
- Summary
- Top Cities for Bars
- Key Insights
- What Makes These Cities Stand Out?
- Related Resources
- How current is this ranking?
- Can a Bar succeed in cities not ranked in the top 10?
- What tools can help me choose the right city for a Bar?
- Which US city has the best survivability for Bar?
Summary
According to StreetSpring's 2026 nationwide analysis, St Louis ranks as the #1 city for opening a Bar in the United States, with an average 84% chance of surviving more than 2 years. Following close behind are Tampa Bay with 83%, and Charlotte with 82%. StreetSpring's 11-city analysis places the national average for Bars at 81.0%, a baseline that St Louis comfortably exceeds. These averages mask significant neighborhood-by-neighborhood variation; a lower-ranked city can still contain high-potential storefronts. Market conditions shift frequently — use StreetSpring's live tool to confirm the current picture before committing to a location.
Survivability ranges reflect best and worst storefront conditions within each city. See our full methodology →
Bar city survivability rankings — St Louis leads among 11 US metros at 84% in 2026
Top 10 Cities for Bars
Based on StreetSpring's analysis of 11 major metropolitan areas, these cities offer the strongest prospects for Bars:
1. St Louis
- Best locations: 90.6% – 99.0%
- Average locations: 80.7% – 85.5%
- Challenging locations: 59.0% – 76.3%
- Explore Bar neighborhoods in St Louis →
2. Tampa Bay
- Best locations: 90.5% – 99.0%
- Average locations: 81.0% – 85.3%
- Challenging locations: 63.0% – 77.3%
- Explore Bar neighborhoods in Tampa Bay →
3. Charlotte
- Best locations: 89.6% – 99.0%
- Average locations: 79.4% – 84.0%
- Challenging locations: 61.0% – 75.7%
- Explore Bar neighborhoods in Charlotte →
4. Portland
- Best locations: 89.1% – 98.0%
- Average locations: 79.2% – 83.8%
- Challenging locations: 60.0% – 75.3%
- Explore Bar neighborhoods in Portland →
5. San Antonio
- Best locations: 88.8% – 98.0%
- Average locations: 79.1% – 83.3%
- Challenging locations: 63.0% – 75.8%
- Explore Bar neighborhoods in San Antonio →
6. Chicago
- Best locations: 88.2% – 97.0%
- Average locations: 78.8% – 82.9%
- Challenging locations: 63.0% – 75.6%
- Explore Bar neighborhoods in Chicago →
7. Denver
- Best locations: 87.7% – 96.0%
- Average locations: 78.4% – 82.7%
- Challenging locations: 60.0% – 74.6%
- Explore Bar neighborhoods in Denver →
8. Baltimore
- Best locations: 87.1% – 96.0%
- Average locations: 76.9% – 81.7%
- Challenging locations: 56.0% – 72.7%
- Explore Bar neighborhoods in Baltimore →
9. Philadelphia
- Best locations: 87.9% – 98.0%
- Average locations: 76.6% – 81.8%
- Challenging locations: 55.0% – 72.2%
- Explore Bar neighborhoods in Philadelphia →
10. San Diego
- Best locations: 87.6% – 98.0%
- Average locations: 76.8% – 81.3%
- Challenging locations: 61.0% – 73.6%
- Explore Bar neighborhoods in San Diego →
Key Insights
Wide variation between cities: The difference between the #1 city (St Louis at 83.7%) and the #10 city (San Diego at 79.0%) is 4.6 percentage points. The 0.2-point lead St Louis holds over Tampa Bay reflects real structural differences in how well each metro supports Bars — not just random variation.
Strong performers: 7 cities show Survivability Scores above 80%, indicating highly favorable conditions for Bars.
National average: Across all 11 analyzed cities, the average survivability for a Bar is 81.0%.
What Makes These Cities Stand Out?
The top-ranked cities share several characteristics that favor Bars:
- Strong survivability signals: St Louis leads with a 84% average survivability score for Bars — significantly above the national average for this business category.
- Competition density: The top cities show favorable competitor-to-opportunity ratios for Bars, meaning lower saturation and higher odds of capturing an underserved customer base.
- Geographic distribution: The top cities span multiple U.S. regions, giving franchise operators or multi-location owners diverse market options without concentrating risk.
- Regulatory environment: Top-ranked cities tend to have streamlined commercial permitting and lower business tax burdens relative to their metro size, reducing friction for new operators.
Our AI platform forecasts business outcomes at the address level — giving entrepreneurs and landlords alike a data-driven edge. Our models are trained on data from businesses reaching more than 195 million Americans. StreetSpring uses its own proprietary forecasting tools to make these predictions.
Related Resources
City-specific guides: For detailed neighborhood-level analysis, explore our city guides:
- Survivability Rankings for Bar in St Louis
- Business Survivability Rankings: St Louis
- Survivability Rankings for Bar in Tampa Bay
- Business Survivability Rankings: Tampa Bay
- Survivability Rankings for Bar in Charlotte
- Business Survivability Rankings: Charlotte
- Survivability Rankings for Bar in Portland
- Business Survivability Rankings: Portland
- Survivability Rankings for Bar in San Antonio
- Business Survivability Rankings: San Antonio
National guides:
- National Neighborhood Survivability Rankings for Bars
- 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 Bars, 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 a Bar 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 Bars in cities that don't appear in our top 10. Bars 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 a Bar?
StreetSpring's Survivability Score tool provides address-level predictions for Bars across all 11 metros we track. For this category specifically, the tool surfaces competition density, consumer spending index for Bars, and commercial vacancy rates — the factors that most consistently predict whether a Bar 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 Bar?
St Louis ranks as the #1 city in the US for Bar survivability in StreetSpring's 2026 analysis, with an average score of 84%. This means that across well-selected neighborhoods in St Louis, a Bar has approximately a 84% chance of still operating after two years — above the national average for this category. Tampa Bay ranks second, followed by Charlotte. 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, Charlotte, Portland, San Antonio, Chicago, Denver, Baltimore, Philadelphia, San Diego, Atlanta.