City Survivability Rankings for Chicken Shop
StreetSpring's 2026 analysis ranks the top cities for Chicken Shops across the US by Survivability Scores. See which cities offer the best chances for a Chicken Shop to succeed.
Quick Summary
- The highest-survivability city for Chicken Shop is San Antonio — 89% average survivability
- 24 of 24 analyzed US metros score above 70% for Chicken Shop survivability
- The lowest-ranked city is New York City at 84%
- National average survivability score for Chicken Shop: 86.7%
- Data reflects 2026 StreetSpring survivability analysis across 24 US metro areas · Full methodology →
Table of Contents
- Summary
- Top Cities for Chicken Shops
- Key Insights
- What Makes These Cities Stand Out?
- Best Neighborhoods Across the Spectrum
- Related Resources
- How current is this ranking?
- Can a Chicken Shop succeed in cities not ranked in the top 10?
- What tools can help me choose the right city for a Chicken Shop?
- Which US city has the best survivability for Chicken Shops?
Summary
According to StreetSpring's 2026 nationwide analysis, San Antonio ranks as the #1 city for opening a Chicken Shop in the United States, with an average 89% chance of surviving more than 2 years. Following close behind are Portland with 89%, and St Louis with 88%. Across 24 major US metros, Chicken Shops show a national average survivability of 86.7%, with 24 cities scoring above 80%. However, the specific location is very important — there are excellent locations even in neighborhoods that might not appear to be a great fit at the city level. 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 →
Chicken Shop city survivability rankings — San Antonio leads among 24 US metros at 89% in 2026
Every Major US Metro Ranked for Chicken Shops
Based on StreetSpring's analysis of 24 major metropolitan areas, these cities offer the strongest prospects for Chicken Shops:
1. San Antonio Metro: San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX
- Best locations: 92.5% – 97.0%
- Average locations: 85.4% – 89.8%
- Challenging locations: 60.0% – 80.2%
- Explore Chicken Shop neighborhoods in San Antonio →
Why the same business does so differently city to city
2. Portland Metro: Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA
- Best locations: 92.4% – 97.0%
- Average locations: 85.4% – 89.7%
- Challenging locations: 61.0% – 80.4%
- Explore Chicken Shop neighborhoods in Portland →
3. St Louis
- Best locations: 92.2% – 97.0%
- Average locations: 84.7% – 89.4%
- Challenging locations: 58.0% – 79.2%
- Explore Chicken Shop neighborhoods in St Louis →
4. Charlotte Metro: Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC
- Best locations: 92.0% – 97.0%
- Average locations: 84.1% – 89.1%
- Challenging locations: 56.0% – 78.4%
- Explore Chicken Shop neighborhoods in Charlotte →
5. Orlando Metro: Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL
- Best locations: 92.0% – 97.0%
- Average locations: 84.7% – 89.0%
- Challenging locations: 61.0% – 79.8%
- Explore Chicken Shop neighborhoods in Orlando →
6. Detroit Metro: Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI
- Best locations: 91.7% – 97.0%
- Average locations: 84.0% – 88.6%
- Challenging locations: 59.0% – 78.9%
- Explore Chicken Shop neighborhoods in Detroit →
7. Phoenix Metro: Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ
- Best locations: 91.7% – 97.0%
- Average locations: 84.0% – 88.5%
- Challenging locations: 59.0% – 78.9%
- Explore Chicken Shop neighborhoods in Phoenix →
8. Baltimore Metro: Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD
- Best locations: 91.6% – 97.0%
- Average locations: 84.0% – 88.3%
- Challenging locations: 61.0% – 79.3%
- Explore Chicken Shop neighborhoods in Baltimore →
9. Tampa Bay Metro: Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL
- Best locations: 91.5% – 97.0%
- Average locations: 83.4% – 88.2%
- Challenging locations: 57.0% – 78.0%
- Explore Chicken Shop neighborhoods in Tampa Bay →
10. Atlanta Metro: Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA
- Best locations: 91.5% – 97.0%
- Average locations: 83.7% – 88.2%
- Challenging locations: 59.0% – 78.6%
- Explore Chicken Shop neighborhoods in Atlanta →
11. San Diego Metro: San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA
- Best locations: 91.5% – 97.0%
- Average locations: 83.6% – 88.2%
- Challenging locations: 59.0% – 78.6%
- Explore Chicken Shop neighborhoods in San Diego →
12. Houston Metro: Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX
- Best locations: 91.3% – 97.0%
- Average locations: 83.1% – 87.9%
- Challenging locations: 57.0% – 77.8%
- Explore Chicken Shop neighborhoods in Houston →
Where the top 5 cluster, and the surprising outliers
13. San Francisco Metro: San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA
- Best locations: 91.3% – 97.0%
- Average locations: 83.2% – 87.8%
- Challenging locations: 58.0% – 78.0%
- Explore Chicken Shop neighborhoods in San Francisco →
14. Los Angeles Metro: Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA
- Best locations: 91.2% – 97.0%
- Average locations: 82.8% – 87.7%
- Challenging locations: 56.0% – 77.3%
- Explore Chicken Shop neighborhoods in Los Angeles →
15. Minneapolis Metro: Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI
- Best locations: 91.1% – 97.0%
- Average locations: 83.1% – 87.6%
- Challenging locations: 59.0% – 78.1%
- Explore Chicken Shop neighborhoods in Minneapolis →
16. Chicago Metro: Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN
- Best locations: 91.0% – 97.0%
- Average locations: 82.8% – 87.5%
- Challenging locations: 58.0% – 77.7%
- Explore Chicken Shop neighborhoods in Chicago →
17. Miami Metro: Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL
- Best locations: 91.0% – 97.0%
- Average locations: 83.1% – 87.4%
- Challenging locations: 61.0% – 78.6%
- Explore Chicken Shop neighborhoods in Miami →
18. Seattle Metro: Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA
- Best locations: 91.0% – 97.0%
- Average locations: 82.7% – 87.3%
- Challenging locations: 58.0% – 77.6%
- Explore Chicken Shop neighborhoods in Seattle →
19. Washington DC Metro: Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
- Best locations: 90.9% – 97.0%
- Average locations: 82.8% – 87.3%
- Challenging locations: 60.0% – 78.2%
- Explore Chicken Shop neighborhoods in Washington DC →
20. Denver Metro: Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO
- Best locations: 90.9% – 97.0%
- Average locations: 82.7% – 87.2%
- Challenging locations: 59.0% – 77.8%
- Explore Chicken Shop neighborhoods in Denver →
21. Dallas Metro: Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
- Best locations: 90.7% – 97.0%
- Average locations: 83.2% – 87.0%
- Challenging locations: 65.0% – 79.4%
- Explore Chicken Shop neighborhoods in Dallas →
22. Boston Metro: Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH
- Best locations: 90.7% – 97.0%
- Average locations: 82.4% – 86.8%
- Challenging locations: 60.0% – 77.8%
- Explore Chicken Shop neighborhoods in Boston →
23. Philadelphia Metro: Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD
- Best locations: 90.6% – 97.0%
- Average locations: 82.0% – 86.7%
- Challenging locations: 58.0% – 77.1%
- Explore Chicken Shop neighborhoods in Philadelphia →
24. New York City Metro: New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ
- Best locations: 90.0% – 97.0%
- Average locations: 81.0% – 85.8%
- Challenging locations: 57.0% – 76.1%
- Explore Chicken Shop neighborhoods in New York City →
What the Data Reveals
| Signal | Where strong-survivability cities outperform | What drags weaker cities down |
|---|---|---|
| Market size vs saturation | Mid-sized metros with established demand but room for new entrants — under-served pockets in 1.5M–5M population markets. | Either tier-1 cities saturated with national chains, or thin markets under 500K population where demand can't sustain a category. |
| Income distribution shape | Cities with a broad middle-class income band that supports the subtype's price tier. | Cities with bifurcated income distributions where the subtype's price point falls into the middle gap. |
| Average commercial rent per sqft | Cities where the median commercial rate fits the subtype's typical revenue-per-sqft envelope (rent < 10% of expected gross). | Cities where rents have outpaced revenue growth, pushing rent-burden ratios past 15%. |
Wide variation between cities: The difference between the #1 city (San Antonio at 88.9%) and the #24 city (New York City at 84.2%) is 4.6 percentage points. This 0.1-point spread between #1 and #2 city suggests meaningful geographic variation in Chicken Shops viability — city selection matters significantly for this category.
Where this ranking confirms the conventional wisdom
Strong performers: 24 cities show Survivability Scores above 80%, indicating highly favorable conditions for Chicken Shops.
National average: Across all 24 analyzed cities, the average survivability for a Chicken Shop is 86.7%.
What the Leaders Share
The top-ranked cities share several characteristics that favor Chicken Shops:
- Strong survivability signals: San Antonio leads with a 89% average survivability score for Chicken Shops — significantly above the national average for this business category.
- Competition density: The top cities show favorable competitor-to-opportunity ratios for Chicken Shops, meaning lower saturation and higher odds of capturing an underserved customer base.
- Consumer demand signals: StreetSpring's data captures foot traffic patterns, competitor review velocity, and demographic fit — all pointing toward sustained demand for Chicken Shops in these markets.
- 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.
This analysis leverages machine learning trained on hundreds of thousands of business lifecycle events to produce reliable survivability forecasts. The training dataset includes millions of transactions and business lifecycle events. These forecasts are generated by our exclusive analytical framework, built from the ground up for commercial real estate.
Neighborhood-Level Winners in Every Tier
Where you open matters more than which city ranks highest. The strongest neighborhoods for Chicken Shops can be found across the entire national distribution:
San Antonio — ranked #1 nationally — the strongest market for Chicken Shops
- New-Braunfels (88% survivability)
- Southpark (87% survivability)
- Downtown (86% survivability)
- Alta-Vista (84% survivability)
- Tobin-Hill (84% survivability)
See full neighborhood rankings for San Antonio →
San Francisco — ranked #13 of 24 — a middle-of-the-pack national market
- Mission-Bay (85% survivability)
- Marina (85% survivability)
- Sea-Cliff (84% survivability)
- Glen-Park (84% survivability)
- South-Beach (83% survivability)
See full neighborhood rankings for San Francisco →
New York City — ranked #24 of 24 — among the lower-ranked national markets
- Rockaway-Park (89% survivability)
- Brighton-Beach (87% survivability)
- Coney-Island (87% survivability)
- Manhattan-Beach (86% survivability)
- Newark (86% survivability)
See full neighborhood rankings for New York City →
City-level scores aggregate hundreds of neighborhoods. The right neighborhood matters more than the city's headline rank.
Visual Data
Related Resources
City-specific guides: For detailed neighborhood-level analysis, explore our city guides:
- Survivability Rankings for Chicken Shop in San Antonio
- Business Survivability Rankings: San Antonio
- Survivability Rankings for Chicken Shop in Portland
- Business Survivability Rankings: Portland
- Survivability Rankings for Chicken Shop in St Louis
- Business Survivability Rankings: St Louis
- Survivability Rankings for Chicken Shop in Charlotte
- Business Survivability Rankings: Charlotte
- Survivability Rankings for Chicken Shop in Orlando
- Business Survivability Rankings: Orlando
National guides:
- National Neighborhood Survivability Rankings for Chicken Shops
- Neighborhood Survivability Rankings: San Antonio
When does StreetSpring refresh the city rankings?
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 Chicken Shops, 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.
Are top-10 cities the only viable markets for Chicken Shops?
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 Chicken Shops in cities that don't appear in our top 10. Chicken Shops 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.
How can I narrow down cities for a Chicken Shop?
StreetSpring's Survivability Score tool provides address-level predictions for Chicken Shops across all 24 metros we track. For this category specifically, the tool surfaces competition density, consumer spending index for Chicken Shops, and commercial vacancy rates — the factors that most consistently predict whether a Chicken Shop 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 metro tops the Chicken Shop survivability ranking?
San Antonio ranks as the #1 city in the US for Chicken Shops survivability in StreetSpring's 2026 analysis, with an average score of 89%. This means that across well-selected neighborhoods in San Antonio, a Chicken Shop has approximately a 89% chance of still operating after two years — above the national average for this category. Portland 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: May 11, 2026 by Bobby 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.
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 24 major US metropolitan areas: San Antonio, Portland, St Louis, Charlotte, Orlando, Detroit, Phoenix, Baltimore, Tampa Bay, Atlanta, San Diego, Houston, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Chicago, Miami, Seattle, Washington DC, Denver, Dallas, Boston, Philadelphia, New York City.