City Survivability Rankings for Day Care Center
StreetSpring's 2026 analysis ranks the top cities for Day Care Centers across the US by Survivability Scores. See which cities offer the best chances for a Day Care Center to succeed.
Quick Summary
- The highest-survivability city for Day Care Center is Miami — 73% average survivability
- 11 of 24 analyzed US metros score above 70% for Day Care Center survivability
- The lowest-ranked city is Minneapolis at 68%
- National average survivability score for Day Care Center: 70.1%
- Data reflects 2026 StreetSpring survivability analysis across 24 US metro areas · Full methodology →
Table of Contents
- Summary
- Top Cities for Day Care Centers
- Key Insights
- What Makes These Cities Stand Out?
- Best Neighborhoods Across the Spectrum
- Related Resources
- How current is this ranking?
- Can a Day Care Center succeed in cities not ranked in the top 10?
- What tools can help me choose the right city for a Day Care Center?
- Which US city has the best survivability for Day Care Centers?
Summary
According to StreetSpring's 2026 nationwide analysis, Miami ranks as the #1 city for opening a Day Care Center in the United States, with an average 73% chance of surviving more than 2 years. Following close behind are Phoenix with 72%, and San Antonio with 72%. The 24-city analysis shows Day Care Centers performing at a 70.1% national average, with strong geographic concentration of top scores in a handful of metros. That said, city averages don't tell the whole story — there are standout locations even in areas that appear less suitable at first glance. 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 →
Day Care Center city survivability rankings — Miami leads among 24 US metros at 73% in 2026
Ranked: 24 Cities by Day Care Center Survivability
Based on StreetSpring's analysis of 24 major metropolitan areas, these cities offer the strongest prospects for Day Care Centers:
1. Miami Metro: Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL
- Best locations: 81.1% – 91.0%
- Average locations: 70.2% – 75.2%
- Challenging locations: 50.0% – 66.1%
- Explore Day Care Center neighborhoods in Miami →
Where the top 5 cluster, and the surprising outliers
2. Phoenix Metro: Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ
- Best locations: 79.5% – 89.0%
- Average locations: 67.9% – 73.9%
- Challenging locations: 39.0% – 62.0%
- Explore Day Care Center neighborhoods in Phoenix →
3. San Antonio Metro: San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX
- Best locations: 79.5% – 89.0%
- Average locations: 68.7% – 73.8%
- Challenging locations: 46.0% – 64.0%
- Explore Day Care Center neighborhoods in San Antonio →
4. Tampa Bay Metro: Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL
- Best locations: 78.8% – 88.0%
- Average locations: 67.5% – 73.3%
- Challenging locations: 39.0% – 61.6%
- Explore Day Care Center neighborhoods in Tampa Bay →
5. Orlando Metro: Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL
- Best locations: 79.3% – 89.0%
- Average locations: 67.9% – 73.4%
- Challenging locations: 43.0% – 62.8%
- Explore Day Care Center neighborhoods in Orlando →
6. Houston Metro: Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX
- Best locations: 78.8% – 88.0%
- Average locations: 68.1% – 73.2%
- Challenging locations: 45.0% – 63.4%
- Explore Day Care Center neighborhoods in Houston →
7. Portland Metro: Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA
- Best locations: 77.2% – 85.0%
- Average locations: 67.7% – 72.5%
- Challenging locations: 45.0% – 63.1%
- Explore Day Care Center neighborhoods in Portland →
8. Charlotte Metro: Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC
- Best locations: 78.9% – 89.0%
- Average locations: 67.1% – 72.8%
- Challenging locations: 41.0% – 61.7%
- Explore Day Care Center neighborhoods in Charlotte →
9. St Louis
- Best locations: 77.9% – 87.0%
- Average locations: 67.0% – 72.4%
- Challenging locations: 42.0% – 61.9%
- Explore Day Care Center neighborhoods in St Louis →
10. New York City Metro: New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ
- Best locations: 78.3% – 88.0%
- Average locations: 66.7% – 72.4%
- Challenging locations: 40.0% – 61.2%
- Explore Day Care Center neighborhoods in New York City →
11. Baltimore Metro: Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD
- Best locations: 77.7% – 87.0%
- Average locations: 66.8% – 72.1%
- Challenging locations: 43.0% – 62.0%
- Explore Day Care Center neighborhoods in Baltimore →
12. Dallas Metro: Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
- Best locations: 76.7% – 85.0%
- Average locations: 67.6% – 71.8%
- Challenging locations: 50.0% – 64.0%
- Explore Day Care Center neighborhoods in Dallas →
Reading the gap from #1 to the median city
13. Atlanta Metro: Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA
- Best locations: 77.6% – 87.0%
- Average locations: 66.6% – 72.0%
- Challenging locations: 42.0% – 61.5%
- Explore Day Care Center neighborhoods in Atlanta →
14. Los Angeles Metro: Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA
- Best locations: 78.0% – 88.0%
- Average locations: 65.6% – 72.0%
- Challenging locations: 35.0% – 59.4%
- Explore Day Care Center neighborhoods in Los Angeles →
15. Washington DC Metro: Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
- Best locations: 78.4% – 89.0%
- Average locations: 66.4% – 72.1%
- Challenging locations: 42.0% – 61.4%
- Explore Day Care Center neighborhoods in Washington DC →
16. San Francisco Metro: San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA
- Best locations: 76.8% – 86.0%
- Average locations: 66.4% – 71.4%
- Challenging locations: 45.0% – 62.1%
- Explore Day Care Center neighborhoods in San Francisco →
17. Detroit Metro: Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI
- Best locations: 78.2% – 89.0%
- Average locations: 65.9% – 71.7%
- Challenging locations: 41.0% – 60.8%
- Explore Day Care Center neighborhoods in Detroit →
18. San Diego Metro: San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA
- Best locations: 76.8% – 86.0%
- Average locations: 66.1% – 71.2%
- Challenging locations: 43.0% – 61.4%
- Explore Day Care Center neighborhoods in San Diego →
19. Philadelphia Metro: Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD
- Best locations: 78.1% – 89.0%
- Average locations: 65.2% – 71.6%
- Challenging locations: 36.0% – 59.3%
- Explore Day Care Center neighborhoods in Philadelphia →
20. Chicago Metro: Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN
- Best locations: 77.5% – 88.0%
- Average locations: 65.7% – 71.2%
- Challenging locations: 42.0% – 60.8%
- Explore Day Care Center neighborhoods in Chicago →
21. Boston Metro: Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH
- Best locations: 77.0% – 87.0%
- Average locations: 65.5% – 71.0%
- Challenging locations: 41.0% – 60.5%
- Explore Day Care Center neighborhoods in Boston →
22. Denver Metro: Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO
- Best locations: 76.4% – 86.0%
- Average locations: 65.5% – 70.7%
- Challenging locations: 43.0% – 60.9%
- Explore Day Care Center neighborhoods in Denver →
23. Seattle Metro: Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA
- Best locations: 77.7% – 89.0%
- Average locations: 65.2% – 70.9%
- Challenging locations: 42.0% – 60.5%
- Explore Day Care Center neighborhoods in Seattle →
24. Minneapolis Metro: Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI
- Best locations: 76.7% – 87.0%
- Average locations: 65.3% – 70.6%
- Challenging locations: 43.0% – 60.7%
- Explore Day Care Center neighborhoods in Minneapolis →
Key Insights
| Comparison factor | Top-tier city pattern | Bottom-tier city pattern |
|---|---|---|
| Daytime vs residential population mix | Cities with strong daytime employment density near the storefront catchment — CBD-adjacent mixed-use corridors. | Bedroom-community metros where daytime population evaporates by 9am and consumption shifts to 6pm dinner-only windows. |
| Anchor-tenant density | Cities with high concentration of universities, hospitals, transit hubs within a 1-mile radius of typical storefronts. | Cities where anchor institutions are isolated in suburbs or single-purpose campuses with no street-level spillover. |
| 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. |
Wide variation between cities: The difference between the #1 city (Miami at 73.0%) and the #24 city (Minneapolis at 68.3%) is 4.7 percentage points. This 1.2-point spread between #1 and #2 city suggests meaningful geographic variation in Day Care Centers viability — city selection matters significantly for this category.
National average: Across all 24 analyzed cities, the average survivability for a Day Care Center is 70.1%.
Why Top-Ranked Cities Outperform
The top-ranked cities share several characteristics that favor Day Care Centers:
- Strong survivability signals: Miami leads with a 73% average survivability score for Day Care Centers — significantly above the national average for this business category.
- Competition density: The top cities show favorable competitor-to-opportunity ratios for Day Care Centers, 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.
- Consumer demand signals: StreetSpring's data captures foot traffic patterns, competitor review velocity, and demographic fit — all pointing toward sustained demand for Day Care Centers in these markets.
Our analysis draws on millions of commercial real estate data points to deliver survivability predictions trusted by professionals nationwide. Our platform has analyzed hundreds of thousands of business outcomes across major U.S. metros. These insights come from StreetSpring's exclusive, in-house forecasting models.
The Strongest Neighborhoods Across All 24 Markets
National rankings tell only part of the story. Even cities further down the list contain neighborhoods where Day Care Centers thrive. A few examples:
Miami — ranked #1 nationally — the strongest market for Day Care Centers
- Harbor-Drive (90% survivability)
- Beach (89% survivability)
- Riviera-Isles (88% survivability)
- Galt-Mile (87% survivability)
- Las-Olas-Isles (87% survivability)
See full neighborhood rankings for Miami →
Atlanta — ranked #13 of 24 — a middle-of-the-pack national market
- Joyland (86% survivability)
- High-Point (81% survivability)
- Benton-Woods (81% survivability)
- Blandtown (81% survivability)
- Home-Park (80% survivability)
See full neighborhood rankings for Atlanta →
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 Day Care Center in Miami
- Business Survivability Rankings: Miami
- Survivability Rankings for Day Care Center in Phoenix
- Business Survivability Rankings: Phoenix
- Survivability Rankings for Day Care Center in San Antonio
- Business Survivability Rankings: San Antonio
- Survivability Rankings for Day Care Center in Tampa Bay
- Business Survivability Rankings: Tampa Bay
- Survivability Rankings for Day Care Center in Orlando
- Business Survivability Rankings: Orlando
National guides:
- National Neighborhood Survivability Rankings for Day Care Centers
- Neighborhood Survivability Rankings: Miami
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 Day Care Centers, 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.
What about cities outside the top 10 — can Day Care Centers thrive there?
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 Day Care Centers in cities that don't appear in our top 10. Day Care Centers 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.
Which tools rank cities for a Day Care Center survivability?
StreetSpring's Survivability Score tool provides address-level predictions for Day Care Centers across all 24 metros we track. For this category specifically, the tool surfaces competition density, consumer spending index for Day Care Centers, and commercial vacancy rates — the factors that most consistently predict whether a Day Care Center 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 city ranks first for Day Care Centers?
Miami ranks as the #1 city in the US for Day Care Centers survivability in StreetSpring's 2026 analysis, with an average score of 73%. This means that across well-selected neighborhoods in Miami, a Day Care Center has approximately a 73% chance of still operating after two years — above the national average for this category. Phoenix ranks second, followed by San Antonio. The full ranking reflects data across 24 major US metro areas — see the complete list above for all scores and neighborhood-level links.
Reviewed and updated: May 13, 2026 — 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: Miami, Phoenix, San Antonio, Tampa Bay, Orlando, Houston, Portland, Charlotte, St Louis, New York City, Baltimore, Dallas, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Washington DC, San Francisco, Detroit, San Diego, Philadelphia, Chicago, Boston, Denver, Seattle, Minneapolis.