City Survivability Rankings for Home Improvement Store
StreetSpring's 2026 analysis ranks the top cities for Home Improvement Stores across the US by Survivability Scores. See which cities offer the best chances for a Home Improvement Store to succeed.
Quick Summary
- The highest-survivability city for Home Improvement Store is Miami — 55% average survivability
- 0 of 24 analyzed US metros score above 70% for Home Improvement Store survivability
- The lowest-ranked city is Portland at 48%
- National average survivability score for Home Improvement Store: 50.0%
- Data reflects 2026 StreetSpring survivability analysis across 24 US metro areas · Full methodology →
Table of Contents
- Summary
- Top Cities for Home Improvement Stores
- Key Insights
- What Makes These Cities Stand Out?
- Related Resources
- How current is this ranking?
- Can a Home Improvement Store succeed in cities not ranked in the top 10?
- What tools can help me choose the right city for a Home Improvement Store?
- Which US city has the best survivability for Home Improvement Stores?
Summary
According to StreetSpring's 2026 nationwide analysis, Miami ranks as the #1 city for opening a Home Improvement Store in the United States, with an average 55% chance of surviving more than 2 years. Following close behind are New York City with 53%, and Phoenix with 52%. Home Improvement Stores sit at a national average of 50.0% survivability across our 24-city analysis, with Miami leading the field by a meaningful margin. City-wide statistics are directional, not definitive; the best decision comes from analyzing your specific storefront. Pair these survivability scores with StreetSpring's live tool to get a real-time view before making a final decision.
Survivability ranges reflect best and worst storefront conditions within each city. See our full methodology →
Home Improvement Store city survivability rankings — Miami leads among 24 US metros at 55% in 2026
Ranked: 24 Cities by Home Improvement Store Survivability
Based on StreetSpring's analysis of 24 major metropolitan areas, these cities offer the strongest prospects for Home Improvement Stores:
1. Miami Metro: Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL
- Best locations: 71.7% – 92.0%
- Average locations: 52.5% – 59.5%
- Challenging locations: 33.0% – 48.5%
- Explore Home Improvement Store neighborhoods in Miami →
What "city rank" hides about block-level reality
2. New York City Metro: New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ
- Best locations: 69.5% – 90.0%
- Average locations: 49.8% – 57.2%
- Challenging locations: 29.0% – 45.6%
- Explore Home Improvement Store neighborhoods in New York City →
3. Phoenix Metro: Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ
- Best locations: 68.6% – 89.0%
- Average locations: 49.4% – 56.4%
- Challenging locations: 31.0% – 45.7%
- Explore Home Improvement Store neighborhoods in Phoenix →
4. Houston Metro: Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX
- Best locations: 68.8% – 90.0%
- Average locations: 49.2% – 56.1%
- Challenging locations: 32.0% – 45.6%
- Explore Home Improvement Store neighborhoods in Houston →
5. Tampa Bay Metro: Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL
- Best locations: 69.1% – 91.0%
- Average locations: 49.0% – 56.0%
- Challenging locations: 33.0% – 45.8%
- Explore Home Improvement Store neighborhoods in Tampa Bay →
6. Orlando Metro: Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL
- Best locations: 68.7% – 90.0%
- Average locations: 49.0% – 55.9%
- Challenging locations: 33.0% – 45.7%
- Explore Home Improvement Store neighborhoods in Orlando →
7. Los Angeles Metro: Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA
- Best locations: 68.9% – 91.0%
- Average locations: 48.5% – 55.7%
- Challenging locations: 31.0% – 44.9%
- Explore Home Improvement Store neighborhoods in Los Angeles →
8. Boston Metro: Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH
- Best locations: 67.5% – 88.0%
- Average locations: 48.2% – 55.2%
- Challenging locations: 30.0% – 44.5%
- Explore Home Improvement Store neighborhoods in Boston →
9. Chicago Metro: Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN
- Best locations: 68.1% – 90.0%
- Average locations: 47.8% – 54.9%
- Challenging locations: 31.0% – 44.4%
- Explore Home Improvement Store neighborhoods in Chicago →
10. San Francisco Metro: San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA
- Best locations: 67.2% – 88.0%
- Average locations: 47.8% – 54.7%
- Challenging locations: 31.0% – 44.4%
- Explore Home Improvement Store neighborhoods in San Francisco →
11. Washington DC Metro: Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
- Best locations: 68.5% – 91.0%
- Average locations: 47.7% – 54.9%
- Challenging locations: 31.0% – 44.3%
- Explore Home Improvement Store neighborhoods in Washington DC →
12. Baltimore Metro: Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD
- Best locations: 67.8% – 90.0%
- Average locations: 47.6% – 54.5%
- Challenging locations: 32.0% – 44.4%
- Explore Home Improvement Store neighborhoods in Baltimore →
Reading the gap from #1 to the median city
13. Philadelphia Metro: Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD
- Best locations: 67.7% – 90.0%
- Average locations: 46.9% – 54.3%
- Challenging locations: 28.0% – 43.0%
- Explore Home Improvement Store neighborhoods in Philadelphia →
14. Dallas Metro: Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
- Best locations: 66.7% – 88.0%
- Average locations: 47.5% – 54.0%
- Challenging locations: 34.0% – 44.7%
- Explore Home Improvement Store neighborhoods in Dallas →
15. San Diego Metro: San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA
- Best locations: 67.2% – 89.0%
- Average locations: 47.2% – 54.1%
- Challenging locations: 32.0% – 44.1%
- Explore Home Improvement Store neighborhoods in San Diego →
16. Atlanta Metro: Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA
- Best locations: 67.1% – 89.0%
- Average locations: 46.9% – 54.0%
- Challenging locations: 30.0% – 43.5%
- Explore Home Improvement Store neighborhoods in Atlanta →
17. San Antonio Metro: San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX
- Best locations: 67.6% – 90.0%
- Average locations: 47.4% – 54.1%
- Challenging locations: 34.0% – 44.7%
- Explore Home Improvement Store neighborhoods in San Antonio →
18. Denver Metro: Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO
- Best locations: 66.6% – 88.0%
- Average locations: 46.9% – 53.8%
- Challenging locations: 30.0% – 43.4%
- Explore Home Improvement Store neighborhoods in Denver →
19. Detroit Metro: Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI
- Best locations: 67.1% – 90.0%
- Average locations: 45.8% – 53.3%
- Challenging locations: 27.0% – 41.9%
- Explore Home Improvement Store neighborhoods in Detroit →
20. Charlotte Metro: Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC
- Best locations: 66.6% – 89.0%
- Average locations: 46.1% – 53.1%
- Challenging locations: 31.0% – 43.0%
- Explore Home Improvement Store neighborhoods in Charlotte →
21. Seattle Metro: Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA
- Best locations: 66.5% – 89.0%
- Average locations: 46.0% – 53.0%
- Challenging locations: 31.0% – 42.9%
- Explore Home Improvement Store neighborhoods in Seattle →
22. St Louis
- Best locations: 66.9% – 90.0%
- Average locations: 45.7% – 53.0%
- Challenging locations: 29.0% – 42.3%
- Explore Home Improvement Store neighborhoods in St Louis →
23. Minneapolis Metro: Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI
- Best locations: 66.0% – 88.0%
- Average locations: 45.8% – 52.8%
- Challenging locations: 30.0% – 42.6%
- Explore Home Improvement Store neighborhoods in Minneapolis →
24. Portland Metro: Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA
- Best locations: 66.8% – 90.0%
- Average locations: 46.0% – 52.8%
- Challenging locations: 33.0% – 43.3%
- Explore Home Improvement Store neighborhoods in Portland →
Key Insights
| Signal | Where strong-survivability cities outperform | What drags weaker cities down |
|---|---|---|
| BLS QCEW retail employment trend | Cities with positive 3-year retail employment growth — proxy for local demand expansion. | Cities showing flat or declining retail employment over the same window. |
| 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. |
| Climate-driven seasonality | Cities where the subtype's peak season aligns with the local climate calendar (e.g., year-round outdoor dining in mild markets). | Cities with extreme seasonality that compresses revenue into 4–6 month windows. |
Wide variation between cities: The difference between the #1 city (Miami at 55.1%) and the #24 city (Portland at 47.8%) is 7.4 percentage points. For Home Improvement Stores, a 2.4-point difference between the top two cities underscores how much geographic selection influences long-term viability.
Where this ranking confirms the conventional wisdom
Challenging markets: 24 cities fall below 60% survivability, suggesting more difficult market conditions.
National average: Across all 24 analyzed cities, the average survivability for a Home Improvement Store is 50.0%.
What the Leaders Share
The top-ranked cities share several characteristics that favor Home Improvement Stores:
- Strong survivability signals: Miami leads with a 55% average survivability score for Home Improvement Stores — significantly above the national average for this business category.
- Competition density: The top cities show favorable competitor-to-opportunity ratios for Home Improvement Stores, 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 Home Improvement Stores in these markets.
- Neighborhood diversity: Within each top city, high-survivability zones appear across multiple neighborhood types — from dense urban cores to established suburban strips.
This analysis leverages machine learning trained on hundreds of thousands of business lifecycle events to produce reliable survivability forecasts. Our models are built using machine learning trained on millions of commercial real estate data points. Every forecast is powered by StreetSpring's private data models.
Visual Data
Related Resources
City-specific guides: For detailed neighborhood-level analysis, explore our city guides:
- Survivability Rankings for Home Improvement Store in Miami
- Business Survivability Rankings: Miami
- Survivability Rankings for Home Improvement Store in New York City
- Business Survivability Rankings: New York City
- Survivability Rankings for Home Improvement Store in Phoenix
- Business Survivability Rankings: Phoenix
- Survivability Rankings for Home Improvement Store in Houston
- Business Survivability Rankings: Houston
- Survivability Rankings for Home Improvement Store in Tampa Bay
- Business Survivability Rankings: Tampa Bay
National guides:
- National Neighborhood Survivability Rankings for Home Improvement Stores
- 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 Home Improvement Stores, 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 Home Improvement Stores?
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 Home Improvement Stores in cities that don't appear in our top 10. Home Improvement Stores 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 Home Improvement Store?
StreetSpring's Survivability Score tool provides address-level predictions for Home Improvement Stores across all 24 metros we track. For this category specifically, the tool surfaces competition density, consumer spending index for Home Improvement Stores, and commercial vacancy rates — the factors that most consistently predict whether a Home Improvement Store 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 Home Improvement Stores?
Miami ranks as the #1 city in the US for Home Improvement Stores survivability in StreetSpring's 2026 analysis, with an average score of 55%. This means that across well-selected neighborhoods in Miami, a Home Improvement Store has approximately a 55% chance of still operating after two years — above the national average for this category. New York City ranks second, followed by Phoenix. 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 by Bobby Koons, Founder & CEO, StreetSpring — May 11, 2026
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, New York City, Phoenix, Houston, Tampa Bay, Orlando, Los Angeles, Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, Washington DC, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Dallas, San Diego, Atlanta, San Antonio, Denver, Detroit, Charlotte, Seattle, St Louis, Minneapolis, Portland.