City Survivability Rankings for Irish Pub
StreetSpring's 2026 analysis ranks the top cities for Irish Pubs across the US by Survivability Scores. See which cities offer the best chances for an Irish Pub to succeed.
Quick Summary
- The highest-survivability city for Irish Pub is Portland — 88% average survivability
- 24 of 24 analyzed US metros score above 70% for Irish Pub survivability
- The lowest-ranked city is New York City at 83%
- National average survivability score for Irish Pub: 85.8%
- Data reflects 2026 StreetSpring survivability analysis across 24 US metro areas · Full methodology →
Table of Contents
- Summary
- Top Cities for Irish Pubs
- Key Insights
- What Makes These Cities Stand Out?
- Best Neighborhoods Across the Spectrum
- Related Resources
- How current is this ranking?
- Can an Irish Pub succeed in cities not ranked in the top 10?
- What tools can help me choose the right city for an Irish Pub?
- Which US city has the best survivability for Irish Pubs?
Summary
According to StreetSpring's 2026 nationwide analysis, Portland ranks as the #1 city for opening an Irish Pub in the United States, with an average 88% chance of surviving more than 2 years. Following close behind are San Antonio with 88%, and St Louis with 88%. Of the 24 metros we analyzed for Irish Pubs, 24 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. 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 →
Irish Pub city survivability rankings — Portland leads among 24 US metros at 88% in 2026
Every Major US Metro Ranked for Irish Pubs
Based on StreetSpring's analysis of 24 major metropolitan areas, these cities offer the strongest prospects for Irish Pubs:
1. Portland Metro: Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA
- Best locations: 92.2% – 97.0%
- Average locations: 84.7% – 89.3%
- Challenging locations: 59.0% – 79.5%
- Explore Irish Pub neighborhoods in Portland →
What "city rank" hides about block-level reality
2. San Antonio Metro: San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX
- Best locations: 92.1% – 97.0%
- Average locations: 84.5% – 89.2%
- Challenging locations: 58.0% – 79.1%
- Explore Irish Pub neighborhoods in San Antonio →
3. St Louis
- Best locations: 92.0% – 97.0%
- Average locations: 84.4% – 88.9%
- Challenging locations: 59.0% – 79.2%
- Explore Irish Pub neighborhoods in St Louis →
4. Charlotte Metro: Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC
- Best locations: 91.6% – 97.0%
- Average locations: 83.6% – 88.4%
- Challenging locations: 57.0% – 78.2%
- Explore Irish Pub neighborhoods in Charlotte →
5. Orlando Metro: Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL
- Best locations: 91.6% – 97.0%
- Average locations: 83.7% – 88.4%
- Challenging locations: 58.0% – 78.4%
- Explore Irish Pub neighborhoods in Orlando →
6. Baltimore Metro: Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD
- Best locations: 91.2% – 97.0%
- Average locations: 83.3% – 87.7%
- Challenging locations: 60.0% – 78.5%
- Explore Irish Pub neighborhoods in Baltimore →
7. Phoenix Metro: Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ
- Best locations: 91.2% – 97.0%
- Average locations: 82.9% – 87.7%
- Challenging locations: 57.0% – 77.6%
- Explore Irish Pub neighborhoods in Phoenix →
8. Atlanta Metro: Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA
- Best locations: 91.1% – 97.0%
- Average locations: 82.9% – 87.6%
- Challenging locations: 58.0% – 77.8%
- Explore Irish Pub neighborhoods in Atlanta →
9. Detroit Metro: Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI
- Best locations: 91.0% – 97.0%
- Average locations: 82.9% – 87.5%
- Challenging locations: 59.0% – 78.0%
- Explore Irish Pub neighborhoods in Detroit →
10. Tampa Bay Metro: Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL
- Best locations: 91.0% – 97.0%
- Average locations: 82.5% – 87.4%
- Challenging locations: 56.0% – 77.1%
- Explore Irish Pub neighborhoods in Tampa Bay →
11. San Diego Metro: San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA
- Best locations: 90.9% – 97.0%
- Average locations: 82.6% – 87.3%
- Challenging locations: 58.0% – 77.6%
- Explore Irish Pub neighborhoods in San Diego →
12. Minneapolis Metro: Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI
- Best locations: 90.8% – 97.0%
- Average locations: 82.4% – 87.1%
- Challenging locations: 58.0% – 77.4%
- Explore Irish Pub neighborhoods in Minneapolis →
Where mid-ranked cities still beat top-ranked spots locally
13. San Francisco Metro: San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA
- Best locations: 90.8% – 97.0%
- Average locations: 82.2% – 87.0%
- Challenging locations: 57.0% – 77.1%
- Explore Irish Pub neighborhoods in San Francisco →
14. Dallas Metro: Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
- Best locations: 90.7% – 97.0%
- Average locations: 83.1% – 86.9%
- Challenging locations: 65.0% – 79.4%
- Explore Irish Pub neighborhoods in Dallas →
15. Houston Metro: Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX
- Best locations: 90.7% – 97.0%
- Average locations: 81.9% – 86.9%
- Challenging locations: 56.0% – 76.6%
- Explore Irish Pub neighborhoods in Houston →
16. Denver Metro: Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO
- Best locations: 90.6% – 97.0%
- Average locations: 81.9% – 86.7%
- Challenging locations: 57.0% – 76.8%
- Explore Irish Pub neighborhoods in Denver →
17. Los Angeles Metro: Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA
- Best locations: 90.5% – 97.0%
- Average locations: 81.7% – 86.7%
- Challenging locations: 56.0% – 76.5%
- Explore Irish Pub neighborhoods in Los Angeles →
18. Seattle Metro: Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA
- Best locations: 90.5% – 97.0%
- Average locations: 81.7% – 86.6%
- Challenging locations: 56.0% – 76.4%
- Explore Irish Pub neighborhoods in Seattle →
19. Boston Metro: Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH
- Best locations: 90.3% – 97.0%
- Average locations: 81.7% – 86.3%
- Challenging locations: 59.0% – 77.1%
- Explore Irish Pub neighborhoods in Boston →
20. Chicago Metro: Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN
- Best locations: 90.3% – 97.0%
- Average locations: 81.3% – 86.3%
- Challenging locations: 56.0% – 76.2%
- Explore Irish Pub neighborhoods in Chicago →
21. Miami Metro: Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL
- Best locations: 90.3% – 97.0%
- Average locations: 81.8% – 86.2%
- Challenging locations: 60.0% – 77.3%
- Explore Irish Pub neighborhoods in Miami →
22. Washington DC Metro: Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
- Best locations: 90.2% – 97.0%
- Average locations: 81.4% – 86.2%
- Challenging locations: 57.0% – 76.4%
- Explore Irish Pub neighborhoods in Washington DC →
23. Philadelphia Metro: Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD
- Best locations: 89.7% – 97.0%
- Average locations: 80.3% – 85.3%
- Challenging locations: 55.0% – 75.1%
- Explore Irish Pub neighborhoods in Philadelphia →
24. New York City Metro: New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ
- Best locations: 89.3% – 97.0%
- Average locations: 79.4% – 84.7%
- Challenging locations: 53.0% – 74.0%
- Explore Irish Pub neighborhoods in New York City →
Patterns Across the National Picture
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
Wide variation between cities: The difference between the #1 city (Portland at 88.2%) and the #24 city (New York City at 83.0%) is 5.3 percentage points. This 0.1-point spread between #1 and #2 city suggests meaningful geographic variation in Irish Pubs viability — city selection matters significantly for this category.
Three findings worth pulling out of the data
Strong performers: 24 cities show Survivability Scores above 80%, indicating highly favorable conditions for Irish Pubs.
National average: Across all 24 analyzed cities, the average survivability for an Irish Pub is 85.8%.
Why Top-Ranked Cities Outperform
The top-ranked cities share several characteristics that favor Irish Pubs:
- Strong survivability signals: Portland leads with a 88% average survivability score for Irish Pubs — significantly above the national average for this business category.
- Competition density: The top cities show favorable competitor-to-opportunity ratios for Irish Pubs, 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 Irish Pubs perform best.
- Neighborhood diversity: Within each top city, high-survivability zones appear across multiple neighborhood types — from dense urban cores to established suburban strips.
Our AI platform forecasts business outcomes at the address level — giving entrepreneurs and landlords alike a data-driven edge. The analysis behind these rankings spans millions of data points across competition, spending, and mobility. The prediction engine behind these rankings is entirely proprietary — developed in-house over years of research.
Where Irish Pubs Thrive Within Each City
National rankings tell only part of the story. Even cities further down the list contain neighborhoods where Irish Pubs thrive. A few examples:
Portland — ranked #1 nationally — the strongest market for Irish Pubs
- Greenway (64% survivability)
- Richmond (63% survivability)
- Sunnyside (63% survivability)
- Arnada (62% survivability)
- Hollywood (61% survivability)
See full neighborhood rankings for Portland →
San Francisco — ranked #13 of 24 — a middle-of-the-pack national market
- Chinatown (77% survivability)
- Yerba-Buena (77% survivability)
- Tenderloin (77% survivability)
- Nob-Hill (76% survivability)
- Cow-Hollow (75% survivability)
See full neighborhood rankings for San Francisco →
New York City — ranked #24 of 24 — among the lower-ranked national markets
- Murray-Hill (81% survivability)
- Noho (79% survivability)
- Garment-District (79% survivability)
- Chinatown (78% survivability)
- Midtown (78% survivability)
See full neighborhood rankings for New York City →
These examples show that a city's national rank for Irish Pubs is a starting signal — neighborhood-level data is what drives an actual location decision.
Visual Data
Related Resources
City-specific guides: For detailed neighborhood-level analysis, explore our city guides:
- Survivability Rankings for Irish Pub in Portland
- Business Survivability Rankings: Portland
- Survivability Rankings for Irish Pub in San Antonio
- Business Survivability Rankings: San Antonio
- Survivability Rankings for Irish Pub in St Louis
- Business Survivability Rankings: St Louis
- Survivability Rankings for Irish Pub in Charlotte
- Business Survivability Rankings: Charlotte
- Survivability Rankings for Irish Pub in Orlando
- Business Survivability Rankings: Orlando
National guides:
- National Neighborhood Survivability Rankings for Irish Pubs
- Neighborhood Survivability Rankings: Portland
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 Irish Pubs, 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 Irish Pubs 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 Irish Pubs in cities that don't appear in our top 10. Irish Pubs 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 an Irish Pub?
StreetSpring's Survivability Score tool provides address-level predictions for Irish Pubs across all 24 metros we track. For this category specifically, the tool surfaces competition density, consumer spending index for Irish Pubs, and commercial vacancy rates — the factors that most consistently predict whether an Irish Pub 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 Irish Pubs?
Portland ranks as the #1 city in the US for Irish Pubs survivability in StreetSpring's 2026 analysis, with an average score of 88%. This means that across well-selected neighborhoods in Portland, an Irish Pub has approximately a 88% chance of still operating after two years — above the national average for this category. San Antonio 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.
Reviewed and updated: April 29, 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: Portland, San Antonio, St Louis, Charlotte, Orlando, Baltimore, Phoenix, Atlanta, Detroit, Tampa Bay, San Diego, Minneapolis, San Francisco, Dallas, Houston, Denver, Los Angeles, Seattle, Boston, Chicago, Miami, Washington DC, Philadelphia, New York City.