City Survivability Rankings for Nail Salon
StreetSpring's 2026 analysis ranks the top cities for Nail Salons across the US by Survivability Scores. See which cities offer the best chances for a Nail Salon to succeed.
Quick Summary
- The highest-survivability city for Nail Salon is Portland — 76% average survivability
- 9 of 11 analyzed US metros score above 70% for Nail Salon survivability
- The lowest-ranked city is Baltimore at 68%
- National average survivability score for Nail Salon: 72.2%
- Data reflects 2026 StreetSpring survivability analysis across 11 US metro areas · Full methodology →
Table of Contents
- Summary
- Top Cities for Nail Salons
- Key Insights
- What Makes These Cities Stand Out?
- Related Resources
- How current is this ranking?
- Can a Nail Salon succeed in cities not ranked in the top 10?
- What tools can help me choose the right city for a Nail Salon?
- Which US city has the best survivability for Nail Salon?
Summary
According to StreetSpring's 2026 nationwide analysis, Portland ranks as the #1 city for opening a Nail Salon in the United States, with an average 76% chance of surviving more than 2 years. Following close behind are Tampa Bay with 75%, and Chicago with 75%. Nail Salons sit at a national average of 72.2% survivability across our 11-city analysis, with Portland leading the field by a meaningful margin. Location-level factors like visibility, foot traffic, and adjacent tenants can override city-level trends in either direction. The best way to use these rankings is as a starting point — layer in your own market research and local knowledge before committing.
Survivability ranges reflect best and worst storefront conditions within each city. See our full methodology →
Nail Salon city survivability rankings — Portland leads among 11 US metros at 76% in 2026
Top 10 Cities for Nail Salons
Based on StreetSpring's analysis of 11 major metropolitan areas, these cities offer the strongest prospects for Nail Salons:
1. Portland
- Best locations: 82.6% – 91.0%
- Average locations: 72.9% – 77.6%
- Challenging locations: 52.0% – 68.7%
- Explore Nail Salon neighborhoods in Portland →
2. Tampa Bay
- Best locations: 82.2% – 91.0%
- Average locations: 71.8% – 76.9%
- Challenging locations: 49.0% – 67.2%
- Explore Nail Salon neighborhoods in Tampa Bay →
3. Chicago
- Best locations: 82.1% – 91.0%
- Average locations: 72.1% – 76.8%
- Challenging locations: 52.0% – 68.0%
- Explore Nail Salon neighborhoods in Chicago →
4. Philadelphia
- Best locations: 83.1% – 94.0%
- Average locations: 71.4% – 76.5%
- Challenging locations: 51.0% – 67.2%
- Explore Nail Salon neighborhoods in Philadelphia →
5. San Antonio
- Best locations: 81.2% – 90.0%
- Average locations: 71.2% – 75.9%
- Challenging locations: 51.0% – 67.1%
- Explore Nail Salon neighborhoods in San Antonio →
6. San Diego
- Best locations: 80.4% – 91.0%
- Average locations: 68.8% – 74.1%
- Challenging locations: 47.0% – 64.3%
- Explore Nail Salon neighborhoods in San Diego →
7. Charlotte
- Best locations: 78.4% – 87.0%
- Average locations: 68.8% – 73.3%
- Challenging locations: 50.0% – 65.0%
- Explore Nail Salon neighborhoods in Charlotte →
8. Atlanta
- Best locations: 78.2% – 88.0%
- Average locations: 67.7% – 72.4%
- Challenging locations: 49.0% – 63.9%
- Explore Nail Salon neighborhoods in Atlanta →
9. Denver
- Best locations: 78.1% – 88.0%
- Average locations: 67.7% – 72.2%
- Challenging locations: 51.0% – 64.3%
- Explore Nail Salon neighborhoods in Denver →
10. St Louis
- Best locations: 79.4% – 92.0%
- Average locations: 65.8% – 71.8%
- Challenging locations: 42.0% – 60.9%
- Explore Nail Salon neighborhoods in St Louis →
Key Insights
Wide variation between cities: The difference between the #1 city (Portland at 75.8%) and the #10 city (St Louis at 69.0%) is 6.8 percentage points. This 0.9-point spread between #1 and #2 city suggests meaningful geographic variation in Nail Salons viability — city selection matters significantly for this category.
National average: Across all 11 analyzed cities, the average survivability for a Nail Salon is 72.2%.
What Makes These Cities Stand Out?
The top-ranked cities share several characteristics that favor Nail Salons:
- Strong survivability signals: Portland leads with a 76% average survivability score for Nail Salons — significantly above the national average for this business category.
- Competition density: The top cities show favorable competitor-to-opportunity ratios for Nail Salons, 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 Nail Salons in these markets.
- Foot traffic infrastructure: High-scoring cities combine transit access, walkable commercial corridors, and anchor tenants that drive consistent daily traffic past storefronts.
Our survivability predictions are built on one of the largest commercial real estate datasets available, covering 24 major metros. We incorporate data from thousands of neighborhoods and hundreds of thousands of individual businesses. Every forecast is powered by StreetSpring's private data models.
Related Resources
City-specific guides: For detailed neighborhood-level analysis, explore our city guides:
- Survivability Rankings for Nail Salon in Portland
- Business Survivability Rankings: Portland
- Survivability Rankings for Nail Salon in Tampa Bay
- Business Survivability Rankings: Tampa Bay
- Survivability Rankings for Nail Salon in Chicago
- Business Survivability Rankings: Chicago
- Survivability Rankings for Nail Salon in Philadelphia
- Business Survivability Rankings: Philadelphia
- Survivability Rankings for Nail Salon in San Antonio
- Business Survivability Rankings: San Antonio
National guides:
- National Neighborhood Survivability Rankings for Nail Salons
- 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 Nail Salons, 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 Nail Salon 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 Nail Salons in cities that don't appear in our top 10. Nail Salons 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 Nail Salon?
StreetSpring's Survivability Score tool provides address-level predictions for Nail Salons across all 11 metros we track. For this category specifically, the tool surfaces competition density, consumer spending index for Nail Salons, and commercial vacancy rates — the factors that most consistently predict whether a Nail Salon 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 Nail Salon?
Portland ranks as the #1 city in the US for Nail Salon survivability in StreetSpring's 2026 analysis, with an average score of 76%. This means that across well-selected neighborhoods in Portland, a Nail Salon has approximately a 76% chance of still operating after two years — above the national average for this category. Tampa Bay ranks second, followed by Chicago. 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: Portland, Tampa Bay, Chicago, Philadelphia, San Antonio, San Diego, Charlotte, Atlanta, Denver, St Louis, Baltimore.