City Survivability Rankings for Pet Boarding Facility
StreetSpring's 2026 analysis ranks the top cities for Pet Boarding Facilities across the US by Survivability Scores. See which cities offer the best chances for a Pet Boarding Facility to succeed.
Quick Summary
- The highest-survivability city for Pet Boarding Facility is Portland — 81% average survivability
- 24 of 24 analyzed US metros score above 70% for Pet Boarding Facility survivability
- The lowest-ranked city is Philadelphia at 75%
- National average survivability score for Pet Boarding Facility: 77.5%
- Data reflects 2026 StreetSpring survivability analysis across 24 US metro areas · Full methodology →
Table of Contents
- Summary
- Top Cities for Pet Boarding Facilities
- Key Insights
- What Makes These Cities Stand Out?
- Related Resources
- How current is this ranking?
- Can a Pet Boarding Facility succeed in cities not ranked in the top 10?
- What tools can help me choose the right city for a Pet Boarding Facility?
- Which US city has the best survivability for Pet Boarding Facilities?
Summary
According to StreetSpring's 2026 nationwide analysis, Portland ranks as the #1 city for opening a Pet Boarding Facility in the United States, with an average 81% chance of surviving more than 2 years. Following close behind are San Antonio with 80%, and Phoenix with 80%. The national picture for Pet Boarding Facilities shows 77.5% average survivability across 24 cities, with the gap between Portland and lower-ranked metros revealing significant geographic variation. Individual locations vary widely; even in lower-scoring cities there are neighborhoods that perform exceptionally well. 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 →
Pet Boarding Facility city survivability rankings — Portland leads among 24 US metros at 81% in 2026
The 24-City Survivability Index for Pet Boarding Facilities
Based on StreetSpring's analysis of 24 major metropolitan areas, these cities offer the strongest prospects for Pet Boarding Facilities:
1. Portland Metro: Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA
- Best locations: 86.2% – 93.0%
- Average locations: 77.0% – 82.1%
- Challenging locations: 51.0% – 71.7%
What "city rank" hides about block-level reality
2. San Antonio Metro: San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX
- Best locations: 86.5% – 94.0%
- Average locations: 76.8% – 82.1%
- Challenging locations: 50.0% – 71.3%
3. Phoenix Metro: Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ
- Best locations: 85.8% – 93.0%
- Average locations: 75.6% – 81.4%
- Challenging locations: 44.0% – 69.1%
4. Tampa Bay Metro: Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL
- Best locations: 86.4% – 95.0%
- Average locations: 75.1% – 81.2%
- Challenging locations: 44.0% – 68.7%
5. St Louis
- Best locations: 85.4% – 93.0%
- Average locations: 74.3% – 80.9%
- Challenging locations: 38.0% – 66.9%
6. Charlotte Metro: Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC
- Best locations: 86.2% – 95.0%
- Average locations: 74.8% – 80.9%
- Challenging locations: 44.0% – 68.5%
7. Miami Metro: Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL
- Best locations: 86.1% – 95.0%
- Average locations: 75.5% – 80.7%
- Challenging locations: 51.0% – 70.5%
8. Orlando Metro: Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL
- Best locations: 86.1% – 95.0%
- Average locations: 74.9% – 80.7%
- Challenging locations: 47.0% – 69.2%
9. Baltimore Metro: Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD
- Best locations: 85.4% – 94.0%
- Average locations: 74.7% – 80.2%
- Challenging locations: 48.0% – 69.2%
10. Houston Metro: Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX
- Best locations: 85.0% – 94.0%
- Average locations: 73.5% – 79.6%
- Challenging locations: 43.0% – 67.2%
11. Los Angeles Metro: Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA
- Best locations: 85.4% – 95.0%
- Average locations: 72.6% – 79.7%
- Challenging locations: 36.0% – 65.1%
12. San Diego Metro: San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA
- Best locations: 83.5% – 91.0%
- Average locations: 73.7% – 79.0%
- Challenging locations: 47.0% – 68.2%
Where mid-ranked cities still beat top-ranked spots locally
13. Atlanta Metro: Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA
- Best locations: 84.8% – 94.0%
- Average locations: 73.5% – 79.3%
- Challenging locations: 46.0% – 67.9%
- Explore Pet Boarding Facility neighborhoods in Atlanta →
14. Detroit Metro: Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI
- Best locations: 84.3% – 93.0%
- Average locations: 73.3% – 79.0%
- Challenging locations: 45.0% – 67.5%
15. San Francisco Metro: San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA
- Best locations: 83.7% – 92.0%
- Average locations: 73.0% – 78.7%
- Challenging locations: 45.0% – 67.3%
16. Denver Metro: Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO
- Best locations: 84.5% – 94.0%
- Average locations: 73.0% – 78.8%
- Challenging locations: 46.0% – 67.5%
17. Washington DC Metro: Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
- Best locations: 84.8% – 95.0%
- Average locations: 72.9% – 78.7%
- Challenging locations: 46.0% – 67.4%
18. Minneapolis Metro: Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI
- Best locations: 84.2% – 94.0%
- Average locations: 72.3% – 78.4%
- Challenging locations: 43.0% – 66.3%
19. New York City Metro: New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ
- Best locations: 84.4% – 95.0%
- Average locations: 72.0% – 78.1%
- Challenging locations: 44.0% – 66.3%
20. Chicago Metro: Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN
- Best locations: 83.9% – 94.0%
- Average locations: 72.1% – 77.9%
- Challenging locations: 46.0% – 66.8%
21. Boston Metro: Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH
- Best locations: 83.5% – 93.0%
- Average locations: 72.2% – 77.7%
- Challenging locations: 47.0% – 67.1%
22. Dallas Metro: Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
- Best locations: 82.6% – 91.0%
- Average locations: 73.0% – 77.5%
- Challenging locations: 54.0% – 69.1%
23. Seattle Metro: Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA
- Best locations: 82.9% – 92.0%
- Average locations: 72.1% – 77.4%
- Challenging locations: 48.0% – 67.2%
24. Philadelphia Metro: Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD
- Best locations: 83.7% – 94.0%
- Average locations: 70.7% – 77.4%
- Challenging locations: 38.0% – 64.0%
Top Findings From the City Rankings
| 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. |
| 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%. |
| Cross-subtype clustering | Cities where the subtype clusters near complementary categories (e.g., coffee shops near coworking + gyms). | Cities where the subtype is dispersed across isolated storefronts without supporting foot-traffic. |
Wide variation between cities: The difference between the #1 city (Portland at 80.6%) and the #24 city (Philadelphia at 75.2%) is 5.4 percentage points. This 0.2-point variation between the #1 and #2 cities is below average for the category, suggesting that Pet Boarding Facilities are particularly responsive to local market conditions.
Three findings worth pulling out of the data
Strong performers: 2 cities show Survivability Scores above 80%, indicating highly favorable conditions for Pet Boarding Facilities.
National average: Across all 24 analyzed cities, the average survivability for a Pet Boarding Facility is 77.5%.
What's Driving the Strongest Markets
The top-ranked cities share several characteristics that favor Pet Boarding Facilities:
- Strong survivability signals: Portland leads with a 81% average survivability score for Pet Boarding Facilities — significantly above the national average for this business category.
- Competition density: The top cities show favorable competitor-to-opportunity ratios for Pet Boarding Facilities, meaning lower saturation and higher odds of capturing an underserved customer base.
- Neighborhood diversity: Within each top city, high-survivability zones appear across multiple neighborhood types — from dense urban cores to established suburban strips.
- Supply chain access: Cities at the top of this ranking benefit from mature supplier networks for this category, reducing operating costs and inventory lead times.
The predictions here are powered by AI models validated against actual business outcomes nationwide. We incorporate data from thousands of neighborhoods and hundreds of thousands of individual businesses. Our forecasting system combines proprietary data with machine learning models unavailable anywhere else.
Related Resources
City-specific guides: For detailed neighborhood-level analysis, explore our city guides:
- Business Survivability Rankings: Portland
- Business Survivability Rankings: San Antonio
- Business Survivability Rankings: Phoenix
- Business Survivability Rankings: Tampa Bay
- Business Survivability Rankings: St Louis
National guides:
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 Pet Boarding Facilities, 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.
Should a Pet Boarding Facility avoid cities ranked below 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 Pet Boarding Facilities in cities that don't appear in our top 10. Pet Boarding Facilities 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 Pet Boarding Facility?
StreetSpring's Survivability Score tool provides address-level predictions for Pet Boarding Facilities across all 24 metros we track. For this category specifically, the tool surfaces competition density, consumer spending index for Pet Boarding Facilities, and commercial vacancy rates — the factors that most consistently predict whether a Pet Boarding Facility 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 Pet Boarding Facilities?
Portland ranks as the #1 city in the US for Pet Boarding Facilities survivability in StreetSpring's 2026 analysis, with an average score of 81%. This means that across well-selected neighborhoods in Portland, a Pet Boarding Facility has approximately a 81% chance of still operating after two years — above the national average for this category. San Antonio 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.
Reviewed and updated: May 8, 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, Phoenix, Tampa Bay, St Louis, Charlotte, Miami, Orlando, Baltimore, Houston, Los Angeles, San Diego, Atlanta, Detroit, San Francisco, Denver, Washington DC, Minneapolis, New York City, Chicago, Boston, Dallas, Seattle, Philadelphia.