City Survivability Rankings for Smoke Shop

Quick Summary

• Survivability Score: the projected chance a business type lasts two or more years at a specific address
• The highest-survivability city for Smoke Shop is San Antonio — 79.02% average survivability
• 24 of 24 analyzed US metros score above 70% for Smoke Shop survivability
• The lowest-ranked city is Dallas at 76.73%
• National average chance of lasting two or more years for Smoke Shop: 78.0%
• Data reflects 2026 StreetSpring survivability analysis across 24 US metro areas · Full methodology →

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Table of Contents

• Summary
• Top Cities for Smoke Shops
• Key Insights
• What Makes These Cities Stand Out?
• Best Neighborhoods Across the Spectrum
• Related Resources
• How current is this ranking?
• Can a Smoke Shop succeed in cities not ranked in the top 10?
• What tools can help me choose the right city for a Smoke Shop?
• Which US city has the best survivability for Smoke Shops?

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Summary

According to StreetSpring's 2026 nationwide analysis, San Antonio ranks as the #1 city for opening a Smoke Shop in the United States, with an average 79.02% chance of surviving more than 2 years. Following close behind are Miami with 78.87%, and Orlando with 78.69%. Smoke Shops consistently deliver a 78.0% survivability average across our 24 analyzed metros, with top-ranked San Antonio demonstrating the strongest conditions. City-wide statistics are directional, not definitive; the best decision comes from analyzing your specific storefront. These rankings reflect data through early 2026 — check StreetSpring for the latest figures before any location decision.

Survivability ranges reflect best and worst storefront conditions within each city. See our full methodology →

Best-to-worst Smoke Shop survivability within individual metros — San Antonio, Miami, Charlotte, San Francisco and Dallas. Each box spans the middle of that metro's range; whiskers are its best and worst locations (2026).

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All 24 Cities Ranked for Smoke Shops

Based on StreetSpring's analysis of 24 major metropolitan areas, these cities offer the strongest prospects for Smoke Shops:

1. San Antonio Metro: San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX

• Best locations: 82.0% – 85.0%
• Average locations: 78.0% – 80.0%
• Challenging locations: 66.0% – 75.0%

2. Miami Metro: Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL

• Best locations: 82.0% – 85.0%
• Average locations: 78.0% – 80.0%
• Challenging locations: 67.0% – 76.0%

3. Orlando Metro: Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL

• Best locations: 82.0% – 85.0%
• Average locations: 77.0% – 80.0%
• Challenging locations: 66.0% – 75.0%

4. Tampa Bay Metro: Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL

• Best locations: 82.0% – 85.0%
• Average locations: 77.0% – 80.0%
• Challenging locations: 63.0% – 74.0%

5. Portland Metro: Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA

• Best locations: 82.0% – 85.0%
• Average locations: 77.0% – 80.0%
• Challenging locations: 64.0% – 75.0%

6. Phoenix Metro: Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ

• Best locations: 82.0% – 85.0%
• Average locations: 77.0% – 80.0%
• Challenging locations: 64.0% – 75.0%

7. Charlotte Metro: Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC

• Best locations: 82.0% – 85.0%
• Average locations: 77.0% – 79.0%
• Challenging locations: 65.0% – 75.0%
• Explore Smoke Shop neighborhoods in Charlotte →

8. St Louis

• Best locations: 82.0% – 85.0%
• Average locations: 77.0% – 80.0%
• Challenging locations: 61.0% – 74.0%

9. San Diego Metro: San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA

• Best locations: 81.0% – 85.0%
• Average locations: 77.0% – 79.0%
• Challenging locations: 65.0% – 74.0%

10. Houston Metro: Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX

• Best locations: 81.0% – 85.0%
• Average locations: 76.0% – 79.0%
• Challenging locations: 65.0% – 74.0%

11. Detroit Metro: Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI

• Best locations: 82.0% – 85.0%
• Average locations: 76.0% – 79.0%
• Challenging locations: 62.0% – 73.0%

12. Los Angeles Metro: Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA

• Best locations: 82.0% – 85.0%
• Average locations: 76.0% – 79.0%
• Challenging locations: 61.0% – 73.0%

13. Baltimore Metro: Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD

• Best locations: 82.0% – 85.0%
• Average locations: 76.0% – 79.0%
• Challenging locations: 62.0% – 73.0%
• Explore Smoke Shop neighborhoods in Baltimore →

14. Atlanta Metro: Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA

• Best locations: 82.0% – 85.0%
• Average locations: 76.0% – 79.0%
• Challenging locations: 62.0% – 73.0%
• Explore Smoke Shop neighborhoods in Atlanta →

15. Washington DC Metro: Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV

• Best locations: 81.0% – 85.0%
• Average locations: 76.0% – 79.0%
• Challenging locations: 64.0% – 74.0%

16. Philadelphia Metro: Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD

• Best locations: 81.0% – 85.0%
• Average locations: 76.0% – 79.0%
• Challenging locations: 62.0% – 73.0%

17. Minneapolis Metro: Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI

• Best locations: 81.0% – 85.0%
• Average locations: 76.0% – 79.0%
• Challenging locations: 63.0% – 73.0%

18. Denver Metro: Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO

• Best locations: 81.0% – 85.0%
• Average locations: 76.0% – 78.0%
• Challenging locations: 64.0% – 74.0%

19. New York City Metro: New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ

• Best locations: 81.0% – 85.0%
• Average locations: 76.0% – 79.0%
• Challenging locations: 62.0% – 73.0%

20. San Francisco Metro: San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA

• Best locations: 81.0% – 85.0%
• Average locations: 76.0% – 79.0%
• Challenging locations: 63.0% – 73.0%

21. Chicago Metro: Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN

• Best locations: 81.0% – 85.0%
• Average locations: 76.0% – 79.0%
• Challenging locations: 63.0% – 73.0%
• Explore Smoke Shop neighborhoods in Chicago →

22. Boston Metro: Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH

• Best locations: 81.0% – 85.0%
• Average locations: 76.0% – 78.0%
• Challenging locations: 64.0% – 73.0%
• Explore Smoke Shop neighborhoods in Boston →

23. Seattle Metro: Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA

• Best locations: 81.0% – 85.0%
• Average locations: 76.0% – 78.0%
• Challenging locations: 64.0% – 73.0%

24. Dallas Metro: Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX

• Best locations: 80.0% – 83.0%
• Average locations: 76.0% – 78.0%
• Challenging locations: 66.0% – 74.0%
• Explore Smoke Shop neighborhoods in Dallas →

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Key Insights

Cities cluster tightly: The difference between the #1 city (San Antonio at 79.02%) and the #24 city (Dallas at 76.73%) is 2.29 percentage points. Smoke Shops show a 0.1-point difference between the top two metros. Treat this ranking as a starting filter, not a decision.

Strong performers: 3 cities show Survivability Scores above 80%, indicating highly favorable conditions for Smoke Shops.

National average: Across all 24 analyzed cities, the average survivability for a Smoke Shop is 78.0%.

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What Makes These Cities Stand Out?

The top-ranked cities share several characteristics that favor Smoke Shops:

• Strong survivability signals: San Antonio leads with a 79% average chance of lasting two or more years for Smoke Shops — significantly above the national average for this business category.
• Competition density: The top cities show favorable competitor-to-opportunity ratios for Smoke Shops, meaning lower saturation and higher odds of capturing an underserved customer base.
• 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.
• Economic conditions: All top-ranked cities show strong median household incomes and low vacancy rates in the neighborhoods where Smoke Shops perform best.

This analysis leverages machine learning trained on hundreds of thousands of business lifecycle events to produce reliable survivability forecasts. We have been studying the businesses serving more than 180 million+ Americans. Our proprietary models incorporate data sources not available through any public platform.

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Best Neighborhoods Across the Spectrum

Where you open matters more than which city ranks highest. The strongest neighborhoods for Smoke Shops can be found across the entire national distribution:

San Antonio — ranked #1 nationally — the strongest market for Smoke Shops

• Downtown (76% survivability)
• Tobin-Hill (75% survivability)
• New-Braunfels (74% survivability)
• Southpark (74% survivability)
• Alta-Vista (73% survivability)

See full neighborhood rankings for San Antonio →

Dallas — ranked #24 of 24 — among the lower-ranked national markets

• Downtown (76% survivability)
• Oakhurst (76% survivability)
• Butler (76% survivability)
• Cottonwood (76% survivability)
• North-Side (76% survivability)

See full neighborhood rankings for Dallas →

These examples show that a city's national rank for Smoke Shops is a starting signal — neighborhood-level data is what drives an actual location decision.

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Visual Data

Related Resources

City-specific guides: For detailed neighborhood-level analysis, explore our city guides:

• Business Survivability Rankings: San Antonio
• Business Survivability Rankings: Miami
• Business Survivability Rankings: Orlando
• Business Survivability Rankings: Tampa Bay
• Business Survivability Rankings: Portland

National guides:

• National Neighborhood Survivability Rankings for Smoke Shops
• Neighborhood Survivability Rankings: San Antonio

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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 Smoke Shops, 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.

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Can a Smoke Shop 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 Smoke Shops in cities that don't appear in our top 10. Smoke Shops 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.

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What tools can help me choose the right city for a Smoke Shop?

StreetSpring's Survivability Score tool provides address-level predictions for Smoke Shops across all 24 metros we track. For this category specifically, the tool surfaces competition density, consumer spending index for Smoke Shops, and commercial vacancy rates — the factors that most consistently predict whether a Smoke Shop 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 →

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Which US city has the best survivability for Smoke Shops?

San Antonio ranks as the #1 city in the US for Smoke Shops survivability in StreetSpring's 2026 analysis, with an average 79% chance of lasting two or more years. This means that across well-selected neighborhoods in San Antonio, a Smoke Shop has approximately a 79% chance of still operating after two years — above the national average for this category. Miami ranks second, followed by Orlando. 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: September 2026 by Bobby Koons, Founder & CEO, StreetSpring

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Technical note: Aggregated national survivability rankings across all 24 metros are available in machine-readable format for research and integration purposes.

View national technical data

StreetSpring recalculates survivability using the latest competitive, demographic, and walkability 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: San Antonio, Miami, Orlando, Tampa Bay, Portland, Phoenix, Charlotte, St Louis, San Diego, Houston, Detroit, Los Angeles, Baltimore, Atlanta, Washington DC, Philadelphia, Minneapolis, Denver, New York City, San Francisco, Chicago, Boston, Seattle, Dallas.