City Survivability Rankings for Smoke Shop
StreetSpring's 2026 analysis ranks the top cities for Smoke Shops across the US by Survivability Scores. See which cities offer the best chances for a Smoke Shop to succeed.
Quick Summary
- The highest-survivability city for Smoke Shop is San Antonio — 80% average survivability
- 24 of 24 analyzed US metros score above 70% for Smoke Shop survivability
- The lowest-ranked city is Dallas at 75%
- National average survivability score for Smoke Shop: 77.9%
- Data reflects 2026 StreetSpring survivability analysis across 24 US metro areas · Full methodology →
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?
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 80% chance of surviving more than 2 years. Following close behind are Portland with 80%, and Tampa Bay with 80%. Our 24-city dataset shows Smoke Shops achieving 77.9% average survivability nationally — San Antonio pulling notably ahead of the pack. Remember that a city's average score smooths over wide variation — your exact neighborhood could significantly outperform the city average. 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 →
Smoke Shop city survivability rankings — San Antonio leads among 24 US metros at 80% in 2026
Every Major US Metro 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: 87.4% – 96.0%
- Average locations: 76.8% – 82.3%
- Challenging locations: 50.0% – 71.3%
Where the top 5 cluster, and the surprising outliers
2. Portland Metro: Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA
- Best locations: 86.0% – 93.0%
- Average locations: 76.2% – 81.8%
- Challenging locations: 46.0% – 70.0%
3. Tampa Bay Metro: Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL
- Best locations: 86.9% – 95.0%
- Average locations: 76.0% – 82.0%
- Challenging locations: 45.0% – 69.6%
4. St Louis
- Best locations: 86.1% – 94.0%
- Average locations: 74.8% – 81.4%
- Challenging locations: 39.0% – 67.5%
5. Phoenix Metro: Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ
- Best locations: 86.1% – 94.0%
- Average locations: 75.7% – 81.4%
- Challenging locations: 47.0% – 69.9%
6. Orlando Metro: Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL
- Best locations: 86.6% – 95.0%
- Average locations: 76.1% – 81.5%
- Challenging locations: 50.0% – 70.7%
7. Miami Metro: Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL
- Best locations: 86.5% – 95.0%
- Average locations: 76.6% – 81.5%
- Challenging locations: 54.0% – 71.9%
8. Charlotte Metro: Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC
- Best locations: 85.7% – 94.0%
- Average locations: 75.4% – 80.8%
- Challenging locations: 49.0% – 70.0%
9. Los Angeles Metro: Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA
- Best locations: 85.8% – 95.0%
- Average locations: 73.7% – 80.3%
- Challenging locations: 40.0% – 66.8%
10. Detroit Metro: Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI
- Best locations: 85.4% – 94.0%
- Average locations: 73.9% – 80.2%
- Challenging locations: 42.0% – 67.4%
11. San Diego Metro: San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA
- Best locations: 84.7% – 93.0%
- Average locations: 74.3% – 79.7%
- Challenging locations: 48.0% – 69.0%
12. Baltimore Metro: Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD
- Best locations: 85.5% – 95.0%
- Average locations: 73.6% – 79.8%
- Challenging locations: 43.0% – 67.3%
Reading the gap from #1 to the median city
13. Atlanta Metro: Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA
- Best locations: 85.4% – 95.0%
- Average locations: 73.4% – 79.6%
- Challenging locations: 43.0% – 67.2%
- Explore Smoke Shop neighborhoods in Atlanta →
14. Houston Metro: Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX
- Best locations: 84.9% – 94.0%
- Average locations: 74.0% – 79.5%
- Challenging locations: 48.0% – 68.7%
15. Philadelphia Metro: Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD
- Best locations: 85.1% – 95.0%
- Average locations: 73.0% – 79.2%
- Challenging locations: 43.0% – 66.8%
16. San Francisco Metro: San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA
- Best locations: 83.7% – 92.0%
- Average locations: 73.0% – 78.7%
- Challenging locations: 44.0% – 67.0%
17. Washington DC Metro: Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
- Best locations: 85.0% – 95.0%
- Average locations: 73.1% – 79.0%
- Challenging locations: 46.0% – 67.6%
18. Minneapolis Metro: Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI
- Best locations: 84.6% – 94.0%
- Average locations: 72.9% – 78.9%
- Challenging locations: 44.0% – 67.0%
19. New York City Metro: New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ
- Best locations: 84.8% – 95.0%
- Average locations: 72.5% – 78.7%
- Challenging locations: 43.0% – 66.5%
20. Chicago Metro: Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN
- Best locations: 84.4% – 94.0%
- Average locations: 72.6% – 78.6%
- Challenging locations: 44.0% – 66.7%
21. Denver Metro: Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO
- Best locations: 84.2% – 94.0%
- Average locations: 72.7% – 78.4%
- Challenging locations: 47.0% – 67.5%
22. Boston Metro: Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH
- Best locations: 84.1% – 94.0%
- Average locations: 72.4% – 78.2%
- Challenging locations: 46.0% – 67.0%
23. Seattle Metro: Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA
- Best locations: 84.4% – 95.0%
- Average locations: 72.1% – 78.0%
- Challenging locations: 46.0% – 66.8%
24. Dallas Metro: Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
- Best locations: 81.2% – 89.0%
- Average locations: 72.0% – 76.6%
- Challenging locations: 51.0% – 67.7%
Patterns Across the National Picture
| Comparison factor | Top-tier city pattern | Bottom-tier city pattern |
|---|---|---|
| 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%. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
Wide variation between cities: The difference between the #1 city (San Antonio at 80.4%) and the #24 city (Dallas at 74.9%) is 5.5 percentage points. City-selection impact for Smoke Shops is evident in the 0.1-point difference between San Antonio and Portland — operators who optimize location stand to gain a meaningful survivability edge.
Where this ranking breaks it
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 77.9%.
What the Leaders Share
The top-ranked cities share several characteristics that favor Smoke Shops:
- Strong survivability signals: San Antonio leads with a 80% average survivability score 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.
Our AI platform forecasts business outcomes at the address level — giving entrepreneurs and landlords alike a data-driven edge. StreetSpring measures competition through a 30-factor framework. StreetSpring's predictions leverage proprietary datasets covering competition, spending, and mobility.
Neighborhood-Level Winners in Every Tier
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.
Visual Data
Related Resources
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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.
Should a Smoke Shop 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 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.
What's the best way to evaluate cities 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 →
Which city ranks first 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 score of 80%. This means that across well-selected neighborhoods in San Antonio, a Smoke Shop has approximately a 80% chance of still operating after two years — above the national average for this category. Portland ranks second, followed by Tampa Bay. 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 9, 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 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, Portland, Tampa Bay, St Louis, Phoenix, Orlando, Miami, Charlotte, Los Angeles, Detroit, San Diego, Baltimore, Atlanta, Houston, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Washington DC, Minneapolis, New York City, Chicago, Denver, Boston, Seattle, Dallas.