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 Chicago — 70% average survivability
- 0 of 11 analyzed US metros score above 70% for Smoke Shop survivability
- The lowest-ranked city is Denver at 62%
- National average survivability score for Smoke Shop: 65.3%
- Data reflects 2026 StreetSpring survivability analysis across 11 US metro areas · Full methodology →
Table of Contents
- Summary
- Top Cities for Smoke Shops
- Key Insights
- What Makes These Cities Stand Out?
- 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 Shop?
Summary
According to StreetSpring's 2026 nationwide analysis, Chicago ranks as the #1 city for opening a Smoke Shop in the United States, with an average 70% chance of surviving more than 2 years. Following close behind are Tampa Bay with 69%, and St Louis with 69%. The 11-city analysis shows Smoke Shops performing at a 65.3% national average, with strong geographic concentration of top scores in a handful of metros. Our data shows that strong individual locations exist in every city we analyze, regardless of the city's overall ranking. Use this data to narrow your shortlist, then visit each top city in person to assess foot traffic and competitive density.
Survivability ranges reflect best and worst storefront conditions within each city. See our full methodology →
Smoke Shop city survivability rankings — Chicago leads among 11 US metros at 70% in 2026
Top 10 Cities for Smoke Shops
Based on StreetSpring's analysis of 11 major metropolitan areas, these cities offer the strongest prospects for Smoke Shops:
1. Chicago
- Best locations: 78.5% – 89.0%
- Average locations: 66.0% – 72.1%
- Challenging locations: 38.0% – 60.3%
- Explore Smoke Shop neighborhoods in Chicago →
2. Tampa Bay
- Best locations: 77.6% – 88.0%
- Average locations: 64.7% – 71.3%
- Challenging locations: 33.0% – 58.2%
- Explore Smoke Shop neighborhoods in Tampa Bay →
3. St Louis
- Best locations: 78.4% – 90.0%
- Average locations: 64.7% – 71.5%
- Challenging locations: 34.0% – 58.5%
- Explore Smoke Shop neighborhoods in St Louis →
4. San Antonio
- Best locations: 76.6% – 89.0%
- Average locations: 63.2% – 69.1%
- Challenging locations: 40.0% – 58.5%
- Explore Smoke Shop neighborhoods in San Antonio →
5. Portland
- Best locations: 76.3% – 91.0%
- Average locations: 60.8% – 67.5%
- Challenging locations: 35.0% – 55.5%
- Explore Smoke Shop neighborhoods in Portland →
6. Atlanta
- Best locations: 73.6% – 85.0%
- Average locations: 59.9% – 66.7%
- Challenging locations: 28.0% – 53.4%
- Explore Smoke Shop neighborhoods in Atlanta →
7. San Diego
- Best locations: 74.4% – 87.0%
- Average locations: 59.9% – 66.8%
- Challenging locations: 30.0% – 53.8%
- Explore Smoke Shop neighborhoods in San Diego →
8. Philadelphia
- Best locations: 74.0% – 87.0%
- Average locations: 59.8% – 66.2%
- Challenging locations: 34.0% – 54.5%
- Explore Smoke Shop neighborhoods in Philadelphia →
9. Charlotte
- Best locations: 74.8% – 89.0%
- Average locations: 60.3% – 66.3%
- Challenging locations: 39.0% – 56.0%
- Explore Smoke Shop neighborhoods in Charlotte →
10. Baltimore
- Best locations: 73.1% – 86.0%
- Average locations: 59.0% – 65.4%
- Challenging locations: 32.0% – 53.4%
- Explore Smoke Shop neighborhoods in Baltimore →
Key Insights
Wide variation between cities: The difference between the #1 city (Chicago at 69.8%) and the #10 city (Baltimore at 62.6%) is 7.2 percentage points. City-selection impact for Smoke Shops is evident in the 0.8-point difference between Chicago and Tampa Bay — operators who optimize location stand to gain a meaningful survivability edge.
National average: Across all 11 analyzed cities, the average survivability for a Smoke Shop is 65.3%.
What Makes These Cities Stand Out?
The top-ranked cities share several characteristics that favor Smoke Shops:
- Strong survivability signals: Chicago leads with a 70% 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 analysis draws on millions of commercial real estate data points to deliver survivability predictions trusted by professionals nationwide. Our platform has analyzed hundreds of thousands of business outcomes across major U.S. metros. These forecasts are generated by our exclusive analytical framework, built from the ground up for commercial real estate.
Related Resources
City-specific guides: For detailed neighborhood-level analysis, explore our city guides:
- Survivability Rankings for Smoke Shop in Chicago
- Business Survivability Rankings: Chicago
- Survivability Rankings for Smoke Shop in Tampa Bay
- Business Survivability Rankings: Tampa Bay
- Survivability Rankings for Smoke Shop in St Louis
- Business Survivability Rankings: St Louis
- Survivability Rankings for Smoke Shop in San Antonio
- Business Survivability Rankings: San Antonio
- Survivability Rankings for Smoke Shop in Portland
- Business Survivability Rankings: Portland
National guides:
- National Neighborhood Survivability Rankings for Smoke Shops
- Neighborhood Survivability Rankings: Chicago
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.
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.
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 11 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 US city has the best survivability for Smoke Shop?
Chicago ranks as the #1 city in the US for Smoke Shop survivability in StreetSpring's 2026 analysis, with an average score of 70%. This means that across well-selected neighborhoods in Chicago, a Smoke Shop has approximately a 70% chance of still operating after two years — above the national average for this category. Tampa Bay ranks second, followed by St Louis. 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: Chicago, Tampa Bay, St Louis, San Antonio, Portland, Atlanta, San Diego, Philadelphia, Charlotte, Baltimore, Denver.