City Survivability Rankings for Vegan / Vegetarian Restaurant
StreetSpring's 2026 analysis ranks the top cities for Vegan / Vegetarian Restaurants across the US by Survivability Scores. See which cities offer the best chances for a Vegan / Vegetarian Restaurant to succeed.
Quick Summary
- The highest-survivability city for Vegan / Vegetarian Restaurant is Portland — 89% average survivability
- 24 of 24 analyzed US metros score above 70% for Vegan / Vegetarian Restaurant survivability
- The lowest-ranked city is New York City at 84%
- National average survivability score for Vegan / Vegetarian Restaurant: 86.2%
- Data reflects 2026 StreetSpring survivability analysis across 24 US metro areas · Full methodology →
Table of Contents
- Summary
- Top Cities for Vegan / Vegetarian Restaurants
- Key Insights
- What Makes These Cities Stand Out?
- Best Neighborhoods Across the Spectrum
- Related Resources
- How current is this ranking?
- Can a Vegan / Vegetarian Restaurant succeed in cities not ranked in the top 10?
- What tools can help me choose the right city for a Vegan / Vegetarian Restaurant?
- Which US city has the best survivability for Vegan / Vegetarian Restaurants?
Summary
According to StreetSpring's 2026 nationwide analysis, Portland ranks as the #1 city for opening a Vegan / Vegetarian Restaurant in the United States, with an average 89% chance of surviving more than 2 years. Following close behind are San Antonio with 88%, and St Louis with 88%. StreetSpring's 24-city analysis places the national average for Vegan / Vegetarian Restaurants at 86.2%, a baseline that Portland comfortably exceeds. These averages mask significant neighborhood-by-neighborhood variation; a lower-ranked city can still contain high-potential storefronts. 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 →
Vegan / Vegetarian Restaurant city survivability rankings — Portland leads among 24 US metros at 89% in 2026
The 24-City Survivability Index for Vegan / Vegetarian Restaurants
Based on StreetSpring's analysis of 24 major metropolitan areas, these cities offer the strongest prospects for Vegan / Vegetarian Restaurants:
1. Portland Metro: Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA
- Best locations: 92.3% – 97.0%
- Average locations: 85.0% – 89.5%
- Challenging locations: 59.0% – 79.7%
The metro-level signals behind these scores
2. San Antonio Metro: San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX
- Best locations: 92.2% – 97.0%
- Average locations: 84.6% – 89.3%
- Challenging locations: 58.0% – 79.2%
3. St Louis
- Best locations: 92.0% – 97.0%
- Average locations: 84.4% – 89.0%
- Challenging locations: 59.0% – 79.2%
4. Charlotte Metro: Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC
- Best locations: 91.7% – 97.0%
- Average locations: 83.8% – 88.6%
- Challenging locations: 57.0% – 78.3%
5. Orlando Metro: Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL
- Best locations: 91.7% – 97.0%
- Average locations: 83.9% – 88.5%
- Challenging locations: 59.0% – 78.8%
6. Phoenix Metro: Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ
- Best locations: 91.4% – 97.0%
- Average locations: 83.2% – 88.0%
- Challenging locations: 57.0% – 77.8%
7. Atlanta Metro: Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA
- Best locations: 91.2% – 97.0%
- Average locations: 83.1% – 87.8%
- Challenging locations: 58.0% – 78.0%
- Explore Vegan / Vegetarian Restaurant neighborhoods in Atlanta →
8. Baltimore Metro: Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD
- Best locations: 91.2% – 97.0%
- Average locations: 82.8% – 87.8%
- Challenging locations: 56.0% – 77.4%
9. Detroit Metro: Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI
- Best locations: 91.2% – 97.0%
- Average locations: 83.0% – 87.7%
- Challenging locations: 58.0% – 77.9%
10. San Diego Metro: San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA
- Best locations: 91.2% – 97.0%
- Average locations: 82.8% – 87.7%
- Challenging locations: 56.0% – 77.3%
11. Tampa Bay Metro: Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL
- Best locations: 91.2% – 97.0%
- Average locations: 82.8% – 87.7%
- Challenging locations: 56.0% – 77.3%
12. San Francisco Metro: San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA
- Best locations: 91.1% – 97.0%
- Average locations: 82.7% – 87.5%
- Challenging locations: 57.0% – 77.5%
Why the same business does so differently city to city
13. Los Angeles Metro: Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA
- Best locations: 90.9% – 97.0%
- Average locations: 82.4% – 87.3%
- Challenging locations: 56.0% – 77.0%
14. Minneapolis Metro: Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI
- Best locations: 90.9% – 97.0%
- Average locations: 82.6% – 87.3%
- Challenging locations: 58.0% – 77.6%
15. Houston Metro: Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX
- Best locations: 90.8% – 97.0%
- Average locations: 82.1% – 87.1%
- Challenging locations: 56.0% – 76.8%
16. Seattle Metro: Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA
- Best locations: 90.7% – 97.0%
- Average locations: 82.2% – 87.0%
- Challenging locations: 57.0% – 77.0%
17. Dallas Metro: Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
- Best locations: 90.7% – 97.0%
- Average locations: 82.4% – 86.9%
- Challenging locations: 60.0% – 77.8%
18. Denver Metro: Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO
- Best locations: 90.7% – 97.0%
- Average locations: 81.8% – 86.9%
- Challenging locations: 55.0% – 76.3%
19. Miami Metro: Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL
- Best locations: 90.6% – 97.0%
- Average locations: 82.4% – 86.8%
- Challenging locations: 60.0% – 77.8%
20. Chicago Metro: Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN
- Best locations: 90.6% – 97.0%
- Average locations: 82.0% – 86.8%
- Challenging locations: 57.0% – 76.9%
21. Washington DC Metro: Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
- Best locations: 90.5% – 97.0%
- Average locations: 82.1% – 86.6%
- Challenging locations: 59.0% – 77.3%
22. Boston Metro: Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH
- Best locations: 90.4% – 97.0%
- Average locations: 81.8% – 86.4%
- Challenging locations: 59.0% – 77.1%
23. Philadelphia Metro: Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD
- Best locations: 90.0% – 97.0%
- Average locations: 80.8% – 85.9%
- Challenging locations: 55.0% – 75.5%
24. New York City Metro: New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ
- Best locations: 89.7% – 97.0%
- Average locations: 80.0% – 85.3%
- Challenging locations: 53.0% – 74.5%
What Stands Out in the Numbers
| Comparison factor | Top-tier city pattern | Bottom-tier city pattern |
|---|---|---|
| Market size vs saturation | Mid-sized metros with established demand but room for new entrants — under-served pockets in 1.5M–5M population markets. | Either tier-1 cities saturated with national chains, or thin markets under 500K population where demand can't sustain a category. |
| BLS QCEW retail employment trend | Cities with positive 3-year retail employment growth — proxy for local demand expansion. | Cities showing flat or declining retail employment over the same window. |
| Climate-driven seasonality | Cities where the subtype's peak season aligns with the local climate calendar (e.g., year-round outdoor dining in mild markets). | Cities with extreme seasonality that compresses revenue into 4–6 month windows. |
Wide variation between cities: The difference between the #1 city (Portland at 88.5%) and the #24 city (New York City at 83.7%) is 4.9 percentage points. This 0.2-point spread between #1 and #2 city suggests meaningful geographic variation in Vegan / Vegetarian Restaurants viability — city selection matters significantly for this category.
Three findings worth pulling out of the data
Strong performers: 24 cities show Survivability Scores above 80%, indicating highly favorable conditions for Vegan / Vegetarian Restaurants.
National average: Across all 24 analyzed cities, the average survivability for a Vegan / Vegetarian Restaurant is 86.2%.
Why Top-Ranked Cities Outperform
The top-ranked cities share several characteristics that favor Vegan / Vegetarian Restaurants:
- Strong survivability signals: Portland leads with a 89% average survivability score for Vegan / Vegetarian Restaurants — significantly above the national average for this business category.
- Competition density: The top cities show favorable competitor-to-opportunity ratios for Vegan / Vegetarian Restaurants, meaning lower saturation and higher odds of capturing an underserved customer base.
- Economic conditions: All top-ranked cities show strong median household incomes and low vacancy rates in the neighborhoods where Vegan / Vegetarian Restaurants perform best.
- Foot traffic infrastructure: High-scoring cities combine transit access, walkable commercial corridors, and anchor tenants that drive consistent daily traffic past storefronts.
StreetSpring brings credibility through AI-driven survivability forecasts, trusted nationwide by agents and entrepreneurs. The analysis behind these rankings spans millions of data points across competition, spending, and mobility. StreetSpring uses custom-built, proprietary algorithms to produce these predictions.
Best Neighborhoods Across the Spectrum
Where you open matters more than which city ranks highest. The strongest neighborhoods for Vegan / Vegetarian Restaurants can be found across the entire national distribution:
New York City — ranked #24 of 24 — among the lower-ranked national markets
- Stuyvesant-Town (80% survivability)
- Williamsburg (80% survivability)
- Clinton-Hill (79% survivability)
- Navy-Yard (79% survivability)
- Little-Italy (78% survivability)
See full neighborhood rankings for New York City →
City-level scores aggregate hundreds of neighborhoods. The right neighborhood matters more than the city's headline rank.
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 Vegan / Vegetarian Restaurants, 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.
Do Vegan / Vegetarian Restaurants only work in top-10 cities?
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 Vegan / Vegetarian Restaurants in cities that don't appear in our top 10. Vegan / Vegetarian Restaurants 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 Vegan / Vegetarian Restaurant?
StreetSpring's Survivability Score tool provides address-level predictions for Vegan / Vegetarian Restaurants across all 24 metros we track. For this category specifically, the tool surfaces competition density, consumer spending index for Vegan / Vegetarian Restaurants, and commercial vacancy rates — the factors that most consistently predict whether a Vegan / Vegetarian Restaurant 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 Vegan / Vegetarian Restaurants?
Portland ranks as the #1 city in the US for Vegan / Vegetarian Restaurants survivability in StreetSpring's 2026 analysis, with an average score of 89%. This means that across well-selected neighborhoods in Portland, a Vegan / Vegetarian Restaurant has approximately a 89% chance of still operating after two years — above the national average for this category. San Antonio ranks second, followed by St Louis. The full ranking reflects data across 24 major US metro areas — see the complete list above for all scores and neighborhood-level links.
Reviewed: April 24, 2026 by Bobby Koons, StreetSpring founder
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: Portland, San Antonio, St Louis, Charlotte, Orlando, Phoenix, Atlanta, Baltimore, Detroit, San Diego, Tampa Bay, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Houston, Seattle, Dallas, Denver, Miami, Chicago, Washington DC, Boston, Philadelphia, New York City.