City Survivability Rankings for Watch Store or Repair Shop
StreetSpring's 2026 analysis ranks the top cities for Watch & Repair Shops across the US by Survivability Scores. See which cities offer the best chances for a Watch Store or Repair Shop to succeed.
Quick Summary
- The highest-survivability city for Watch Store or Repair Shop is San Antonio — 74% average survivability
- 24 of 24 analyzed US metros score above 70% for Watch Store or Repair Shop survivability
- The lowest-ranked city is Philadelphia at 70%
- National average survivability score for Watch Store or Repair Shop: 71.9%
- Data reflects 2026 StreetSpring survivability analysis across 24 US metro areas · Full methodology →
Table of Contents
- Summary
- Top Cities for Watch & Repair Shops
- Key Insights
- What Makes These Cities Stand Out?
- Related Resources
- How current is this ranking?
- Can a Watch Store or Repair Shop succeed in cities not ranked in the top 10?
- What tools can help me choose the right city for a Watch Store or Repair Shop?
- Which US city has the best survivability for Watch & Repair Shops?
Summary
According to StreetSpring's 2026 nationwide analysis, San Antonio ranks as the #1 city for opening a Watch Store or Repair Shop in the United States, with an average 74% chance of surviving more than 2 years. Following close behind are Portland with 74%, and Phoenix with 73%. StreetSpring's 24-city analysis places the national average for Watch & Repair Shops at 71.9%, a baseline that San Antonio comfortably exceeds. Location-level factors like visibility, foot traffic, and adjacent tenants can override city-level trends in either direction. 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 →
Watch Store or Repair Shop city survivability rankings — San Antonio leads among 24 US metros at 74% in 2026
All 24 Cities Ranked for Watch & Repair Shops
Based on StreetSpring's analysis of 24 major metropolitan areas, these cities offer the strongest prospects for Watch & Repair Shops:
1. San Antonio Metro: San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX
- Best locations: 79.9% – 87.0%
- Average locations: 70.9% – 75.6%
- Challenging locations: 48.0% – 66.2%
2. Portland Metro: Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA
- Best locations: 79.7% – 87.0%
- Average locations: 70.5% – 75.3%
- Challenging locations: 47.0% – 65.7%
3. Phoenix Metro: Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ
- Best locations: 80.4% – 89.0%
- Average locations: 69.3% – 75.2%
- Challenging locations: 40.0% – 63.3%
4. Miami Metro: Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL
- Best locations: 80.3% – 89.0%
- Average locations: 70.4% – 75.2%
- Challenging locations: 49.0% – 66.0%
5. Charlotte Metro: Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC
- Best locations: 79.7% – 88.0%
- Average locations: 69.2% – 74.7%
- Challenging locations: 42.0% – 63.6%
6. St Louis
- Best locations: 79.2% – 87.0%
- Average locations: 68.9% – 74.5%
- Challenging locations: 40.0% – 63.0%
7. Orlando Metro: Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL
- Best locations: 78.7% – 86.0%
- Average locations: 69.4% – 74.4%
- Challenging locations: 45.0% – 64.4%
8. Tampa Bay Metro: Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL
- Best locations: 78.6% – 86.0%
- Average locations: 68.5% – 74.1%
- Challenging locations: 39.0% – 62.4%
9. Houston Metro: Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX
- Best locations: 79.5% – 88.0%
- Average locations: 69.0% – 74.3%
- Challenging locations: 44.0% – 63.9%
10. Baltimore Metro: Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD
- Best locations: 78.4% – 86.0%
- Average locations: 69.1% – 73.9%
- Challenging locations: 46.0% – 64.3%
11. Los Angeles Metro: Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA
- Best locations: 80.6% – 91.0%
- Average locations: 67.9% – 74.4%
- Challenging locations: 37.0% – 61.6%
12. Atlanta Metro: Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA
- Best locations: 78.6% – 87.0%
- Average locations: 68.2% – 73.5%
- Challenging locations: 43.0% – 63.1%
13. San Francisco Metro: San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA
- Best locations: 78.1% – 86.0%
- Average locations: 68.3% – 73.3%
- Challenging locations: 44.0% – 63.3%
14. Dallas Metro: Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
- Best locations: 76.2% – 82.0%
- Average locations: 68.9% – 72.8%
- Challenging locations: 50.0% – 65.0%
15. San Diego Metro: San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA
- Best locations: 78.5% – 87.0%
- Average locations: 68.3% – 73.4%
- Challenging locations: 45.0% – 63.5%
16. Washington DC Metro: Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
- Best locations: 78.4% – 87.0%
- Average locations: 68.2% – 73.3%
- Challenging locations: 45.0% – 63.5%
17. New York City Metro: New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ
- Best locations: 78.8% – 88.0%
- Average locations: 67.7% – 73.3%
- Challenging locations: 42.0% – 62.5%
18. Detroit Metro: Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI
- Best locations: 79.2% – 89.0%
- Average locations: 68.1% – 73.4%
- Challenging locations: 45.0% – 63.4%
19. Denver Metro: Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO
- Best locations: 77.2% – 85.0%
- Average locations: 67.8% – 72.6%
- Challenging locations: 45.0% – 63.1%
20. Minneapolis Metro: Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI
- Best locations: 77.6% – 86.0%
- Average locations: 67.1% – 72.6%
- Challenging locations: 40.0% – 61.6%
21. Boston Metro: Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH
- Best locations: 78.5% – 88.0%
- Average locations: 67.4% – 72.8%
- Challenging locations: 43.0% – 62.4%
22. Seattle Metro: Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA
- Best locations: 79.7% – 91.0%
- Average locations: 67.1% – 73.0%
- Challenging locations: 42.0% – 62.0%
23. Chicago Metro: Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN
- Best locations: 77.4% – 86.0%
- Average locations: 67.1% – 72.3%
- Challenging locations: 43.0% – 62.2%
24. Philadelphia Metro: Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD
- Best locations: 78.3% – 88.0%
- Average locations: 67.2% – 72.5%
- Challenging locations: 44.0% – 62.4%
Key Insights
Wide variation between cities: The difference between the #1 city (San Antonio at 74.0%) and the #24 city (Philadelphia at 70.3%) is 3.7 percentage points. For Watch & Repair Shops, a 0.4-point difference between the top two cities underscores how much geographic selection influences long-term viability.
National average: Across all 24 analyzed cities, the average survivability for a Watch Store or Repair Shop is 71.9%.
What Makes These Cities Stand Out?
The top-ranked cities share several characteristics that favor Watch & Repair Shops:
- Strong survivability signals: San Antonio leads with a 74% average survivability score for Watch & Repair Shops — significantly above the national average for this business category.
- Competition density: The top cities show favorable competitor-to-opportunity ratios for Watch & Repair 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.
- Geographic distribution: The top cities span multiple U.S. regions, giving franchise operators or multi-location owners diverse market options without concentrating risk.
Our AI platform forecasts business outcomes at the address level — giving entrepreneurs and landlords alike a data-driven edge. We incorporate data from thousands of neighborhoods and hundreds of thousands of individual businesses. 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:
National guides:
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 Watch & Repair 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 Watch Store or Repair 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 Watch & Repair Shops in cities that don't appear in our top 10. Watch & Repair 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 Watch Store or Repair Shop?
StreetSpring's Survivability Score tool provides address-level predictions for Watch & Repair Shops across all 24 metros we track. For this category specifically, the tool surfaces competition density, consumer spending index for Watch & Repair Shops, and commercial vacancy rates — the factors that most consistently predict whether a Watch Store or Repair 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 Watch & Repair Shops?
San Antonio ranks as the #1 city in the US for Watch & Repair Shops survivability in StreetSpring's 2026 analysis, with an average score of 74%. This means that across well-selected neighborhoods in San Antonio, a Watch Store or Repair Shop has approximately a 74% chance of still operating after two years — above the national average for this category. Portland 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.
Last reviewed: April 2026 by 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: San Antonio, Portland, Phoenix, Miami, Charlotte, St Louis, Orlando, Tampa Bay, Houston, Baltimore, Los Angeles, Atlanta, San Francisco, Dallas, San Diego, Washington DC, New York City, Detroit, Denver, Minneapolis, Boston, Seattle, Chicago, Philadelphia.