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.

17 min read

Quick Summary

  • Survivability Score: the projected chance a business type lasts two or more years at a specific address
  • The highest-survivability city for Watch Store or Repair Shop is San Antonio — 76.16% average survivability
  • 24 of 24 analyzed US metros score above 70% for Watch Store or Repair Shop survivability
  • The lowest-ranked city is Minneapolis at 74.65%
  • National average chance of lasting two or more years for Watch Store or Repair Shop: 76.0%
  • Data reflects 2026 StreetSpring survivability analysis across 24 US metro areas · Full methodology →

Table of Contents


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 76.16% chance of surviving more than 2 years. Following close behind are Miami with 76.09%, and Portland with 75.99%. The 24-city analysis shows Watch & Repair Shops performing at a 76.0% national average, with strong geographic concentration of top scores in a handful of metros. Market conditions change daily and it is best to use StreetSpring's most current data to ensure there have not been major shifts. Market conditions shift frequently — use StreetSpring's live tool to confirm the current picture before committing to a location.

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

Watch & Repair Shops city survivability range chart — Los Angeles vs Dallas (2026)

Best-to-worst Watch Store or Repair Shop survivability within individual metros — Los Angeles, Seattle, St Louis, Denver and Dallas. Each box spans the middle of that metro's range; whiskers are its best and worst locations (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:

#MetroMetro areaChance of lasting 2+ years
1San AntonioSan Antonio-New Braunfels, TX76.16%
2MiamiMiami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL76.09%
3PortlandPortland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA75.99%
4PhoenixPhoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ75.69%
5CharlotteCharlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC75.58%
6OrlandoOrlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL75.54%
7HoustonHouston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX75.53%
8St Louis75.40%
9BaltimoreBaltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD75.39%
10Los AngelesLos Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA75.29%
11DetroitDetroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI75.23%
12San DiegoSan Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA75.18%
13Tampa BayTampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL75.17%
14Washington DCWashington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV75.14%
15AtlantaAtlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA75.13%
16San FranciscoSan Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA75.11%
17DallasDallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX75.06%
18New York CityNew York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ75.03%
19SeattleSeattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA74.99%
20BostonBoston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH74.90%
21DenverDenver-Aurora-Centennial, CO74.84%
22PhiladelphiaPhiladelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD74.81%
23ChicagoChicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN74.66%
24MinneapolisMinneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI74.65%

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

  • Best locations: 79.0% – 82.0%
  • Average locations: 75.0% – 77.0%
  • Challenging locations: 65.0% – 73.0%

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

  • Best locations: 79.0% – 83.0%
  • Average locations: 75.0% – 77.0%
  • Challenging locations: 65.0% – 73.0%

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

  • Best locations: 79.0% – 82.0%
  • Average locations: 75.0% – 77.0%
  • Challenging locations: 64.0% – 73.0%

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

  • Best locations: 79.0% – 83.0%
  • Average locations: 74.0% – 77.0%
  • Challenging locations: 61.0% – 72.0%

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

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

  • Best locations: 79.0% – 82.0%
  • Average locations: 74.0% – 77.0%
  • Challenging locations: 63.0% – 72.0%

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

  • Best locations: 79.0% – 83.0%
  • Average locations: 74.0% – 77.0%
  • Challenging locations: 63.0% – 72.0%

8. St Louis

  • Best locations: 79.0% – 82.0%
  • Average locations: 74.0% – 77.0%
  • Challenging locations: 61.0% – 71.0%

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

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

  • Best locations: 79.0% – 84.0%
  • Average locations: 74.0% – 77.0%
  • Challenging locations: 60.0% – 71.0%

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

  • Best locations: 79.0% – 83.0%
  • Average locations: 74.0% – 76.0%
  • Challenging locations: 63.0% – 72.0%

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

  • Best locations: 78.0% – 82.0%
  • Average locations: 74.0% – 76.0%
  • Challenging locations: 63.0% – 72.0%

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

  • Best locations: 79.0% – 82.0%
  • Average locations: 74.0% – 76.0%
  • Challenging locations: 61.0% – 71.0%

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

  • Best locations: 78.0% – 82.0%
  • Average locations: 74.0% – 76.0%
  • Challenging locations: 63.0% – 72.0%

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

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

  • Best locations: 78.0% – 82.0%
  • Average locations: 74.0% – 76.0%
  • Challenging locations: 63.0% – 72.0%

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

  • Best locations: 77.0% – 80.0%
  • Average locations: 74.0% – 76.0%
  • Challenging locations: 66.0% – 72.0%

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

  • Best locations: 79.0% – 83.0%
  • Average locations: 74.0% – 76.0%
  • Challenging locations: 62.0% – 71.0%

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

  • Best locations: 79.0% – 84.0%
  • Average locations: 73.0% – 76.0%
  • Challenging locations: 62.0% – 71.0%

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

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

  • Best locations: 78.0% – 81.0%
  • Average locations: 74.0% – 76.0%
  • Challenging locations: 63.0% – 72.0%

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

  • Best locations: 78.0% – 83.0%
  • Average locations: 73.0% – 76.0%
  • Challenging locations: 63.0% – 71.0%

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

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

  • Best locations: 78.0% – 82.0%
  • Average locations: 73.0% – 76.0%
  • Challenging locations: 61.0% – 71.0%

Key Insights

Cities cluster tightly: The difference between the #1 city (San Antonio at 76.16%) and the #24 city (Minneapolis at 74.65%) is 1.51 percentage points. San Antonio leads Miami by 0.1 points. For Watch & Repair Shops, the metro matters far less than the block.

National average: Across all 24 analyzed cities, the average survivability for a Watch Store or Repair Shop is 76.0%.


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 76% average chance of lasting two or more years 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 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. StreetSpring's predictions leverage proprietary datasets covering competition, spending, and mobility.



Visual Data

Bar chart ranking 24 US metros by Watch Store Or Repair Shop survivability score; San Antonio highest at 76.2, Minneapolis lowest at 74.7.
San Antonio leads US metros for Watch Store Or Repair Shop survivability at 76.2, 1.51 points above last-place Minneapolis (74.7). 24 metros scored.
US map showing Watch Store Or Repair Shop survivability score across 24 metros; Baltimore highest at 76, San Francisco lowest at 75.
US map of Watch Store Or Repair Shop survivability by metro — darker green = higher score. Baltimore highest at 76, San Francisco lowest at 75. 24 metros plotted.

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 76% chance of lasting two or more years. This means that across well-selected neighborhoods in San Antonio, a Watch Store or Repair Shop has approximately a 76% chance of still operating after two years — above the national average for this category. Miami ranks second, followed by Portland. 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


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, Portland, Phoenix, Charlotte, Orlando, Houston, St Louis, Baltimore, Los Angeles, Detroit, San Diego, Tampa Bay, Washington DC, Atlanta, San Francisco, Dallas, New York City, Seattle, Boston, Denver, Philadelphia, Chicago, Minneapolis. StreetSpring scores 500+ business types: 153 base business types, most of them at 5 price points, which is 569 type-and-price combinations you can choose in the tool.