National Neighborhood Survivability Rankings for Barbecue Restaurant
StreetSpring's 2026 nationwide analysis ranks the top neighborhoods across all major US cities for Barbecue Restaurants. See which neighborhoods offer the highest Survivability Scores.
StreetSpring's 2026 cross-market analysis reveals that St.Johns in Portland ranks as the #1 neighborhood in the United States for opening a Barbecue Restaurant, with 81% survivability. The top 25 neighborhoods nationwide span 8 different cities, demonstrating that exceptional opportunities for Barbecue Restaurants exist across diverse markets. Neighborhood rankings are useful, but the exact odds for your location can only be seen by running a current survivability check in StreetSpring.
To understand the methodology behind these rankings, see our detailed guide: Survivability Score: How We Calculate It & Why It Matters.
Quick Summary
- #1 Neighborhood: St.Johns, Portland — 81% survivability for Barbecue Restaurant
- Neighborhoods analyzed: 1800 across 21 major US cities
- National average survivability: 64.0% for Barbecue Restaurants
- Top-25 average: 79.6% — 15.6% above national average
- Data current as of: 2026 · Full methodology →
Table of Contents
- How neighborhoods compare nationwide
- Top 25 neighborhoods in the US
- Geographic patterns
- How to use this ranking
- Related resources
How do neighborhoods compare across the United States for Barbecue Restaurants?
Analyzing 1800 neighborhoods across 21 major US cities, StreetSpring's 2026 data shows that the best neighborhoods for Barbecue Restaurants significantly outperform average locations, with the top 25 neighborhoods nationwide averaging 79.6% survivability compared to the national neighborhood average of 64.0%.
This 15.6% advantage illustrates how critical neighborhood selection is — choosing a top-tier neighborhood versus an average one can significantly increase your long-term survival chances.
For Barbecue Restaurants specifically, survivability is driven primarily by competitive density within the immediate trade area and the alignment between local consumer spending patterns and the category's typical revenue profile. The 15.6% gap between top-ranked neighborhoods and the national average for Barbecue Restaurants reflects meaningful variation in how competitive these markets are across different neighborhoods — a stronger signal than is typical for many business categories. The underlying models are StreetSpring's own — built, trained, and maintained using data external platforms cannot access.
Importantly, top-performing neighborhoods aren't concentrated in just a few cities. The top 25 neighborhoods represent 8 different cities. This means entrepreneurs focused on Barbecue Restaurants can find exceptional opportunities across the United States, not just in traditionally strong markets.
Where you open matters more than anything else.
What are the best neighborhoods in the United States to open a Barbecue Restaurant?
Survivability range for top, middle, and last-ranked neighborhoods. Box = best-to-challenging range; white line = average. St.Johns, Portland leads at 81% in 2026. Full methodology →
The top 25 neighborhoods nationwide for Barbecue Restaurants are:
| # | Neighborhood | City | Avg Survival | Best Locations | Challenging Locations |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | St.Johns | Portland | 81.5% | 82.7% | 80.2% |
| 2 | Tysons | Washington DC | 81.3% | 82.6% | 80.1% |
| 3 | Kenmore | Boston | 81.2% | 82.5% | 80.0% |
| 4 | Rivertown | Detroit | 80.9% | 82.1% | 79.6% |
| 5 | Monticello | Dallas | 80.4% | 81.6% | 79.1% |
| 6 | Main-Chicago | Chicago | 80.3% | 81.5% | 79.0% |
| 7 | Pill Hill | San Francisco | 80.0% | 81.2% | 78.8% |
| 8 | Russian Hill | San Francisco | 79.8% | 81.1% | 78.6% |
| 9 | Mosswood | San Francisco | 79.5% | 80.8% | 78.2% |
| 10 | Arlington View | Washington DC | 79.5% | 80.7% | 78.2% |
| 11 | Andersonville | Chicago | 79.5% | 80.7% | 78.2% |
| 12 | Downtown Crossing | Boston | 79.4% | 80.6% | 78.1% |
| 13 | North Beach | San Francisco | 79.4% | 80.6% | 78.1% |
| 14 | Bay Village | Boston | 79.3% | 80.6% | 78.1% |
| 15 | Rogers Park | Chicago | 79.3% | 80.5% | 78.0% |
| 16 | Bellevue | Washington DC | 79.2% | 80.4% | 77.9% |
| 17 | Union Ridge | Chicago | 79.0% | 80.3% | 77.8% |
| 18 | Fenway | Boston | 79.0% | 80.2% | 77.8% |
| 19 | Aventura | Miami | 79.0% | 80.2% | 77.7% |
| 20 | Kennedy Park | Chicago | 78.9% | 80.2% | 77.7% |
| 21 | Colee Hammock | Miami | 78.9% | 80.1% | 77.6% |
| 22 | Margate Park | Chicago | 78.8% | 80.1% | 77.6% |
| 23 | Harbor Drive | Miami | 78.8% | 80.0% | 77.5% |
| 24 | Hayes Valley | San Francisco | 78.6% | 79.8% | 77.3% |
| 25 | Barton Hills | Detroit | 78.6% | 79.8% | 77.3% |
Even within top-ranked neighborhoods, block-level survivability can vary by 10–20 percentage points depending on competitive conditions at the exact address.
For a full explanation of how survivability scores and ranges are calculated, see Survivability Score: How We Calculate It & Why It Matters.
What patterns emerge from the top-performing neighborhoods nationwide?
City Concentration
The top 25 neighborhoods span 8 different cities, with Chicago claiming 6 of the top spots (24%).
Breakdown of top 25 neighborhoods by city:
- Chicago: 6 neighborhoods (24% of top 25) — View city guide
- San Francisco: 5 neighborhoods (20% of top 25) — View city guide
- Boston: 4 neighborhoods (16% of top 25) — View city guide
- Washington DC: 3 neighborhoods (12% of top 25) — View city guide
- Miami: 3 neighborhoods (12% of top 25) — View city guide
- Detroit: 2 neighborhoods (8% of top 25) — View city guide
- Portland: 1 neighborhood (4% of top 25) — View city guide
- Dallas: 1 neighborhood (4% of top 25) — View city guide
This distribution has practical implications for Barbecue Restaurants operators: cities with multiple neighborhoods in the top 25 offer more site options within a single market, reducing relocation or expansion cost. Cities with a single top-25 neighborhood require more precise site selection — the advantage is concentrated in one area rather than spread across the metro.
The relatively even distribution of top neighborhoods across 8 cities is consistent with a category where consumer demand is broadly distributed rather than concentrated in specific metros. For Barbecue Restaurants operators, this means strong site opportunities exist in multiple markets — the key variable is neighborhood-level competitive conditions rather than city-level market size.
How can I use this neighborhood ranking to find the best location for a Barbecue Restaurant?
While nationwide neighborhood rankings identify standout markets, address-level analysis reveals even greater variation. StreetSpring's machine learning models identify the exact blocks and neighborhoods where specific business types consistently outperform — and the ones where they struggle. Even within top-ranked neighborhoods, specific block selection can vary survivability by 10–20 percentage points.
For the most accurate assessment:
- Consider neighborhoods in the top 25 as strong starting points
- Examine city-specific guides for additional neighborhood options in your target markets
- Use StreetSpring's address-level tool to evaluate specific storefronts within these neighborhoods
- Factor in your budget, operational requirements, and target demographics
Each neighborhood has detailed analysis available through its city guide, providing block-by-block survivability data for Barbecue Restaurants.
Related Resources
Explore top cities represented in these neighborhoods:
- San Francisco: Best businesses and neighborhoods
- Detroit: Best businesses and neighborhoods
- Washington DC: Best businesses and neighborhoods
- Portland: Best businesses and neighborhoods
- Chicago: Best businesses and neighborhoods
National city rankings: Best cities for Barbecue Restaurants
Essential resources:
- How StreetSpring calculates Survivability Scores
- Site selection for landlords
- AI tools for tenant representatives
- StreetSpring vs competitors
Where can I download the underlying data?
The full national survivability dataset is available as a free download: https://streetspring.com/resources/data/national-survivability-scores-2026.csv. The CSV includes all business subtypes and neighborhoods covered in this analysis, licensed under CC BY 4.0.
How does the national ranking for Barbecue Restaurants compare to city-level rankings?
The national neighborhood ranking for Barbecue Restaurants identifies the strongest neighborhoods across all 25 analyzed metros. City-level rankings provide a more granular view of the best neighborhoods within a specific city. In cases where a city has multiple neighborhoods in the national top 25, the city-level guide shows the full ranking of all neighborhoods in that market — including those outside the national top 25 that may still offer strong site-specific opportunities.
How can I compare specific addresses within these top neighborhoods?
StreetSpring's address-level tool allows you to input any commercial address and see predicted survivability for Barbecue Restaurants. Visit https://streetspring.com/models/survivability_score to get a score for any US address. Even within the top-ranked neighborhoods, survivability varies meaningfully by block — address-level scoring is the most precise way to evaluate a specific site.
What makes St.Johns in Portland the best neighborhood for Barbecue Restaurants?
St.Johns in Portland ranks #1 for Barbecue Restaurants with 81% survivability. This reflects favorable competitive dynamics — fewer direct competitors relative to available consumer spending — strong demographic alignment with Barbecue Restaurant customers, and local spending patterns that sustain this business category. StreetSpring's model weights these factors across all analyzed neighborhoods nationwide.
What is the typical survivability range for Barbecue Restaurants in top neighborhoods?
The top 25 neighborhoods nationwide for Barbecue Restaurants average 79.6% survivability. The national average across all analyzed neighborhoods is 64.0%. The spread between top neighborhoods and the national average is 15.6% — representing the tangible survivability advantage of choosing a top-ranked location.
Technical note: Aggregated national survivability rankings across all 25 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 foot traffic data, so the live score may differ from the static ranges shown here.
Methodology: Neighborhood rankings are based on average Survivability Scores for Barbecue Restaurants across all analyzed locations within each neighborhood. Rankings represent neighborhood-level conditions but do not account for block-by-block variation. Coverage includes 1800 neighborhoods across 21 major US cities.