Business Survivability Rankings: New York City
StreetSpring's 2026 analysis ranks business survivability in New York City by survivability score. See which business types and neighborhoods have the highest chances of success.
Quick Summary
- Best business: American Restaurant in Eltingville (>97% survival rate)
- 1035 business-location combinations exceed 90% survival rates in New York City
- City average: 76% chance of lasting 2+ years
- Rankings updated quarterly with latest market data
- Detailed methodology
Last reviewed: April 2026 by Bobby Koons, Founder & CEO, StreetSpring
Table of Contents
- Summary
- What Are My Chances of Success?
- Business Survivability Rankings
- Understanding Survivability Ranges
- Most Important Factors
- Key Takeaways
- Related Resources
Summary
Based on StreetSpring's latest 2026 market analysis, 1035 business-location combinations in New York City demonstrate 90%+ survival rates, with American Restaurant in Eltingville ranking highest at >97%. Of all the decisions an entrepreneur makes, choosing the right location has the most outsized effect on long-term survival.
StreetSpring analyzes millions of data points with AI to forecast business survivability across U.S. neighborhoods. The analysis covers more than 700 business subtypes across every neighborhood in the 24 largest U.S. metro areas.
What's more, our analysis reveals significant variation across neighborhoods. The best locations offer >97% survival probability, while less optimal areas show considerably lower rates.
What Are My Chances of Success Opening a Business in New York City?
A New York City business has a 76% average chance of lasting more than 2 years as of 2026.
Nevertheless, where you open is the primary driver of whether you survive or fail. Our analysis shows that Revenue Capture Score explains more of the variance in business outcomes than competition, demographics, or rent combined. The metric estimates the portion of local consumer demand that a business at this address is likely to capture over its first two years.
see the complete analysis approach.
What New Businesses Would Be the Most Successful in New York City?
The chart below presents the distribution of business outcomes across New York City by survivability score bracket:
New York City: American Restaurant ranks #1 in survivability at >97% — 2026 StreetSpring analysis
The top 10 business opportunities in New York City are:
| Rank | Business Type | Neighborhood | Best Locations | Average Locations | Challenging Locations | Location Advantage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | American Restaurant | Eltingville | 95.9% – 97.0% | 83.2% – 86.4% | 70.3% – 74.2% | ~15% |
| 2 | South American Restaurant | Eltingville | 95.5% – 97.0% | 85.1% – 88.8% | 73.1% – 76.5% | ~13% |
| 3 | Russian Restaurant | Eltingville | 96.1% – 97.0% | 85.7% – 88.6% | 71.0% – 74.8% | ~13% |
| 4 | Pet Grooming Shop | Coney Island | 93.6% – 97.0% | 85.1% – 89.2% | 70.3% – 74.9% | ~11% |
| 5 | Japanese / Sushi Restaurant | Far Rockaway | 94.8% – 97.0% | 82.4% – 85.9% | 69.0% – 72.7% | ~15% |
| 6 | Watch Store or Repair Shop | Far Rockaway | 93.1% – 97.0% | 83.0% – 88.5% | 71.7% – 76.1% | ~13% |
| 7 | Singaporean Restaurant | Far Rockaway | 95.1% – 97.0% | 84.1% – 87.8% | 62.6% – 66.3% | ~13% |
| 8 | Portuguese Restaurant | Greenville | 95.4% – 97.0% | 77.6% – 81.2% | 59.3% – 62.7% | ~22% |
| 9 | Japanese / Sushi Restaurant | Greenville | 94.8% – 97.0% | 82.3% – 85.8% | 67.0% – 70.7% | ~15% |
| 10 | Kosher Restaurant | Rockaway Park | 95.2% – 97.0% | 86.6% – 90.6% | 74.6% – 77.9% | ~10% |
That said, neighborhood averages don't tell the whole story — there are standout locations even in areas that may appear less suitable. Quarterly rankings capture broad trends, but our live platform tracks weekly changes in competition density and consumer spending at the address level.
Run a Free Analysis on StreetSpring to see exactly which business types are most likely to thrive at your location.
Understanding Survivability Ranges
Business performance at any given location is shaped by hyperlocal factors, including storefront visibility from the main pedestrian flow, parking availability, the quality of neighboring tenants, and seasonal fluctuations in consumer spending.
Each range captures the best-case scenario at optimal sites, the lower end reflecting common challenges in that market, with the spread indicating how much local conditions vary.
For instance, an American Restaurant showing 83.2% – 86.4% at average locations means most businesses in this category fall within this range. A best-in-class location (>97% survival) offers roughly 15% more expected business longevity than an average location (85%), because a higher survival probability translates directly into more operating time to generate revenue. Conversely, a challenging location (72%) represents 15% less expected longevity than the average — a meaningful risk differential that should factor into lease negotiations and capital planning. How you execute, when you open, and the exact characteristics of your storefront all influence where you fall within the range. Tight ranges mean more predictable outcomes; wide ranges mean higher variance.
What Are the Most Important Factors for Businesses in New York City?
Revenue Capture Score
The Revenue Capture Score is the primary driver of survivability — it reflects how much of the available market a business can realistically win. This metric estimates how effectively a business at a specific address can convert local foot traffic and spending into actual revenue. To put this in context, an American Restaurant in a high-revenue-capture area might survive even with moderate competition, while the same business in a low-capture area could struggle despite less competition.
Competition Quality and Saturation
Clustering works when it draws more customers to the area than any single business could alone. However, saturation drives down per-business revenue capture until even efficient operators cannot cover fixed costs.
Tenant Mix and Neighborhood Dynamics
Complementary businesses nearby can drive additional customers to your door. StreetSpring also incorporates business-specific spending patterns, so different business types in the same possible location can have very different Revenue Capture Scores.
Hyperlocal Variation
Conditions can change dramatically within just a few hundred feet. StreetSpring provides highly detailed forecasts — revealing how long hundreds of business types are likely to last at a specific address.
What Is the #1 Business to Start in New York City?
American Restaurant in Eltingville with >97% survivability based on StreetSpring's 2026 analysis of 15,717 business and neighborhood combinations.
How Accurate Is StreetSpring's Survival Prediction?
Predictions are accurate within 95–99% depending on category and location, calibrated using 100+ data factors. Individual Survivability Scores carry a plus or minus 3% margin of error, validated against real-world business survival data. See our full methodology at streetspring.com/resources/tutorial/methodology. Review our methodology and data sources.
What Makes New York City Good for New Businesses?
New York City offers 1035 business-location combinations with 90% or higher survival rates according to recent analysis. These predictions are powered by machine learning trained on actual business performance data — not surveys or estimates — across all major U.S. markets. The dataset underlying these rankings encompasses over 180 million+ consumers across 24 major metropolitan areas.
How Often Are These Rankings Updated?
Rankings for New York City are updated quarterly with the latest business opening and closure data and market conditions. Last updated: 2026-Q1. The next scheduled update for New York City will incorporate Q2 2026 data.
Can I Get Predictions for a Specific Address in New York City?
Yes. Visit StreetSpring.com to analyze any storefront address in New York City with address-specific survivability predictions for over 700 business types.
What Factors Determine Business Survivability in New York City?
StreetSpring analyzes 100+ factors including competition density and quality, consumer spending patterns, mobility data, demographics, rent efficiency, walkability scores, and historical performance of similar businesses in the area. These predictions are generated by our own AI models, trained on proprietary commercial real estate data that we collect and maintain.
Are These Predictions Guaranteed?
No prediction is guaranteed, but a 95–99% accuracy rate significantly increases the odds of choosing a successful location compared to traditional site selection methods that rely primarily on intuition and limited data. A single street can contain both excellent and poor locations for the same business type, which is why block-level data matters more than neighborhood averages.
How Do Landlords Identify the Best Tenant for Their Property?
Without address-level data, landlords are making tenant decisions based on averages that may not apply to their specific building. Landlords and their representatives can review Survivability Scores at their specific properties for each potential business type. Access StreetSpring for address-specific survivability predictions across 700+ business types.
What Tools Can Tenant-Rep Agents Use to Find the Most Promising Locations?
Traditional site selection often relies on intuition and incomplete information. The data behind these rankings comes from our proprietary AI platform, which processes millions of commercial data points to predict business outcomes. Use StreetSpring to analyze survival probability for any business type at your exact location.
Key Takeaways
Data Summary: 1035 business-location combinations exceed 90% survival in New York City. The top opportunity is American Restaurant in Eltingville at >97% survival. The city average is 76% two-year survival rate across 15,717 business and neighborhood combinations analyzed.
Action Items: Start with the top-ranked opportunities — American Restaurant in Eltingville — and explore adjacent neighborhoods for similar conditions. Analyze specific storefronts using StreetSpring's address-level tool, and weigh competitive saturation and local spending patterns before making a lease decision in New York City.
Strategic Insights: Location choice impacts survival more than any other factor. Conditions can change dramatically within just a few hundred feet. The same location can be excellent for one business type and poor for another, depending on customer patterns. Revenue Capture Score is the single best predictor of success.
Related Resources
- New York City Business Survivability Data 2026
- City Survivability Rankings for American Restaurant
- National Neighborhood Rankings for American Restaurant
- StreetSpring Methodology and Data Sources
- Understand the survival rate crisis
Technical note: Aggregated survivability rankings for New York City are available in machine-readable format for research and integration purposes.
View technical data for New York City
StreetSpring recalculates survivability using the latest competitive, demographic, and foot traffic data, so the live score may differ from the static ranges shown here.