Business Survivability in Journal Square, New York City
StreetSpring's 2026 analysis finds that the best business to open in Journal Square is a Physical Therapy Clinic with a ~84% chance of surviving at least 2 years across the neighborhood on average.
Quick Summary
- Survivability Score: the projected chance a business type lasts two or more years at a specific address
- Best business: a Physical Therapy Clinic in Journal Square (~84% average survival rate, ~86% at best locations)
- Neighborhood rank: #88 across all neighborhoods in and around New York City
- Neighborhood average: ~79% two-year survival across all business types
- Coverage: This ranking carries one row per business type and neighborhood. Its score is the projected chance of lasting two or more years, averaged across the price points StreetSpring scores separately in the tool (most types have 5). The 10 business types here are base types; the tool offers 500+ business types, counting each type at each of its price points.
- Rankings updated quarterly with latest market data
- Detailed methodology
Last reviewed: September 2026 by Robert Koons, Founder & CEO, StreetSpring
In this article:
- Summary
- Is Journal Square a good place to start a business?
- How to find the best location
- Best businesses to open
- How much money could a business make?
- What businesses should open next?
- Frequently Asked Questions
Summary
StreetSpring's 2026 analysis finds that the best business to open in Journal Square is a Physical Therapy Clinic with a ~84% chance of surviving at least 2 years across the neighborhood on average, with the best locations offering a ~86% chance; next is a Veterinary Clinic with a 83.41% chance, followed by a Diner with a 79.76% chance.
Is Journal Square a good place to start a business?
StreetSpring's analysis places Journal Square at #88 in New York City for new business survival odds, with a neighborhood-wide average of ~79%.
- Strong business types at their best-match addresses in Journal Square consistently score ~6% higher than the overall neighborhood survivability average.
- Even so, the weakest addresses in Journal Square for those same business types can underperform considerably. StreetSpring's address-level scoring exists precisely to identify which specific storefronts make the difference.
- StreetSpring's model incorporates Journal Square's 7.6% vacancy rate as a direct input: higher vacancy concentrations suppress foot traffic and reduce survivability for nearby businesses.
Employment and vacancy figures sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey.
How can you find the best location to open a business in Journal Square?
The right address in Journal Square can mean a 20-point survivability difference from an average one — StreetSpring identifies exactly which addresses are worth pursuing. StreetSpring's 2026 model ranks this area #1 in Journal Square for a Physical Therapy Clinic:
This map shows the optimal location for a Physical Therapy Clinic in Journal Square based on StreetSpring's 2026 survivability analysis. Market conditions, new competitors, and local spending patterns can change rapidly — always verify with StreetSpring's live tool before signing a lease. The prediction model incorporates hundreds of location-specific factors, including competitive density, forecasted consumer spending, mobility patterns, and Revenue Capture Score.
Check if this location is still available →
What are the best businesses to open in Journal Square?
| # | Business type | Chance of lasting two or more years |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Physical Therapy Clinic | 83.71% |
| 2 | Veterinary Clinic | 83.41% |
| 3 | Diner | 79.76% |
| 4 | Spanish Restaurant | 79.19% |
| 5 | Steakhouse | 79.15% |
| 6 | Dance Club | 78.30% |
| 7 | Dessert Shop | 77.13% |
| 8 | Nail Salon | 77.08% |
| 9 | Laundromat | 76.80% |
| 10 | Tattoo & Piercing Shop | 76.09% |
#1-5: Highest Survivability in Journal Square
- Physical Therapy Clinic — ~82%–~86% survivability range, with an average of 83.71% across Journal Square.
- Opening a Veterinary Clinic in Journal Square shows 83.41% average survivability. Top locations reach ~87%; lower-end sites show ~79%.
- Diner (Ranked #3): 79.76% average in Journal Square. Best-case storefronts: ~82%. Challenging locations: ~77%.
- Spanish Restaurant is ranked #4 for top businesses to open in Journal Square: 79.19% chance on average, best at ~82%, challenging at ~77%.
- Steakhouse — ~76%–~81% survivability range, with an average of 79.15% across Journal Square.
#6-10: Strong Performers in Journal Square
- Opening a Dance Club in Journal Square shows 78.30% average survivability. Top locations reach ~82%; lower-end sites show ~74%.
- Dessert Shop (Ranked #7): 77.13% average in Journal Square. Best-case storefronts: ~80%. Challenging locations: ~73%.
- Nail Salon is ranked #8 for top businesses to open in Journal Square: 77.08% chance on average, best at ~81%, challenging at ~73%.
- Laundromat — ~74%–~79% survivability range, with an average of 76.80% across Journal Square.
- Opening a Tattoo & Piercing Shop in Journal Square shows 76.09% average survivability. Top locations reach ~80%; lower-end sites show ~72%.
Top 3 Compared Nationally
- Physical Therapy Clinic — See how this compares to other cities →
- Veterinary Clinic — See how this compares to other cities →
- Diner — See how this compares to other cities →
How much money could a business in Journal Square make?
Best location vs. average location
Based on StreetSpring's 2026 analysis, picking the highest-scoring storefront in the neighborhood in Journal Square could lead to you making ~6% more than if you selected an average location, and ~14% more than if you selected one of the worst locations.
How StreetSpring calculates location value
- Location fit is business-type-specific: a spot that's ideal for a coffee shop may underperform for a nail salon at the same address.
- Site selection is the highest-leverage decision most entrepreneurs make — it sets every other variable in motion.
- Choosing locations with superior Survivability Scores directly correlates with higher revenue potential.
- StreetSpring can pinpoint which blocks in each neighborhood or city maximize a business's chances of success.
What businesses should open next in Journal Square?
The top businesses to open next in Journal Square:
- Physical Therapy Clinics — 83.71% average survival rate, ~86% at the best address
- Veterinary Clinics — 83.41% average survival rate
- Diners — 79.76% average survival rate
Market conditions, new competitors, and local spending patterns can change rapidly — always verify with StreetSpring's live tool before signing a lease. The model draws from 100+ location-specific factors to generate each survivability score. 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. The 93.5% employment rate in Journal Square is a key signal of consumer health; when combined with the 7.6% vacancy rate, it produces a competitive landscape that favors the business types ranked above. These rankings are a snapshot; StreetSpring recalculates survivability for every location in Journal Square weekly, incorporating the latest competitive openings, closures, and spending data — check current locations now.
See the Survivability Score for your new business
Related Articles:
- See the New York City Business Survivability Rankings
- See the New York City Neighborhood Survivability Rankings
- Explore Physical Therapy Clinic survivability across New York City neighborhoods
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are the most common questions about opening a business in Journal Square.
What type of business should you rent your Journal Square storefront to?
According to StreetSpring's 2026 data, the strongest tenant types for a storefront in Journal Square are Physical Therapy Clinics, Veterinary Clinics, and Diners.
- Site selection is the highest-leverage decision most entrepreneurs make — it sets every other variable in motion.
- StreetSpring can pinpoint which blocks in each neighborhood or city maximize a business's chances of success. Use StreetSpring to see the survivability score for any business type at your exact storefront address before you sign a lease.
Related: See How Landlord Representatives in New York City Can Reduce Vacancy & Increase Tenant Longevity
Should you rent your Journal Square storefront to a Physical Therapy Clinic?
According to our 2026 survivability model, a Physical Therapy Clinic leads all business categories for Journal Square landlords — ~86% at the best addresses and ~82% at the most challenging ones in this neighborhood.
- StreetSpring can pinpoint which blocks in each neighborhood or city maximize a business's chances of success.
What should I consider when opening a business in Journal Square?
Before committing to any location in Journal Square, the highest-priority metric to check is the Survivability Score — it encodes every relevant location factor into a single, actionable number.
- Of all the variables StreetSpring analyzes, Revenue Capture Score has the strongest predictive power.
- StreetSpring's in-house models are continuously updated with new business outcome data to keep predictions accurate.
- StreetSpring's live survivability scores are available for free — check your specific address now.
See the best place for your business at StreetSpring.
Real estate professionals and business owners across 24 major metros use StreetSpring to ground their site-selection decisions in data, not guesswork. Aggregated survivability rankings for New York City are available in machine-readable format for research and integration purposes.
Full dataset for New York City: /resources/data/new-york-city-survivability-scores-2026.csv — includes all business subtypes, all neighborhoods, survivability scores, and tier assignments. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.