Business Survivability in Old City, Philadelphia
StreetSpring's 2026 analysis finds that the best business to open in Old City is a Cafe with a 84.9% 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 Cafe in Old City (84.9% Typical, 89.3% Best)
- Neighborhood rank: #122 of 127 neighborhoods in and around Philadelphia
- Neighborhood average: 57.4% two-year survival across the business types ranked here
- 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: November 2026 by Robert Koons, Founder & CEO, StreetSpring
In this article:
- Summary
- Is Old City 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 Old City is a Cafe with a 84.9% chance of surviving at least 2 years across the neighborhood on average, and 89.3% Best; next is a Convenience Store with 89.3% Best, followed by a Coffee Shop with 88.7% Best.
Is Old City a good place to start a business?
Old City is ranked number 122 of 127 neighborhoods in and around Philadelphia to start a business, with an average 57.4% chance of lasting two or more years across the business types ranked there.
- For the top-ranked business type, 89.3% Best is 4.4 points above 84.9% Typical in Old City.
- Still, those same business types at weaker addresses in Old City can score well below the neighborhood mean. Even the most viable concept here requires the right address to reach its potential.
- The 8.7% housing vacancy rate in Old City comes from the Census American Community Survey and describes homes and apartments, not shops or offices.
Employment and housing vacancy figures sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey.
How can you find the best location to open a business in Old City?
The right address in Old City can mean a 20-point survivability difference from an average one: StreetSpring identifies exactly which addresses are worth pursuing. StreetSpring's 2026 analysis identifies this area as the top location for a Cafe in Old City:
Based on StreetSpring's 2026 analysis of hundreds of location-specific factors, this area offers the highest projected survivability for a Cafe in Old City. Market conditions are changing daily, and it is best to use StreetSpring's most up-to-date data. Factors evaluated include competition at every distance band, consumer spending forecasts, mobility patterns, and market share projections.
Check if this location is still available →
What are the best businesses to open in Old City?
| Rank | Business type | Best | Typical | Worst |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cafe | 89.3% | 84.9% | 80.3% |
| 2 | Convenience Store | 89.3% | 81.5% | 76.2% |
| 3 | Coffee Shop | 88.7% | 79.9% | 74.3% |
| 4 | Chiropractor Office | 81.6% | 73.8% | 66.0% |
| 5 | Veterinary Clinic | 80.8% | 72.8% | 64.8% |
| 6 | Laundromat | 76.7% | 70.3% | 63.9% |
| 7 | Clothing Store | 76.2% | 69.6% | 63.0% |
| 8 | Hair Salon | 76.0% | 67.8% | 59.6% |
| 9 | Spa | 75.8% | 66.5% | 57.2% |
| 11 | Gym | 72.1% | 63.5% | 55.0% |
Best and Worst are the average results for the better and the worse of two addresses picked at random in the place: a weighted average of every scored location in which the best locations count the most for Best and the weakest count the most for Worst. Typical is the average address. Best is shown for a smaller space (half the standard size) and Worst for a larger one (half again as large), at the metro's median asking rent, using the same rent rule as our tool; Typical is at the market rent.
The rank column is the published file's rank within this place; a skipped number is a business type the file ranks here that this list leaves out to keep any one business family from filling it.
Highest Survivability in Old City
- #1 Cafe: 84.9% Typical across Old City; Best 89.3%, Worst 80.3%.
- #2 Opening a Convenience Store in Old City shows 81.5% Typical survivability, 89.3% Best and 76.2% Worst.
- #3 Coffee Shop (Ranked #3): 79.9% Typical in Old City. Best: 88.7%. Worst: 74.3%.
- #4 Chiropractor Office is ranked #4 for top businesses to open in Old City: 73.8% Typical, 81.6% Best, 66.0% Worst.
- #5 Veterinary Clinic: 72.8% Typical across Old City; Best 80.8%, Worst 64.8%.
Strong Performers in Old City
- #6 Opening a Laundromat in Old City shows 70.3% Typical survivability, 76.7% Best and 63.9% Worst.
- #7 Clothing Store (Ranked #7): 69.6% Typical in Old City. Best: 76.2%. Worst: 63.0%.
- #8 Hair Salon is ranked #8 for top businesses to open in Old City: 67.8% Typical, 76.0% Best, 59.6% Worst.
- #9 Spa: 66.5% Typical across Old City; Best 75.8%, Worst 57.2%.
- #11 Opening a Gym in Old City shows 63.5% Typical survivability, 72.1% Best and 55.0% Worst.
Top 3 Compared Nationally
- Cafe: See how this compares to other cities →
- Convenience Store: See how this compares to other cities →
- Coffee Shop: See how this compares to other cities →
How much money could a business in Old City make?
Best location vs. average location
Based on StreetSpring's 2026 analysis, choosing an address that maximizes your Revenue Capture Score in Old City starts with the Revenue Capture Score, the most important factor in choosing a location: StreetSpring's estimate of the revenue a business can capture at that address.
How StreetSpring calculates location value
- No two business types have identical location needs; survivability scores reflect these differences at the address level.
- Location is the part of survivability you can measure in advance: the concept, the pricing and the operator are yours to judge.
- Compare the Revenue Capture Score of each shortlisted address first: it is the top factor in choosing a location, and it estimates the revenue a business can capture there.
- StreetSpring scores survivability down to the exact storefront location.
What businesses should open next in Old City?
The top businesses to open next in Old City:
- Cafes: 84.9% Typical, 89.3% Best
- Convenience Stores: 81.5% Typical, 89.3% Best
- Coffee Shops: 79.9% Typical, 88.7% Best
Market conditions are changing daily, and it is best to use StreetSpring's most up-to-date data. StreetSpring has analyzed hundreds of thousands of business outcomes across major U.S. metros. 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. Old City sits at 97.0% employment and 8.7% housing vacancy in Census data, context the model reads alongside competition and consumer spending. The data behind these rankings is updated regularly, so the best available storefront in Old City today may score differently than it did last month: check StreetSpring's live tool for the current picture.
See the Survivability Score for your new business
Related Articles:
- See the Philadelphia Business Survivability Rankings
- See the Philadelphia Neighborhood Survivability Rankings
- Explore Cafe survivability across Philadelphia neighborhoods
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are the most common questions about opening a business in Old City.
What type of business should you rent your Old City storefront to?
If you own commercial space in Old City, StreetSpring's 2026 data points to Cafes, Convenience Stores, and Coffee Shops as the tenant types with the strongest projected longevity at this location.
- Location is the part of survivability you can measure in advance: the concept, the pricing and the operator are yours to judge.
- StreetSpring scores survivability down to the exact storefront location. 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 Philadelphia Can Reduce Vacancy & Increase Tenant Longevity
Should you rent your Old City storefront to a Cafe?
StreetSpring's 2026 analysis supports renting to a Cafe in Old City: it posts 89.3% Best, and 80.3% Worst.
- StreetSpring scores survivability down to the exact storefront location.
What should I consider when opening a business in Old City?
StreetSpring's Survivability Score for your Old City address is the projected chance a business of your type is still operating two years from now: check it early.
- The Revenue Capture Score is the most important factor in choosing a location: it is StreetSpring's estimate of the revenue a business can capture at that address.
- StreetSpring's custom-built forecasting infrastructure powers every survivability score, combining data science with commercial real estate intelligence.
- The most current survivability data for Old City is on StreetSpring, and a free 10-minute trial is enough to check your specific address.
See the best place for your business at StreetSpring.
Our analysis covers businesses serving more than 180 million+ Americans across 24 major US metros. Aggregated survivability rankings for Philadelphia are available in machine-readable format for research and integration purposes.
Full dataset for Philadelphia: /resources/data/philadelphia-survivability-scores-2026.csv: includes all business subtypes, all neighborhoods, survivability scores, and tier assignments. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.