Business Survivability in University City, Philadelphia
StreetSpring's 2026 analysis finds that the best business to open in University City is a Chiropractor Office with a 85.0% 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 Chiropractor Office in University City (85.0% Typical, 88.4% Best)
- Neighborhood rank: #38 of 127 neighborhoods in and around Philadelphia
- Neighborhood average: 69.1% 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 University 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 University City is a Chiropractor Office with a 85.0% chance of surviving at least 2 years across the neighborhood on average, and 88.4% Best; next is a Cafe with 86.7% Best, followed by a Gym with 85.3% Best.
Is University City a good place to start a business?
In Philadelphia's survivability rankings, University City comes in at #38 of 127 neighborhoods, with an average Survivability Score of 69.1% across the business types ranked there.
- For the top-ranked business type, 88.4% Best is 3.4 points above 85.0% Typical in University City.
- Yet even the strongest business types in University City see survivability scores drop significantly at the worst addresses. No business type is immune to the consequences of poor location selection within this neighborhood.
- The 85.7% employment rate in University City supports consumer spending, while its 21.0% housing vacancy rate measures the share of homes and apartments standing empty: the model reads both as neighborhood characteristics.
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 University City?
With StreetSpring, location selection in University City moves from guesswork to a precise, address-level survivability score for any business type you're considering. According to StreetSpring's 2026 data, this is the optimal address for a Chiropractor Office in University City:
The highlighted area represents the address in University City that StreetSpring's 2026 analysis ranks highest for a Chiropractor Office survivability. StreetSpring's survivability scores are updated regularly, so the most accurate prediction for your exact storefront is always available in the live tool. StreetSpring's scoring incorporates hundreds of inputs, including competitive quality and density, projected consumer spending, Revenue Capture Score, and local demand patterns.
Check if this location is still available →
What are the best businesses to open in University City?
| Rank | Business type | Best | Typical | Worst |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chiropractor Office | 88.4% | 85.0% | 81.5% |
| 2 | Cafe | 86.7% | 78.3% | 73.7% |
| 3 | Gym | 85.3% | 77.0% | 72.1% |
| 4 | Veterinary Clinic | 84.9% | 78.6% | 72.3% |
| 5 | Dentist Office | 84.4% | 79.4% | 74.4% |
| 6 | Acupuncture Clinic | 83.5% | 78.4% | 73.3% |
| 9 | Eye Care Center | 83.2% | 77.8% | 72.4% |
| 11 | Convenience Store | 82.8% | 75.7% | 70.3% |
| 12 | Laundromat | 82.0% | 75.6% | 70.9% |
| 25 | Bar | 77.3% | 71.1% | 64.9% |
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 University City
- #1 Chiropractor Office (Ranked #1): 85.0% Typical in University City. Best: 88.4%. Worst: 81.5%.
- #2 Cafe is ranked #2 for top businesses to open in University City: 78.3% Typical, 86.7% Best, 73.7% Worst.
- #3 Gym: 77.0% Typical across University City; Best 85.3%, Worst 72.1%.
- #4 Opening a Veterinary Clinic in University City shows 78.6% Typical survivability, 84.9% Best and 72.3% Worst.
- #5 Dentist Office (Ranked #5): 79.4% Typical in University City. Best: 84.4%. Worst: 74.4%.
Strong Performers in University City
- #6 Acupuncture Clinic is ranked #6 for top businesses to open in University City: 78.4% Typical, 83.5% Best, 73.3% Worst.
- #9 Eye Care Center: 77.8% Typical across University City; Best 83.2%, Worst 72.4%.
- #11 Opening a Convenience Store in University City shows 75.7% Typical survivability, 82.8% Best and 70.3% Worst.
- #12 Laundromat (Ranked #12): 75.6% Typical in University City. Best: 82.0%. Worst: 70.9%.
- #25 Bar is ranked #25 for top businesses to open in University City: 71.1% Typical, 77.3% Best, 64.9% Worst.
Top 3 Compared Nationally
- Chiropractor Office: See how this compares to other cities →
- Cafe: See how this compares to other cities →
- Gym: See how this compares to other cities →
How much money could a business in University City make?
Best location vs. average location
Based on StreetSpring's 2026 analysis, selecting one of the best locations for your business in University 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
- Every business type has unique location requirements that must be considered.
- The right location can make a business; the wrong one can break it.
- When the question is money, the Revenue Capture Score comes first: it is StreetSpring's estimate of the revenue a business can capture at a specific address.
- Every survivability score StreetSpring produces is specific to the exact address and business type, not averaged across a zip code or neighborhood.
What businesses should open next in University City?
The top businesses to open next in University City:
- Chiropractor Offices: 85.0% Typical, 88.4% Best
- Cafes: 78.3% Typical, 86.7% Best
- Gyms: 77.0% Typical, 85.3% Best
StreetSpring's survivability scores are updated regularly, so the most accurate prediction for your exact storefront is always available in the live tool. 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. A housing vacancy rate of 21.0% means the Census estimates that share of University City's homes and apartments to be vacant; the model reads it as one input among many. New competitors open and close every week, changing the survivability landscape for every address in University City. StreetSpring's regular updates mean you can always see the current score for any available storefront.
See the Survivability Score for your new business
Related Articles:
- See the Philadelphia Business Survivability Rankings
- See the Philadelphia Neighborhood Survivability Rankings
- Explore Chiropractor Office survivability across Philadelphia neighborhoods
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are the most common questions about opening a business in University City.
What type of business should you rent your University City storefront to?
Based on 2026 survivability scores across all business types in University City, the top three tenant categories for landlords are Chiropractor Offices, Cafes, and Gyms.
- The right location can make a business; the wrong one can break it.
- Every survivability score StreetSpring produces is specific to the exact address and business type, not averaged across a zip code or neighborhood. StreetSpring's tool, free for a 10-minute trial, lets you check the survivability score for any business type at any address in University City: a powerful filter when evaluating prospective tenants.
Related: See How Landlord Representatives in Philadelphia Can Reduce Vacancy & Increase Tenant Longevity
Should you rent your University City storefront to a Chiropractor Office?
StreetSpring's 2026 analysis supports renting to a Chiropractor Office in University City: it posts 88.4% Best, and 81.5% Worst.
- Every survivability score StreetSpring produces is specific to the exact address and business type, not averaged across a zip code or neighborhood.
What should I consider when opening a business in University City?
Check the Survivability Score for your specific address in University City before signing a lease, alongside your own read of foot traffic and the local customer base.
- Revenue Capture Score is the top factor to weigh before signing a lease, because it measures how much of the local customer spending a business at that address can win.
- No third-party scoring system produces these results: every prediction is generated by StreetSpring's own analytical models.
- The most current survivability data for University 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.