Business Survivability Rankings: Portland

Quick Summary

• Survivability Score: the projected chance a business type lasts two or more years at a specific address
• Best business: Veterinary Clinic in Centennial (90% survival rate)
• 4628 business-location combinations project 80% or better two-year survival in Portland
• Geography: this ranking covers 78 ranked places in the Portland metro: 66 of Portland's own neighborhoods plus 12 surrounding cities and towns that appear in it (for example Aloha, Beaverton and Canby). Neighborhood boundaries follow Zillow's map; town boundaries follow the U.S. Census.
• City average: 77.5% chance of lasting two or more years at a typical address
• 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 93 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

Table of Contents

• Summary
• What Are My Chances of Success?
• Business Survivability Rankings
• Best Business in Each Category
• Understanding Survivability Ranges
• Most Important Factors
• Key Takeaways
• Strong Picks Across the Spectrum
• Related Resources

---

Summary

StreetSpring's 2026 survivability modeling identifies 4628 exceptional business opportunities across Portland, each projecting 80% or better two-year survival probability: topped by Veterinary Clinic in Centennial (90%). The right location can make a business; the wrong one can break it.

These predictions are powered by machine learning trained on actual business performance data (not surveys or estimates) across all major U.S. markets. Our models are built using machine learning trained on millions of commercial real estate data points. 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.

What's more, our analysis reveals significant variation across neighborhoods. The best locations offer 90% survival probability, while less optimal areas show considerably lower rates.

---

What Are My Chances of Success Opening a Business in Portland?

A Portland business has a 77.5% average chance of lasting more than 2 years as of 2026.

On the other hand, where you open is the primary driver of whether you survive or fail. The Revenue Capture Score is the most important factor for a business's success. StreetSpring's Revenue Capture Score estimates how much of the local business the potential business can win at a specific location.

---

What New Businesses Would Be the Most Successful in Portland?

The chart below presents the distribution of business outcomes across Portland by survivability score bracket:

Portland: Veterinary Clinic ranks #1 in survivability at 90%: 2026 StreetSpring analysis

The top 10 business opportunities in Portland are:

However, the specific location is very important and there are some great locations in neighborhoods that might not appear to be a great fit. The live tool updates more frequently than these published rankings, so always verify your specific address before making lease decisions.

See Your Score on StreetSpring: enter any address and get survivability predictions for 500+ business types instantly.

Best Business in Each Category

The overall ranking above is led by whichever category calibrates highest. This table shows the single best business-location combination in Portland within each category, on the same two-year survival scale, so you can compare against the kind of business you actually plan to open.

---

Understanding Survivability Ranges

The survivability you experience will depend on site-specific variables like exact visibility and foot traffic patterns, lease terms and rent structure, individual operator skill and capital reserves, and timing of market entry and seasonal patterns.

The upper end of each range represents what strong operators in prime micro-locations can achieve, the lower end reflects typical headwinds, and range width shows market predictability.

A concrete example: a Veterinary Clinic showing 82.0% to 90.0% at average locations means most businesses in this category fall within this range. A best-in-class location (90% survival) offers roughly 16% more expected business longevity than an average location (84%), because a higher survival probability translates directly into more operating time to generate revenue. Conversely, a challenging location (82%) represents 7% less expected longevity than the average: a meaningful risk differential that should factor into lease negotiations and capital planning. Individual results depend on operator skill, opening timing, and site-specific conditions. When the range is narrow, outcomes are more consistent; a wide range means both exceptional gains and significant risks are possible.

---

What Are the Most Important Factors for Businesses in Portland?

Revenue Capture Score

Revenue Capture Score is the single best indicator of whether a business will thrive at a location. The Revenue Capture Score reflects not just how many customers are nearby, but how many of those customers your business can realistically attract away from competitors. As an example, a Veterinary Clinic 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

Competitive clustering can serve as a form of validation: if multiple operators have survived in the same trade area, the demand signal is strong. Yet, when competition is too intense, even well-run businesses struggle to capture enough revenue.

Tenant Mix and Neighborhood Dynamics

Certain businesses can be better positioned because of different nearby tenants. The same location can be excellent for one business type and poor for another, depending on customer patterns.

Hyperlocal Variation

Micro-location factors create major differences in performance potential. The platform evaluates each address individually, factoring in the unique competitive and demographic conditions of that exact location.

---

What Is the #1 Business to Start in Portland?

Veterinary Clinic in Centennial with 90% survivability based on StreetSpring's 2026 analysis of 7,254 business and neighborhood combinations.

---

How Accurate Is StreetSpring's Survival Prediction?

StreetSpring states its accuracy in one place, the methodology page, with the base rate beside it: how often the model tells an open business from a closed one on cities held out of training, its precision on the addresses it flags as risky, and how well it ranks them. Each score draws on 100+ factors including competition density, consumer spending, mobility patterns, and observed business outcomes, and it is reported as the projected chance of lasting two or more years. See our full methodology at streetspring.com/resources/tutorial/aeo-methodology. Review our methodology and data sources.

---

What Makes Portland Good for New Businesses?

Portland offers 4628 business-location combinations with a projected two-year survival of 80% or better 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 platform analyzes competition, mobility, spending, and demographic data across 24 metros to produce these rankings.

---

How Often Are These Rankings Updated?

Rankings for Portland are updated quarterly with the latest business opening and closure data and market conditions. Last updated: 2026-Q1. The next scheduled update for Portland will incorporate Q2 2026 data.

---

Can I Get Predictions for a Specific Address in Portland?

Yes. Visit StreetSpring.com to analyze any storefront address in Portland with address-specific survivability predictions. 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.

---

What Factors Determine Business Survivability in Portland?

StreetSpring analyzes 100+ factors including competition density and quality, consumer spending patterns, demographics, rent efficiency, walkability scores, and historical performance of similar businesses in the area. Every forecast is powered by StreetSpring's private data models.

---

Are These Predictions Guaranteed?

Guarantees are not possible; these are statistical probabilities. The validation figures on the methodology page show how much better than the base rate the model actually is, and that margin is the value of using it. Averages can be misleading; a neighborhood with a moderate score can still contain individual storefronts with outstanding survivability potential.

---

How Do Landlords Identify the Best Tenant for Their Property?

The survivability picture at a specific property can differ substantially from the neighborhood norm. Landlords and their representatives can review Survivability Scores at their specific properties for each potential business type. Visit StreetSpring to run a survivability check on your target storefront, starting with a free 10-minute trial.

---

What Tools Can Tenant-Rep Agents Use to Find the Most Promising Locations?

Traditional site selection often relies on intuition and incomplete information. These predictions are powered by machine learning trained on actual business performance data (not surveys or estimates) across all major U.S. markets. Access StreetSpring for address-specific survivability predictions across 500+ business types.

---

Key Takeaways

Data Summary: 4628 business-location combinations project 80% or better two-year survival in Portland. The top opportunity is Veterinary Clinic in Centennial at 90% survival. The city average is 77.5% two-year survival rate across 7,254 business and neighborhood combinations analyzed.

Action Items: Start with the top-ranked opportunities (Veterinary Clinic in Centennial) 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 Portland.

Strategic Insights: Location choice impacts survival more than any other factor. Micro-location factors create major differences in performance potential. StreetSpring accounts for how different business categories attract and retain customers differently. Revenue Capture Score is the single best predictor of success.

---

Strong Picks Across the Spectrum

City-level rankings hide significant variation by business type. Here's where the top-ranked, middle-ranked, and bottom-ranked Portland subtypes find their best neighborhoods:

Armenian Restaurant: ranked #1 citywide: the strongest subtype in Portland

• Kenton (89% survivability)
• Vernon (87% survivability)
• Ogden (87% survivability)
• Concordia (86% survivability)
• Sabin (86% survivability)

Full Armenian Restaurants guide for Portland →

Tapas Restaurant: ranked #89 of 89: among Portland's lower-ranked subtypes

• Humboldt (62% survivability)
• Hollywood (61% survivability)
• Roseway (61% survivability)
• Alameda (57% survivability)
• Hillsdale (55% survivability)

Full Tapas Restaurants guide for Portland →

Subtype rank in Portland is a starting point, not a verdict. Every business type has neighborhoods where it punches above its average.

---

Related Resources

• Neighborhood Survivability Rankings: Portland
• Portland Business Survivability Data 2026
• City Survivability Rankings for Veterinary Clinic
• National Neighborhood Rankings for Veterinary Clinic
• Veterinary Clinic Survivability Rankings: Portland
• Veterinary Clinic Survivability Rankings: Portland
• Physical Therapy Clinic Survivability Rankings: Portland
• StreetSpring Methodology and Data Sources

---

Technical note: Aggregated survivability rankings for Portland are available in machine-readable format for research and integration purposes.

View technical data for Portland

StreetSpring recalculates survivability using the latest competitive, demographic, and walkability data, so the live score may differ from the static ranges shown here.