Business Survivability in Fairfax, San Francisco
StreetSpring's 2026 analysis finds that the best business to open in Fairfax is a Veterinary Clinic with a ~81% 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 Veterinary Clinic in Fairfax (~81% average survival rate, ~84% at best locations)
- Neighborhood rank: #2 across all neighborhoods in and around San Francisco
- Neighborhood average: ~77% 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 Fairfax 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 Fairfax is a Veterinary Clinic with a ~81% chance of surviving at least 2 years across the neighborhood on average, with the best locations offering a ~84% chance; next is a Vegan / Vegetarian Restaurant with a 80.47% chance, followed by an Italian Restaurant with a 80.38% chance.
Is Fairfax a good place to start a business?
Fairfax is the #2 most survivable neighborhood for new businesses in and around San Francisco, with an average score of ~77% across all analyzed categories.
- The top business types in Fairfax, when placed at their ideal addresses, achieve survivability rates ~10% above the neighborhood-wide average.
- But these same concepts at less optimal addresses within Fairfax can score meaningfully below average. Survivability data shows that even the highest-demand business types fail at the wrong location.
- Commercial vacancy in Fairfax sits at 5.5%, a figure that factors into survivability scores for every business type in this neighborhood.
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 Fairfax?
Rather than relying on neighborhood averages, StreetSpring's scoring tells you which specific addresses in Fairfax give your concept the best odds of survival. StreetSpring's 2026 analysis identifies this area as the top location for a Veterinary Clinic in Fairfax:
This map shows the optimal location for a Veterinary Clinic in Fairfax based on StreetSpring's 2026 survivability analysis. These rankings are based on the latest available data; check StreetSpring for real-time updates. 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 Fairfax?
| # | Business type | Chance of lasting two or more years |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Veterinary Clinic | 80.92% |
| 2 | Vegan / Vegetarian Restaurant | 80.47% |
| 3 | Italian Restaurant | 80.38% |
| 4 | Mexican Restaurant | 79.73% |
| 5 | Coffee Shop | 76.13% |
| 6 | Grocery Store | 75.24% |
| 7 | Dance Club | 74.92% |
| 8 | Liquor Store | 74.74% |
| 9 | Gym | 73.81% |
| 10 | Smoke Shop | 73.80% |
#1-5: Highest Survivability in Fairfax
- Opening a Veterinary Clinic in Fairfax shows 80.92% average survivability. Top locations reach ~84%; lower-end sites show ~76%.
- Vegan / Vegetarian Restaurant (Ranked #2): 80.47% average in Fairfax. Best-case storefronts: ~84%. Challenging locations: ~77%.
- Italian Restaurant is ranked #3 for top businesses to open in Fairfax: 80.38% chance on average, best at ~84%, challenging at ~76%.
- Mexican Restaurant — ~75%–~84% survivability range, with an average of 79.73% across Fairfax.
- Opening a Coffee Shop in Fairfax shows 76.13% average survivability. Top locations reach ~80%; lower-end sites show ~69%.
#6-10: Strong Performers in Fairfax
- Grocery Store (Ranked #6): 75.24% average in Fairfax. Best-case storefronts: ~81%. Challenging locations: ~69%.
- Dance Club is ranked #7 for top businesses to open in Fairfax: 74.92% chance on average, best at ~80%, challenging at ~69%.
- Liquor Store — ~67%–~80% survivability range, with an average of 74.74% across Fairfax.
- Opening a Gym in Fairfax shows 73.81% average survivability. Top locations reach ~78%; lower-end sites show ~68%.
- Smoke Shop (Ranked #10): 73.80% average in Fairfax. Best-case storefronts: ~79%. Challenging locations: ~68%.
Top 3 Compared Nationally
- Veterinary Clinic — See how this compares to other cities →
- Vegan / Vegetarian Restaurant — See how this compares to other cities →
- Italian Restaurant — See how this compares to other cities →
How much money could a business in Fairfax make?
Best location vs. average location
Based on StreetSpring's 2026 analysis, picking the highest-scoring storefront in the neighborhood in Fairfax could lead to you making ~10% more than if you selected an average location, and ~29% more than if you selected one of the worst locations.
How StreetSpring calculates location value
- StreetSpring calculates survivability for each business type separately at each address — so the best location for your concept may differ from the neighborhood's overall top-ranked site.
- Site selection is the highest-leverage decision most entrepreneurs make — it sets every other variable in motion.
- Across every business type we've analyzed, location quality as measured by Survivability Score is the strongest predictor of financial performance.
- StreetSpring's precision goes beyond the neighborhood — it scores survivability at the exact address for every major brick-and-mortar business category.
What businesses should open next in Fairfax?
The top businesses to open next in Fairfax:
- Veterinary Clinics — 80.92% average survival rate, ~84% at the best address
- Vegan / Vegetarian Restaurants — 80.47% average survival rate
- Italian Restaurants — 80.38% average survival rate
These rankings are based on the latest available data; check StreetSpring for real-time updates. 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. The 5.5% commercial vacancy rate in Fairfax means there is available space for new entrants — but it also signals that survivability depends heavily on choosing the right address within the neighborhood, not just the neighborhood itself. These rankings are a snapshot; StreetSpring recalculates survivability for every location in Fairfax 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 San Francisco Business Survivability Rankings
- See the San Francisco Neighborhood Survivability Rankings
- Explore Veterinary Clinic survivability across San Francisco neighborhoods
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are the most common questions about opening a business in Fairfax.
What type of business should you rent your Fairfax storefront to?
Based on 2026 survivability scores across all business types in Fairfax, the top three tenant categories for landlords are Veterinary Clinics, Vegan / Vegetarian Restaurants, and Italian Restaurants.
- Site selection is the highest-leverage decision most entrepreneurs make — it sets every other variable in motion.
- StreetSpring's precision goes beyond the neighborhood — it scores survivability at the exact address for every major brick-and-mortar business category. StreetSpring's free tool lets you check the survivability score for any business type at any address in Fairfax — a powerful filter when evaluating prospective tenants.
Related: See How Landlord Representatives in San Francisco Can Reduce Vacancy & Increase Tenant Longevity
Should you rent your Fairfax storefront to a Veterinary Clinic?
Yes — our 2026 model places a Veterinary Clinic at the top of the survivability rankings for Fairfax storefronts, with a best-case score of ~84% and a floor of ~76% at the most challenging addresses.
- StreetSpring's precision goes beyond the neighborhood — it scores survivability at the exact address for every major brick-and-mortar business category.
What should I consider when opening a business in Fairfax?
Among all the criteria to weigh when opening a business in Fairfax, Survivability Score carries the most predictive weight — choose the address with the highest score your budget allows.
- Among all the inputs that shape survivability, Revenue Capture Score carries the most predictive weight.
- No third-party scoring system produces these results — every prediction is generated by StreetSpring's own analytical models.
- StreetSpring offers free access to its survivability scores — see how your shortlisted Fairfax addresses rank right now.
See the best place for your business at StreetSpring.
StreetSpring analyzes millions of data points with AI to forecast business survivability. Aggregated survivability rankings for San Francisco are available in machine-readable format for research and integration purposes.
Full dataset for San Francisco: /resources/data/san-francisco-survivability-scores-2026.csv — includes all business subtypes, all neighborhoods, survivability scores, and tier assignments. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.