Business Survivability in Capitol Hill, Seattle
StreetSpring's 2026 analysis finds that the best business to open in Capitol Hill is a Cafe with a 82.8% 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 Capitol Hill (82.8% Typical, 88.9% Best)
- Neighborhood rank: #56 of 94 neighborhoods in and around Seattle
- Neighborhood average: 70.9% 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 Capitol Hill 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 Capitol Hill is a Cafe with a 82.8% chance of surviving at least 2 years across the neighborhood on average, and 88.9% Best; next is a Coffee Shop with 88.4% Best, followed by a Psychiatry or Psychology Practice with 88.2% Best.
Is Capitol Hill a good place to start a business?
StreetSpring ranks Capitol Hill #56 of 94 neighborhoods in and around Seattle, with an average Survivability Score of 70.9% across the business types ranked there.
- For the top-ranked business type, 88.9% Best is 6.1 points above 82.8% Typical in Capitol Hill.
- However, these same business types at the worst locations in Capitol Hill can sometimes provide a projected Survivability Score considerably below the average. Thus, even the businesses that are most in need in Capitol Hill could have trouble succeeding if the best location is not selected.
- The 95.9% employment rate in Capitol Hill supports consumer spending, while its 5.2% 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 Capitol Hill?
With StreetSpring, location selection in Capitol Hill moves from guesswork to a precise, address-level survivability score for any business type you're considering. StreetSpring's 2026 analysis identifies this area as the top location for a Cafe in Capitol Hill:
StreetSpring's 2026 model identifies this area as the highest-survivability location for a Cafe in Capitol Hill. Static rankings can't capture every recent change in competition or consumer spending; StreetSpring's live platform provides the current score for your exact address. The model evaluates hundreds of factors, from primary and secondary competition to forecasted spend, site accessibility, and local market share potential.
Check if this location is still available →
What are the best businesses to open in Capitol Hill?
| Rank | Business type | Best | Typical | Worst |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cafe | 88.9% | 82.8% | 77.3% |
| 2 | Coffee Shop | 88.4% | 80.9% | 75.6% |
| 3 | Mental Health Clinic | 88.2% | 83.8% | 79.4% |
| 4 | Gym | 87.9% | 79.4% | 74.3% |
| 5 | Physical Therapy Clinic | 87.8% | 82.4% | 76.9% |
| 6 | Bar | 87.8% | 78.8% | 73.7% |
| 7 | Chiropractor Office | 87.7% | 81.8% | 75.9% |
| 8 | Italian Restaurant | 87.6% | 80.9% | 76.0% |
| 9 | Hair Salon | 87.1% | 78.1% | 73.3% |
| 10 | Seafood Restaurant | 87.1% | 80.0% | 75.4% |
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.
Highest Survivability in Capitol Hill
- #1 Opening a Cafe in Capitol Hill shows 82.8% Typical survivability, 88.9% Best and 77.3% Worst.
- #2 Coffee Shop (Ranked #2): 80.9% Typical in Capitol Hill. Best: 88.4%. Worst: 75.6%.
- #3 Mental Health Clinic is ranked #3 for top businesses to open in Capitol Hill: 83.8% Typical, 88.2% Best, 79.4% Worst.
- #4 Gym: 79.4% Typical across Capitol Hill; Best 87.9%, Worst 74.3%.
- #5 Opening a Physical Therapy Clinic in Capitol Hill shows 82.4% Typical survivability, 87.8% Best and 76.9% Worst.
Strong Performers in Capitol Hill
- #6 Bar (Ranked #6): 78.8% Typical in Capitol Hill. Best: 87.8%. Worst: 73.7%.
- #7 Chiropractor Office is ranked #7 for top businesses to open in Capitol Hill: 81.8% Typical, 87.7% Best, 75.9% Worst.
- #8 Italian Restaurant: 80.9% Typical across Capitol Hill; Best 87.6%, Worst 76.0%.
- #9 Opening a Hair Salon in Capitol Hill shows 78.1% Typical survivability, 87.1% Best and 73.3% Worst.
- #10 Seafood Restaurant (Ranked #10): 80.0% Typical in Capitol Hill. Best: 87.1%. Worst: 75.4%.
Top 3 Compared Nationally
- Cafe: See how this compares to other cities →
- Coffee Shop: See how this compares to other cities →
- Mental Health Clinic: See how this compares to other cities →
How much money could a business in Capitol Hill make?
Best location vs. average location
Based on StreetSpring's 2026 analysis, prioritizing survivability score in your site-selection process in Capitol Hill 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
- 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.
- The address you choose determines your competitive exposure, customer flow, and spending potential simultaneously.
- 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.
- Two storefronts on the same street can have different survivability scores: StreetSpring calculates each one individually.
What businesses should open next in Capitol Hill?
The top businesses to open next in Capitol Hill:
- Cafes: 82.8% Typical, 88.9% Best
- Coffee Shops: 80.9% Typical, 88.4% Best
- Mental Health Clinics: 83.8% Typical, 88.2% Best
Static rankings can't capture every recent change in competition or consumer spending; StreetSpring's live platform provides the current score for your exact address. 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 95.9% employment rate in Capitol Hill is a key signal of consumer health, and the 5.2% housing vacancy rate is another Census characteristic the model reads for the rankings above. Survivability scores are live, not static: StreetSpring updates them regularly. Visit the tool to see what's currently available in Capitol Hill and how each address is scoring right now.
See the Survivability Score for your new business
Related Articles:
- See the Seattle Business Survivability Rankings
- See the Seattle Neighborhood Survivability Rankings
- Explore Cafe survivability across Seattle neighborhoods
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are the most common questions about opening a business in Capitol Hill.
What type of business should you rent your Capitol Hill storefront to?
Our 2026 survivability data for Capitol Hill shows that Cafes, Coffee Shops, and Mental Health Clinics rank as the top tenant categories for minimizing vacancy risk.
- The address you choose determines your competitive exposure, customer flow, and spending potential simultaneously.
- Two storefronts on the same street can have different survivability scores: StreetSpring calculates each one individually. 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 Seattle Can Reduce Vacancy & Increase Tenant Longevity
Should you rent your Capitol Hill storefront to a Cafe?
Yes, StreetSpring's analysis finds that a Cafe would be the best type of business to rent your storefront to in Capitol Hill, with 88.9% Best and 77.3% Worst for the chance of lasting two or more years.
- Two storefronts on the same street can have different survivability scores: StreetSpring calculates each one individually.
What should I consider when opening a business in Capitol Hill?
Check the Survivability Score for your specific address in Capitol Hill before signing a lease, alongside your own read of foot traffic and the local customer base.
- 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.
- These insights come from StreetSpring's exclusive, in-house forecasting models.
- Check StreetSpring's current survivability data for any address in Capitol Hill, starting with a free 10-minute trial.
See the best place for your business at StreetSpring.
StreetSpring combines proprietary data with advanced analytics to predict which businesses will succeed. Aggregated survivability rankings for Seattle are available in machine-readable format for research and integration purposes.
Full dataset for Seattle: /resources/data/seattle-survivability-scores-2026.csv: includes all business subtypes, all neighborhoods, survivability scores, and tier assignments. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.