Business Survivability in Capitol Hill, Seattle
StreetSpring's 2026 analysis finds that the best business to open in Capitol Hill is a Veterinary Clinic with a ~83% 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 Capitol Hill (~83% average survival rate, ~87% at best locations)
- Neighborhood rank: #10 across all neighborhoods in and around Seattle
- Neighborhood average: ~78% 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 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 Veterinary Clinic with a ~83% chance of surviving at least 2 years across the neighborhood on average, with the best locations offering a ~87% chance; next is a Malaysian Restaurant with a 78.63% chance, followed by a Taiwanese Restaurant with a 78.40% chance.
Is Capitol Hill a good place to start a business?
Out of all neighborhoods analyzed in and around Seattle, Capitol Hill ranks #10 for business survivability with a ~78% average Survivability Score.
- At the strongest addresses in Capitol Hill, the most viable business types score ~11% higher than the average survivability rate across all locations.
- 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.
- With a 95.9% employment rate, Capitol Hill has the consumer spending foundation that supports a range of brick-and-mortar business types.
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 Capitol Hill?
StreetSpring's Capitol Hill data goes block by block — not just neighborhood averages — so you know which specific storefront gives your concept the strongest foundation. Of all available storefronts analyzed in Capitol Hill, StreetSpring ranks this area highest for a Veterinary Clinic in 2026:
Based on StreetSpring's 2026 analysis of hundreds of location-specific factors, this area offers the highest projected survivability for a Veterinary Clinic in Capitol Hill. For the most current predictions, visit StreetSpring to analyze your specific location in real-time. 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 Capitol Hill?
| # | Business type | Chance of lasting two or more years |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Veterinary Clinic | 83.34% |
| 2 | Malaysian Restaurant | 78.63% |
| 3 | Taiwanese Restaurant | 78.40% |
| 4 | Liquor Store | 77.59% |
| 5 | American Restaurant | 77.37% |
| 6 | Convenience Store | 77.36% |
| 7 | Grocery Store | 77.35% |
| 8 | Gym | 77.01% |
| 9 | Seafood Restaurant | 76.42% |
| 10 | Beauty Salon | 76.13% |
#1-5: Highest Survivability in Capitol Hill
- Veterinary Clinic is ranked #1 for top businesses to open in Capitol Hill: 83.34% chance on average, best at ~87%, challenging at ~80%.
- Malaysian Restaurant — ~75%–~81% survivability range, with an average of 78.63% across Capitol Hill.
- Opening a Taiwanese Restaurant in Capitol Hill shows 78.40% average survivability. Top locations reach ~81%; lower-end sites show ~76%.
- Liquor Store (Ranked #4): 77.59% average in Capitol Hill. Best-case storefronts: ~81%. Challenging locations: ~73%.
- American Restaurant is ranked #5 for top businesses to open in Capitol Hill: 77.37% chance on average, best at ~81%, challenging at ~73%.
#6-10: Strong Performers in Capitol Hill
- Convenience Store — ~73%–~81% survivability range, with an average of 77.36% across Capitol Hill.
- Opening a Grocery Store in Capitol Hill shows 77.35% average survivability. Top locations reach ~82%; lower-end sites show ~73%.
- Gym (Ranked #8): 77.01% average in Capitol Hill. Best-case storefronts: ~80%. Challenging locations: ~74%.
- Seafood Restaurant is ranked #9 for top businesses to open in Capitol Hill: 76.42% chance on average, best at ~80%, challenging at ~73%.
- Beauty Salon — ~73%–~79% survivability range, with an average of 76.13% across Capitol Hill.
Top 3 Compared Nationally
- Veterinary Clinic — See how this compares to other cities →
- Malaysian Restaurant — See how this compares to other cities →
- Taiwanese Restaurant — 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, securing a location with maximum Revenue Capture potential in Capitol Hill could lead to you making ~11% more than if you selected an average location, and ~21% more than if you selected one of the worst locations.
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.
- Site selection is the highest-leverage decision most entrepreneurs make — it sets every other variable in motion.
- Businesses in high-scoring locations consistently outperform those in average or low-scoring sites.
- No other tool calculates survivability at the storefront level across 500+ business types the way StreetSpring does.
What businesses should open next in Capitol Hill?
The top businesses to open next in Capitol Hill:
- Veterinary Clinics — 83.34% average survival rate, ~87% at the best address
- Malaysian Restaurants — 78.63% average survival rate
- Taiwanese Restaurants — 78.40% average survival rate
For the most current predictions, visit StreetSpring to analyze your specific location in real-time. Our platform incorporates data from thousands of neighborhoods nationwide. 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 survivability rankings for Capitol Hill are grounded in real economic conditions: 95.9% employment and 5.2% vacancy are among the key inputs that separate high-scoring locations from low-scoring ones here. Survivability scores are recalculated weekly as new competitors open and spending patterns shift — visit StreetSpring to see the current score for any open location in Capitol Hill 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 Veterinary Clinic 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?
For landlords in Capitol Hill, StreetSpring's 2026 analysis identifies Veterinary Clinics, Malaysian Restaurants, and Taiwanese Restaurants as the business types most likely to produce stable, long-term tenancy.
- Site selection is the highest-leverage decision most entrepreneurs make — it sets every other variable in motion.
- No other tool calculates survivability at the storefront level across 500+ business types the way StreetSpring does. 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 Veterinary Clinic?
Yes. Among all business types analyzed for Capitol Hill in 2026, a Veterinary Clinic posts the highest survivability ceiling at ~87% and maintains a reasonable floor of ~80% — making it the most reliable tenant choice here.
- No other tool calculates survivability at the storefront level across 500+ business types the way StreetSpring does.
What should I consider when opening a business in Capitol Hill?
In Capitol Hill, the single most important factor in your site-selection decision is the Survivability Score of the specific address you're evaluating.
- Revenue Capture Score matters more than any other single metric when predicting business outcomes.
- These insights come from StreetSpring's exclusive, in-house forecasting models.
- StreetSpring offers free access to its survivability scores — see how your shortlisted Capitol Hill addresses rank right now.
See the best place for your business at StreetSpring.
Powered by machine learning models trained on real business outcomes, StreetSpring delivers actionable insights. 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.