Business Survivability in South Tacoma, Seattle
StreetSpring's 2026 analysis finds that the best business to open in South Tacoma is a Veterinary Clinic with a ~82% 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 South Tacoma (~82% average survival rate, ~88% at best locations)
- Neighborhood rank: #8 across all neighborhoods in and around Seattle
- Neighborhood average: ~76% 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 South Tacoma 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 South Tacoma is a Veterinary Clinic with a ~82% chance of surviving at least 2 years across the neighborhood on average, with the best locations offering a ~88% chance; next is an American Restaurant with a 78.45% chance, followed by a Pizza Restaurant with a 78.37% chance.
Is South Tacoma a good place to start a business?
Across all neighborhoods in and around Seattle, StreetSpring's data places South Tacoma at #8 with a ~76% average Survivability Score.
- The survivability gap between the best and average addresses in South Tacoma reaches ~19% for the strongest-performing business categories.
- However, those high-scoring categories placed at the least-competitive addresses in South Tacoma often fall well below average. Picking the right block — not just the right neighborhood — is what actually determines survivability.
- Commercial vacancy in South Tacoma sits at 4.5%, 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 South Tacoma?
Rather than relying on neighborhood averages, StreetSpring's scoring tells you which specific addresses in South Tacoma give your concept the best odds of survival. The location below represents the address in South Tacoma with the highest projected survivability for a Veterinary Clinic:
The highlighted area represents the address in South Tacoma that StreetSpring's 2026 analysis ranks highest for a Veterinary Clinic survivability. These figures represent averages across a neighborhood; your specific address may score meaningfully higher or lower depending on block-level competitive conditions. 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 South Tacoma?
| # | Business type | Chance of lasting two or more years |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Veterinary Clinic | 82.48% |
| 2 | American Restaurant | 78.45% |
| 3 | Pizza Restaurant | 78.37% |
| 4 | Italian Restaurant | 77.64% |
| 5 | Gym | 74.55% |
| 6 | Smoke Shop | 73.98% |
| 7 | Coffee Shop | 73.85% |
| 8 | Grocery Store | 73.44% |
| 9 | Beauty Salon | 71.99% |
| 10 | Dessert Shop | 70.29% |
#1-5: Highest Survivability in South Tacoma
- Veterinary Clinic — ~75%–~88% survivability range, with an average of 82.48% across South Tacoma.
- Opening an American Restaurant in South Tacoma shows 78.45% average survivability. Top locations reach ~84%; lower-end sites show ~73%.
- Pizza Restaurant (Ranked #3): 78.37% average in South Tacoma. Best-case storefronts: ~84%. Challenging locations: ~73%.
- Italian Restaurant is ranked #4 for top businesses to open in South Tacoma: 77.64% chance on average, best at ~84%, challenging at ~71%.
- Gym — ~68%–~80% survivability range, with an average of 74.55% across South Tacoma.
#6-10: Strong Performers in South Tacoma
- Opening a Smoke Shop in South Tacoma shows 73.98% average survivability. Top locations reach ~81%; lower-end sites show ~67%.
- Coffee Shop (Ranked #7): 73.85% average in South Tacoma. Best-case storefronts: ~82%. Challenging locations: ~67%.
- Grocery Store is ranked #8 for top businesses to open in South Tacoma: 73.44% chance on average, best at ~82%, challenging at ~65%.
- Beauty Salon — ~63%–~79% survivability range, with an average of 71.99% across South Tacoma.
- Opening a Dessert Shop in South Tacoma shows 70.29% average survivability. Top locations reach ~81%; lower-end sites show ~57%.
Top 3 Compared Nationally
- Veterinary Clinic — See how this compares to other cities →
- American Restaurant — See how this compares to other cities →
- Pizza Restaurant — See how this compares to other cities →
How much money could a business in South Tacoma make?
Best location vs. average location
Based on StreetSpring's 2026 analysis, following the survivability data rather than relying on intuition or foot traffic estimates in South Tacoma could lead to you making ~19% more than if you selected an average location, and ~53% 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.
- Nothing influences a business's future more than its location.
- Every percentage point of Survivability Score represents a real difference in expected revenue — choosing the highest-scoring address is the most reliable financial decision you can make at the outset.
- Two storefronts on the same street can have survivability scores that differ by 20 points or more — StreetSpring calculates each one individually.
What businesses should open next in South Tacoma?
The top businesses to open next in South Tacoma:
- Veterinary Clinics — 82.48% average survival rate, ~88% at the best address
- American Restaurants — 78.45% average survival rate
- Pizza Restaurants — 78.37% average survival rate
These figures represent averages across a neighborhood; your specific address may score meaningfully higher or lower depending on block-level competitive conditions. Every prediction draws on a dataset of millions of business openings, closures, and lifecycle events across the U.S. 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. With South Tacoma's 94.4% employment rate factored in, the businesses best positioned to succeed here are those that benefit from a well-employed, spending-capable local consumer base. StreetSpring refreshes survivability scores every week to reflect new competition and updated spending data — see which locations in South Tacoma are available right now and how they rank.
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 South Tacoma.
What type of business should you rent your South Tacoma storefront to?
StreetSpring's 2026 model places Veterinary Clinics, American Restaurants, and Pizza Restaurants at the top of the survivability rankings for South Tacoma — making them the safest long-term tenant bets for landlords here.
- Nothing influences a business's future more than its location.
- Two storefronts on the same street can have survivability scores that differ by 20 points or more — StreetSpring calculates each one individually. StreetSpring allows property owners to evaluate any address against 500+ business types — so you can prioritize the categories that score highest at your specific location.
Related: See How Landlord Representatives in Seattle Can Reduce Vacancy & Increase Tenant Longevity
Should you rent your South Tacoma storefront to a Veterinary Clinic?
Yes — our 2026 model places a Veterinary Clinic at the top of the survivability rankings for South Tacoma storefronts, with a best-case score of ~88% and a floor of ~75% at the most challenging addresses.
- Two storefronts on the same street can have survivability scores that differ by 20 points or more — StreetSpring calculates each one individually.
What should I consider when opening a business in South Tacoma?
When evaluating potential locations in South Tacoma, start with the Survivability Score. It accounts for competition, spending, mobility, and market share in a single figure.
- High Revenue Capture Score is the clearest signal that a location can sustain a business over the long term.
- Each forecast is specific to the exact address and business type, generated by StreetSpring's internally developed prediction engine.
- StreetSpring's live survivability scores are available for free — check your specific address now.
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.