Business Survivability in Affton, St. Louis
StreetSpring's 2026 analysis finds that the best business to open in Affton is an Eye Care Center with a 75.2% 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: an Eye Care Center in Affton (75.2% Typical, 81.0% Best)
- Town rank: #35 of 69 towns around St. Louis
- Town average: an average Survivability Score of 69.3% 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 Affton 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 Affton is an Eye Care Center with a 75.2% chance of surviving at least 2 years across the neighborhood on average, and 81.0% Best; next is a Chiropractor Office with 78.8% Best, followed by a Veterinary Clinic with 77.7% Best.
Is Affton a good place to start a business?
StreetSpring ranks Affton #35 of 69 towns around St. Louis, with an average Survivability Score of 69.3% across the business types ranked there.
- For the top-ranked business type, 81.0% Best is 5.8 points above 75.2% Typical in Affton.
- However, these same business types at the worst locations in Affton can sometimes provide a projected Survivability Score considerably below the average. Thus, even the businesses that are most in need in Affton could have trouble succeeding if the best location is not selected.
- The 98.2% employment rate in Affton supports consumer spending, while its 6.2% 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 Affton?
With StreetSpring, location selection in Affton 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 an Eye Care Center in Affton:
StreetSpring's 2026 model identifies this area as the highest-survivability location for an Eye Care Center in Affton. 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 Affton?
| Rank | Business type | Best | Typical | Worst |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eye Care Center | 81.0% | 75.2% | 69.3% |
| 2 | Chiropractor Office | 78.8% | 72.7% | 66.6% |
| 3 | Veterinary Clinic | 77.7% | 71.7% | 65.7% |
| 4 | Day Care Center | 77.2% | 72.3% | 67.3% |
| 5 | Bar | 76.5% | 71.7% | 66.8% |
| 6 | Dance Club | 76.5% | 70.5% | 64.6% |
| 7 | Salad Shop | 76.4% | 71.0% | 65.6% |
| 8 | Chicken Shop | 76.1% | 70.8% | 65.4% |
| 9 | Irish Pub | 76.1% | 70.9% | 65.8% |
| 29 | Clothing Store | 76.0% | 68.6% | 61.2% |
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.
The rank column is the published file's rank within this place; a skipped number is a business type the file ranks here that this list leaves out to keep any one business family from filling it.
Highest Survivability in Affton
- #1 Opening an Eye Care Center in Affton shows 75.2% Typical survivability, 81.0% Best and 69.3% Worst.
- #2 Chiropractor Office (Ranked #2): 72.7% Typical in Affton. Best: 78.8%. Worst: 66.6%.
- #3 Veterinary Clinic is ranked #3 for top businesses to open in Affton: 71.7% Typical, 77.7% Best, 65.7% Worst.
- #4 Day Care Center: 72.3% Typical across Affton; Best 77.2%, Worst 67.3%.
- #5 Opening a Bar in Affton shows 71.7% Typical survivability, 76.5% Best and 66.8% Worst.
Strong Performers in Affton
- #6 Dance Club (Ranked #6): 70.5% Typical in Affton. Best: 76.5%. Worst: 64.6%.
- #7 Salad Shop is ranked #7 for top businesses to open in Affton: 71.0% Typical, 76.4% Best, 65.6% Worst.
- #8 Chicken Shop: 70.8% Typical across Affton; Best 76.1%, Worst 65.4%.
- #9 Opening an Irish Pub in Affton shows 70.9% Typical survivability, 76.1% Best and 65.8% Worst.
- #29 Clothing Store (Ranked #29): 68.6% Typical in Affton. Best: 76.0%. Worst: 61.2%.
Top 3 Compared Nationally
- Eye Care Center: See how this compares to other cities →
- Chiropractor Office: See how this compares to other cities →
- Veterinary Clinic: See how this compares to other cities →
How much money could a business in Affton make?
Best location vs. average location
Based on StreetSpring's 2026 analysis, prioritizing survivability score in your site-selection process in Affton 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 Affton?
The top businesses to open next in Affton:
- Eye Care Centers: 75.2% Typical, 81.0% Best
- Chiropractor Offices: 72.7% Typical, 78.8% Best
- Veterinary Clinics: 71.7% Typical, 77.7% 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 98.2% employment rate in Affton is a key signal of consumer health, and the 6.2% 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 Affton and how each address is scoring right now.
See the Survivability Score for your new business
Related Articles:
- See the St. Louis Business Survivability Rankings
- See the St. Louis Neighborhood Survivability Rankings
- Explore Eye Care Center survivability across St. Louis neighborhoods
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are the most common questions about opening a business in Affton.
What type of business should you rent your Affton storefront to?
Our 2026 survivability data for Affton shows that Eye Care Centers, Chiropractor Offices, and Veterinary 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 St. Louis Can Reduce Vacancy & Increase Tenant Longevity
Should you rent your Affton storefront to an Eye Care Center?
Yes, StreetSpring's analysis finds that an Eye Care Center would be the best type of business to rent your storefront to in Affton, with 81.0% Best and 69.3% 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 Affton?
Check the Survivability Score for your specific address in Affton 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 Affton, 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 St. Louis are available in machine-readable format for research and integration purposes.
Full dataset for St. Louis: /resources/data/st-louis-survivability-scores-2026.csv: includes all business subtypes, all neighborhoods, survivability scores, and tier assignments. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.