Business Survivability in Washington, St. Louis
StreetSpring's 2026 analysis finds that the best business to open in Washington is a Veterinary Clinic with a ~84% 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 Washington (~84% average survival rate, ~90% at best locations)
- Neighborhood rank: #11 across all neighborhoods in and around St. Louis
- Neighborhood average: ~80% 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 Washington 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 Washington is a Veterinary Clinic with a ~84% chance of surviving at least 2 years across the neighborhood on average, with the best locations offering a ~90% chance; next is a Salad Shop with a 82.71% chance, followed by a Chicken Shop with a 82.50% chance.
Is Washington a good place to start a business?
In St. Louis's neighborhood survivability rankings, Washington comes in at #11, with an average Survivability Score of ~80% across all business types.
- The survivability gap between the best and average addresses in Washington reaches ~17% for the strongest-performing business categories.
- However, those high-scoring categories placed at the least-competitive addresses in Washington often fall well below average. Picking the right block (not just the right neighborhood) is what actually determines survivability.
- StreetSpring's model incorporates Washington's 2.7% vacancy rate as a direct input: higher vacancy concentrations suppress foot traffic and reduce survivability for nearby businesses.
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 Washington?
The right address in Washington can mean a 20-point survivability difference from an average one: StreetSpring identifies exactly which addresses are worth pursuing. StreetSpring's 2026 analysis identifies this area as the top location for a Veterinary Clinic in Washington:
StreetSpring's 2026 model identifies this area as the highest-survivability location for a Veterinary Clinic in Washington. Market conditions, new competitors, and local spending patterns can change rapidly: always verify with StreetSpring's live tool before signing a lease. The model evaluates hundreds of factors, from primary and secondary competition to forecasted spend, site accessibility, and local market share potential.
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What are the best businesses to open in Washington?
| # | Business type | Chance of lasting two or more years at a good address |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Veterinary Clinic | 88.29% |
| 2 | Salad Shop | 85.00% |
| 3 | Chicken Shop | 84.99% |
| 4 | Dance Club | 84.20% |
| 5 | Diner | 84.00% |
| 6 | Physical Therapy Clinic | 83.20% |
| 7 | Smoke Shop | 83.19% |
| 8 | Pet Boarding Facility | 83.18% |
| 9 | Dermatology Clinic | 82.80% |
| 10 | Bar | 82.70% |
#1-5: Highest Survivability in Washington
- Opening a Veterinary Clinic in Washington shows 84.00% average survivability. Top locations reach ~90%; lower-end sites show ~77%.
- Salad Shop (Ranked #2): 82.71% average in Washington. Best-case storefronts: ~85%. Challenging locations: ~76%.
- Chicken Shop is ranked #3 for top businesses to open in Washington: 82.50% chance on average, best at ~85%, challenging at ~77%.
- Dance Club: ~72% to ~85% survivability range, with an average of 78.21% across Washington.
- Opening a Diner in Washington shows 81.81% average survivability. Top locations reach ~84%; lower-end sites show ~76%.
#6-10: Strong Performers in Washington
- Physical Therapy Clinic (Ranked #6): 80.30% average in Washington. Best-case storefronts: ~84%. Challenging locations: ~77%.
- Smoke Shop is ranked #7 for top businesses to open in Washington: 78.60% chance on average, best at ~84%, challenging at ~71%.
- Pet Boarding Facility: ~71% to ~84% survivability range, with an average of 77.40% across Washington.
- Opening a Dermatology Clinic in Washington shows 78.40% average survivability. Top locations reach ~84%; lower-end sites show ~75%.
- Bar (Ranked #10): 78.30% average in Washington. Best-case storefronts: ~83%. Challenging locations: ~71%.
Top 3 Compared Nationally
- Veterinary Clinic: See how this compares to other cities →
- Salad Shop: See how this compares to other cities →
- Chicken Shop: See how this compares to other cities →
How much money could a business in Washington make?
Best location vs. average location
Based on StreetSpring's 2026 analysis, choosing a high-performing site for your concept in Washington could lead to you making ~17% more than if you selected an average location, and ~46% more than if you selected one of the worst locations.
How StreetSpring calculates location value
- Every business type has unique location requirements that must be considered.
- Among all variables that affect business outcomes, location has the highest predictive weight in our models.
- Maximizing your Survivability Score is the most reliable path to profitability.
- 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 Washington?
The top businesses to open next in Washington:
- Veterinary Clinics: 84.00% average survival rate, ~90% at the best address
- Salad Shops: 82.71% average survival rate
- Chicken Shops: 82.50% average survival rate
Market conditions, new competitors, and local spending patterns can change rapidly: always verify with StreetSpring's live tool before signing a lease. We have been studying the businesses serving more than 180 million+ Americans. 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 96.1% employment rate in Washington is a key signal of consumer health; when combined with the 2.7% vacancy rate, it produces a competitive landscape that favors the business types ranked above. StreetSpring updates survivability scores for available locations weekly: check the live tool now to see which storefronts in Washington are currently available and how they score.
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 Veterinary Clinic survivability across St. Louis neighborhoods
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are the most common questions about opening a business in Washington.
What type of business should you rent your Washington storefront to?
For landlords in Washington, StreetSpring's 2026 analysis identifies Veterinary Clinics, Salad Shops, and Chicken Shops as the business types most likely to produce stable, long-term tenancy.
- Among all variables that affect business outcomes, location has the highest predictive weight in our models.
- Two storefronts on the same street can have survivability scores that differ by 20 points or more: StreetSpring calculates each one individually. Rather than guessing which tenant type will last, landlords can verify survivability for each category at their exact address using StreetSpring.
Related: See How Landlord Representatives in St. Louis Can Reduce Vacancy & Increase Tenant Longevity
Should you rent your Washington storefront to a Veterinary Clinic?
According to our 2026 survivability model, a Veterinary Clinic leads all business categories for Washington landlords: ~90% at the best addresses and ~77% at the most challenging ones in this neighborhood.
- 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 Washington?
Before committing to any location in Washington, the highest-priority metric to check is the Survivability Score: it encodes every relevant location factor into a single, actionable number.
- Of all the variables StreetSpring analyzes, Revenue Capture Score has the strongest predictive power.
- Each forecast is specific to the exact address and business type, generated by StreetSpring's internally developed prediction engine.
- StreetSpring offers a free 10-minute trial of its survivability scores: see how your shortlisted Washington addresses rank right now.
See the best place for your business at StreetSpring.
Our analysis covers businesses serving more than 180 million+ Americans across 24 major US metros. 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.