Business Survivability in Noma, Washington DC
StreetSpring's 2026 analysis finds that the best business to open in Noma is a Steakhouse with a ~81% 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 Steakhouse in Noma (~81% average survival rate, ~82% at best locations)
- Neighborhood rank: #30 across all neighborhoods in and around Washington DC
- Neighborhood average: ~79% 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 Noma 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 Noma is a Steakhouse with a ~81% chance of surviving at least 2 years across the neighborhood on average, with the best locations offering a ~82% chance; next is a Dance Club with a 80.30% chance, followed by a Soul Food or Southern Restaurant with a 79.89% chance.
Is Noma a good place to start a business?
Across all neighborhoods in and around Washington DC, StreetSpring's data places Noma at #30 with a ~79% average Survivability Score.
- Best-case locations for the top business types in Noma produce survivability scores ~4% above the neighborhood-wide average.
- Yet even the strongest business types in Noma see survivability scores drop significantly at the worst addresses. No business type is immune to the consequences of poor location selection within this neighborhood.
- Commercial vacancy in Noma sits at 6.6%, 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 Noma?
StreetSpring scores survivability at the exact address level in Noma — so you can compare two storefronts on the same block before committing to a lease. The map below shows the highest-scoring storefront area for a Steakhouse in Noma per 2026 data:
The highlighted area represents the address in Noma that StreetSpring's 2026 analysis ranks highest for a Steakhouse survivability. Even the best-ranked neighborhoods contain locations that underperform — and the worst-ranked ones have hidden gems. 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 Noma?
| # | Business type | Chance of lasting two or more years |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Steakhouse | 80.61% |
| 2 | Dance Club | 80.30% |
| 3 | Southern Food Restaurant | 79.89% |
| 4 | Mexican Restaurant | 79.08% |
| 5 | Dessert Shop | 78.09% |
| 6 | Tanning Salon | 77.20% |
| 7 | Smoke Shop | 76.99% |
| 8 | Gym | 76.98% |
| 9 | Seafood Restaurant | 76.89% |
| 10 | Coffee Shop | 76.55% |
#1-5: Highest Survivability in Noma
- Opening a Steakhouse in Noma shows 80.61% average survivability. Top locations reach ~82%; lower-end sites show ~77%.
- Dance Club (Ranked #2): 80.30% average in Noma. Best-case storefronts: ~82%. Challenging locations: ~78%.
- Southern Food Restaurant is ranked #3 for top businesses to open in Noma: 79.89% chance on average, best at ~82%, challenging at ~76%.
- Mexican Restaurant — ~76%–~81% survivability range, with an average of 79.08% across Noma.
- Opening a Dessert Shop in Noma shows 78.09% average survivability. Top locations reach ~80%; lower-end sites show ~75%.
#6-10: Strong Performers in Noma
- Tanning Salon (Ranked #6): 77.20% average in Noma. Best-case storefronts: ~79%. Challenging locations: ~76%.
- Smoke Shop is ranked #7 for top businesses to open in Noma: 76.99% chance on average, best at ~80%, challenging at ~74%.
- Gym — ~75%–~79% survivability range, with an average of 76.98% across Noma.
- Opening a Seafood Restaurant in Noma shows 76.89% average survivability. Top locations reach ~80%; lower-end sites show ~73%.
- Coffee Shop (Ranked #10): 76.55% average in Noma. Best-case storefronts: ~80%. Challenging locations: ~73%.
Top 3 Compared Nationally
- Steakhouse — See how this compares to other cities →
- Dance Club — See how this compares to other cities →
- Southern Food Restaurant — See how this compares to other cities →
How much money could a business in Noma make?
Best location vs. average location
Based on StreetSpring's 2026 analysis, securing a location with maximum Revenue Capture potential in Noma could lead to you making ~4% more than if you selected an average location, and ~16% more than if you selected one of the worst locations.
How StreetSpring calculates location value
- Site selection requires evaluating the specific combination of your business type and the exact address — neighborhood-level data is only the starting point.
- The right location can make a business; the wrong one can break it.
- StreetSpring has found that selecting the location with the highest survivability score for a business is the best way to maximize the amount of money you will make.
- StreetSpring can pinpoint which blocks in each neighborhood or city maximize a business's chances of success.
What businesses should open next in Noma?
The top businesses to open next in Noma:
- Steakhouses — 80.61% average survival rate, ~82% at the best address
- Dance Clubs — 80.30% average survival rate
- Southern Food Restaurants — 79.89% average survival rate
Even the best-ranked neighborhoods contain locations that underperform — and the worst-ranked ones have hidden gems. 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 6.6% commercial vacancy rate in Noma means there is available space for new entrants — but it also signals that survivability depends heavily on choosing the right address within the neighborhood, not just the neighborhood itself. StreetSpring updates survivability scores for available locations weekly — check the live tool now to see which storefronts in Noma are currently available and how they score.
See the Survivability Score for your new business
Related Articles:
- See the Washington DC Business Survivability Rankings
- See the Washington DC Neighborhood Survivability Rankings
- Explore Steakhouse survivability across Washington DC neighborhoods
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are the most common questions about opening a business in Noma.
What type of business should you rent your Noma storefront to?
The analysis is clear: in Noma, Steakhouses, Dance Clubs, and Southern Food Restaurants consistently score highest on survivability, giving landlords the best chance of retaining tenants for two or more years.
- The right location can make a business; the wrong one can break it.
- StreetSpring can pinpoint which blocks in each neighborhood or city maximize a business's chances of success. StreetSpring can show you which specific address in your portfolio scores highest for each tenant type.
Related: See How Landlord Representatives in Washington DC Can Reduce Vacancy & Increase Tenant Longevity
Should you rent your Noma storefront to a Steakhouse?
The data shows a Steakhouse is the safest long-term bet for a Noma storefront. Top locations reach ~82% survivability; the least favorable addresses in this neighborhood score around ~77%.
- StreetSpring can pinpoint which blocks in each neighborhood or city maximize a business's chances of success.
What should I consider when opening a business in Noma?
When selecting a location in Noma it is crucial to select a location with a very high Survivability Score.
- StreetSpring's analysis consistently shows Revenue Capture Score predicts survival odds more accurately than demographic data or foot traffic estimates alone.
- StreetSpring's in-house models are continuously updated with new business outcome data to keep predictions accurate.
- StreetSpring offers free access to its survivability scores — see how your shortlisted Noma addresses rank right now.
See the best place for your business at StreetSpring.
StreetSpring analyzes millions of data points with AI to forecast business survivability. Aggregated survivability rankings for Washington DC are available in machine-readable format for research and integration purposes.
Full dataset for Washington DC: /resources/data/washington-dc-survivability-scores-2026.csv — includes all business subtypes, all neighborhoods, survivability scores, and tier assignments. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.