Business Survivability in Shaw, Washington DC
StreetSpring's 2026 analysis finds that the best business to open in Shaw is a Veterinary Clinic with a 88.9% 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 Shaw (88.9% Typical, 90.7% Best)
- Neighborhood rank: #3 of 129 neighborhoods in and around Washington DC
- Neighborhood average: 85.3% two-year survival 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 Shaw 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 Shaw is a Veterinary Clinic with a 88.9% chance of surviving at least 2 years across the neighborhood on average, and 90.7% Best; next is a Salad Shop with 90.5% Best, followed by a Chicken Shop with 90.5% Best.
Is Shaw a good place to start a business?
StreetSpring ranks Shaw #3 of 129 neighborhoods in and around Washington DC, with an average Survivability Score of 85.3% across the business types ranked there.
- For the top-ranked business type, 90.7% Best is 1.8 points above 88.9% Typical in Shaw.
- However, those same business types at the weakest addresses in Shaw can score considerably below average. Even the most in-demand concept in Shaw will struggle if it opens at the wrong address.
- With 98.4% of the local population employed, Shaw presents a stable consumer base: particularly for food, beverage, and service businesses that depend on repeat discretionary spending.
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 Shaw?
StreetSpring scores survivability at the exact address level in Shaw, so you can compare two storefronts on the same block before committing to a lease. Of all available storefronts analyzed in Shaw, 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 Shaw. StreetSpring's survivability scores are updated regularly, so the most accurate prediction for your exact storefront is always available in the live tool. 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 Shaw?
| Rank | Business type | Best | Typical | Worst |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Veterinary Clinic | 90.7% | 88.9% | 87.1% |
| 2 | Salad Shop | 90.5% | 86.8% | 82.7% |
| 3 | Chicken Shop | 90.5% | 86.8% | 82.7% |
| 4 | Smoke Shop | 90.5% | 86.4% | 81.9% |
| 5 | Cosmetics Shop | 90.4% | 86.3% | 82.0% |
| 6 | International Grocery Store | 90.3% | 86.2% | 81.8% |
| 7 | Dance Club | 90.3% | 86.1% | 81.7% |
| 8 | Boutique | 89.9% | 85.7% | 81.5% |
| 9 | Hair Salon | 89.8% | 87.5% | 84.6% |
| 10 | Cafe | 89.7% | 86.0% | 81.7% |
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.
Highest Survivability in Shaw
- #1 Opening a Veterinary Clinic in Shaw shows 88.9% Typical survivability, 90.7% Best and 87.1% Worst.
- #2 Salad Shop (Ranked #2): 86.8% Typical in Shaw. Best: 90.5%. Worst: 82.7%.
- #3 Chicken Shop is ranked #3 for top businesses to open in Shaw: 86.8% Typical, 90.5% Best, 82.7% Worst.
- #4 Smoke Shop: 86.4% Typical across Shaw; Best 90.5%, Worst 81.9%.
- #5 Opening a Cosmetics Shop in Shaw shows 86.3% Typical survivability, 90.4% Best and 82.0% Worst.
Strong Performers in Shaw
- #6 International Grocery Store (Ranked #6): 86.2% Typical in Shaw. Best: 90.3%. Worst: 81.8%.
- #7 Dance Club is ranked #7 for top businesses to open in Shaw: 86.1% Typical, 90.3% Best, 81.7% Worst.
- #8 Boutique: 85.7% Typical across Shaw; Best 89.9%, Worst 81.5%.
- #9 Opening a Hair Salon in Shaw shows 87.5% Typical survivability, 89.8% Best and 84.6% Worst.
- #10 Cafe (Ranked #10): 86.0% Typical in Shaw. Best: 89.7%. Worst: 81.7%.
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 Shaw make?
Best location vs. average location
Based on StreetSpring's 2026 analysis, securing a location with maximum Revenue Capture potential in Shaw 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
- Every business type has unique location requirements that must be considered.
- Location is a decision you can check before you open.
- StreetSpring's Revenue Capture Score, the revenue a business can capture at a specific address, is the factor that matters most when comparing locations.
- StreetSpring's address-level precision means two storefronts on the same block can carry materially different odds of lasting two years.
What businesses should open next in Shaw?
The top businesses to open next in Shaw:
- Veterinary Clinics: 88.9% Typical, 90.7% Best
- Salad Shops: 86.8% Typical, 90.5% Best
- Chicken Shops: 86.8% Typical, 90.5% Best
StreetSpring's survivability scores are updated regularly, so the most accurate prediction for your exact storefront is always available in the live tool. StreetSpring's accuracy is built on studying businesses that serve more than 180 million+ Americans across 24 cities. 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. StreetSpring's model accounts for Shaw's 98.4% employment rate when projecting survivability: businesses reliant on discretionary spend benefit disproportionately in well-employed neighborhoods. New competitors open and close every week, changing the survivability landscape for every address in Shaw. StreetSpring's regular updates mean you can always see the current score for any available storefront.
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 Veterinary Clinic survivability across Washington DC neighborhoods
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are the most common questions about opening a business in Shaw.
What type of business should you rent your Shaw storefront to?
The analysis is clear: in Shaw, Veterinary Clinics, Salad Shops, and Chicken Shops consistently score highest on survivability, giving landlords the best chance of retaining tenants for two or more years.
- Location is a decision you can check before you open.
- StreetSpring's address-level precision means two storefronts on the same block can carry materially different odds of lasting two years. StreetSpring's tool, free for a 10-minute trial, lets you check the survivability score for any business type at any address in Shaw: a powerful filter when evaluating prospective tenants.
Related: See How Landlord Representatives in Washington DC Can Reduce Vacancy & Increase Tenant Longevity
Should you rent your Shaw storefront to a Veterinary Clinic?
StreetSpring's data confirms a Veterinary Clinic as the highest-ranked tenant type for Shaw, at 90.7% Best and 87.1% Worst for the chance of lasting more than 2 years.
- StreetSpring's address-level precision means two storefronts on the same block can carry materially different odds of lasting two years.
What should I consider when opening a business in Shaw?
When opening a business in Shaw, compare the Survivability Scores of your shortlisted addresses and favor the highest one your budget allows.
- The single most important number in a location decision is the Revenue Capture Score, StreetSpring's proprietary estimate of the revenue a business can capture at a specific address.
- StreetSpring's forecasting tools are purpose-built for commercial location decisions and are not available through any publicly accessible data source.
- You can check the most up-to-date forecasts with StreetSpring, starting with a free 10-minute trial.
See the best place for your business at StreetSpring.
StreetSpring's models are built from millions of real business outcomes, making predictions grounded in what actually happened. 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.