Business Survivability in Takoma, Washington DC
StreetSpring's 2026 analysis finds that the best business to open in Takoma 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 Takoma (~82% average survival rate, ~85% at best locations)
- Neighborhood rank: #51 across all neighborhoods in and around Washington DC
- Neighborhood average: ~77% 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 Takoma 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 Takoma 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 ~85% chance; next is a Liquor Store with a 79.26% chance, followed by a Cafe with a 78.71% chance.
Is Takoma a good place to start a business?
Out of all neighborhoods analyzed in and around Washington DC, Takoma ranks #51 for business survivability with a ~77% average Survivability Score.
- StreetSpring data shows the best-fit business types at prime Takoma addresses outperform the neighborhood average by ~11%.
- Yet even the strongest business types in Takoma see survivability scores drop significantly at the worst addresses. No business type is immune to the consequences of poor location selection within this neighborhood.
- A 93.5% employment rate in Takoma means a large share of local consumers have steady income — a strong underlying condition for discretionary spending 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 Takoma?
StreetSpring scores survivability at the exact address level in Takoma — so you can compare two storefronts on the same block before committing to a lease. Of all available storefronts analyzed in Takoma, StreetSpring ranks this area highest for a Veterinary Clinic in 2026:
StreetSpring's 2026 model identifies this area as the highest-survivability location for a Veterinary Clinic in Takoma. Competition and spending patterns shift constantly; StreetSpring's live tool reflects the most current conditions for any specific 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 Takoma?
| # | Business type | Chance of lasting two or more years |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Veterinary Clinic | 82.04% |
| 2 | Liquor Store | 79.26% |
| 3 | Cafe | 78.71% |
| 4 | Smoke Shop | 78.64% |
| 5 | American Restaurant | 78.48% |
| 6 | Ethiopian Restaurant | 78.22% |
| 7 | Gym | 77.41% |
| 8 | Convenience Store | 77.36% |
| 9 | Pet Store | 76.95% |
| 10 | Coffee Shop | 76.36% |
#1-5: Highest Survivability in Takoma
- Veterinary Clinic is ranked #1 for top businesses to open in Takoma: 82.04% chance on average, best at ~85%, challenging at ~79%.
- Liquor Store — ~76%–~82% survivability range, with an average of 79.26% across Takoma.
- Opening a Cafe in Takoma shows 78.71% average survivability. Top locations reach ~81%; lower-end sites show ~75%.
- Smoke Shop (Ranked #4): 78.64% average in Takoma. Best-case storefronts: ~81%. Challenging locations: ~76%.
- American Restaurant is ranked #5 for top businesses to open in Takoma: 78.48% chance on average, best at ~81%, challenging at ~76%.
#6-10: Strong Performers in Takoma
- Ethiopian Restaurant — ~76%–~81% survivability range, with an average of 78.22% across Takoma.
- Opening a Gym in Takoma shows 77.41% average survivability. Top locations reach ~80%; lower-end sites show ~75%.
- Convenience Store (Ranked #8): 77.36% average in Takoma. Best-case storefronts: ~81%. Challenging locations: ~75%.
- Pet Store is ranked #9 for top businesses to open in Takoma: 76.95% chance on average, best at ~82%, challenging at ~73%.
- Coffee Shop — ~72%–~81% survivability range, with an average of 76.36% across Takoma.
Top 3 Compared Nationally
- Veterinary Clinic — See how this compares to other cities →
- Liquor Store — See how this compares to other cities →
- Cafe — See how this compares to other cities →
How much money could a business in Takoma make?
Best location vs. average location
Based on StreetSpring's 2026 analysis, identifying the optimal address for your business type in Takoma could lead to you making ~11% more than if you selected an average location, and ~22% more than if you selected one of the worst locations.
How StreetSpring calculates location value
- No two business types have identical location needs; survivability scores reflect these differences at the address level.
- Site selection is the highest-leverage decision most entrepreneurs make — it sets every other variable in motion.
- StreetSpring's analysis shows that businesses in top-scoring locations generate meaningfully more revenue and stay open longer than those in average locations.
- StreetSpring generates location-specific predictions tailored to your exact site.
What businesses should open next in Takoma?
The top businesses to open next in Takoma:
- Veterinary Clinics — 82.04% average survival rate, ~85% at the best address
- Liquor Stores — 79.26% average survival rate
- Cafes — 78.71% average survival rate
Competition and spending patterns shift constantly; StreetSpring's live tool reflects the most current conditions for any specific address. 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. The 4.6% commercial vacancy rate in Takoma 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. Survivability scores are recalculated weekly as new competitors open and spending patterns shift — visit StreetSpring to see the current score for any open location in Takoma right now.
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 Takoma.
What type of business should you rent your Takoma storefront to?
StreetSpring's analysis shows that the top tenant types for maximizing occupancy in Takoma are Veterinary Clinics, Liquor Stores, and Cafes.
- Site selection is the highest-leverage decision most entrepreneurs make — it sets every other variable in motion.
- StreetSpring generates location-specific predictions tailored to your exact site. 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 Takoma storefront to a Veterinary Clinic?
StreetSpring's 2026 analysis strongly supports renting to a Veterinary Clinic in Takoma: best-in-class addresses achieve ~85% survivability, and even the lower-end sites come in at ~79% — above average for most business types.
- StreetSpring generates location-specific predictions tailored to your exact site.
What should I consider when opening a business in Takoma?
The Survivability Score for your specific address in Takoma is the most reliable signal you have before signing a lease — prioritize it above foot traffic estimates and demographic summaries.
- Revenue Capture Score is the single best indicator of whether a business will thrive at a location.
- StreetSpring's in-house models are continuously updated with new business outcome data to keep predictions accurate.
- StreetSpring's live scoring tool is free: enter any address in Takoma to see its current Survivability Score for your business type.
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.