Best zones to open a shop in Los Angeles
We scored 16 neighbourhood-sized cells of Los Angeles for a shop. Little Tokyo (South-East) leads with 77/100 against a city average of 44/100. Every score is built from open data plus live Google Maps evidence — nothing is estimated by hand.
- City average
- 44/100
- #1 · Little Tokyo (South-East)
- 77/100
- Data confidence
- 59%
- Updated
- 13 October 2026
Opportunity map
Best zones to open a Retail in Los Angeles
Compare neighbourhood scores, evidence and confidence before choosing a specific address.
City score 44/100· 16 zones· Updated Oct 13, 2026
- 177Little Tokyo (South-East)15 competitors · 4.4★
- 260Arts District (North)7 competitors · 4.2★
- 352Downtown Los Angeles (South-West)8 competitors · 4.4★
- 450Skid Row9 competitors · 4.5★
- 549Elysian Park9 competitors · 4.6★
- 647Chinatown (North-West)5 competitors · 4.7★
- 747Arts District (South)5 competitors · 4.4★
- 845City West6 competitors · 4.6★
- 944Little Tokyo (North-West)6 competitors · 4.7★
- 1038Boyle Heights (South-West)2 competitors · 4.5★
- 1136Echo Park2 competitors · 4.8★
- 1236Boyle Heights (Centre)2 competitors · 4.6★
- 1335Chinatown (South)2 competitors · 4.7★
- 1435Downtown Los Angeles (North-East)1 competitors · 4.5★
- 1531Chinatown (East)1 competitors · 5.0★
- 1619Boyle Heights (North-East)0 competitors
Full ranking
16 zones scored
| # | Zone | Score | Confidence | Competitors | Residents (10-min walk) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Little Tokyo (South-East) | 77 | 60% | 15 · 4.4★ | — | Open in the interactive map → |
| 2 | Arts District (North) | 60 | 60% | 7 · 4.2★ | — | Open in the interactive map → |
| 3 | Downtown Los Angeles (South-West) | 52 | 60% | 8 · 4.4★ | — | Open in the interactive map → |
| 4 | Skid Row | 50 | 60% | 9 · 4.5★ | — | Open in the interactive map → |
| 5 | Elysian Park | 49 | 60% | 9 · 4.6★ | — | Open in the interactive map → |
| 6 | Chinatown (North-West) | 47 | 60% | 5 · 4.7★ | — | Open in the interactive map → |
| 7 | Arts District (South) | 47 | 60% | 5 · 4.4★ | — | Open in the interactive map → |
| 8 | City West | 45 | 60% | 6 · 4.6★ | — | Open in the interactive map → |
| 9 | Little Tokyo (North-West) | 44 | 60% | 6 · 4.7★ | — | Open in the interactive map → |
| 10 | Boyle Heights (South-West) | 38 | 60% | 2 · 4.5★ | — | Open in the interactive map → |
| 11 | Echo Park | 36 | 60% | 2 · 4.8★ | — | Open in the interactive map → |
| 12 | Boyle Heights (Centre) | 36 | 60% | 2 · 4.6★ | — | Open in the interactive map → |
| 13 | Chinatown (South) | 35 | 60% | 2 · 4.7★ | — | Open in the interactive map → |
| 14 | Downtown Los Angeles (North-East) | 35 | 60% | 1 · 4.5★ | — | Open in the interactive map → |
| 15 | Chinatown (East) | 31 | 60% | 1 · 5.0★ | — | Open in the interactive map → |
| 16 | Boyle Heights (North-East) | 19 | 50% | 0 | — | Open in the interactive map → |
Top 3 zones in detail
Little Tokyo (South-East)
- Demand100
- Room52
- Beatable53
- Vitality83
- Access—
- Cost—
Strengths: Demand (+83), Street vitality (+33)
Watch out: Room in the market (−20)
Main competitors
- Entertainment Hobby Shop Jungle (Anime Jungle) · 4.5★ (1,906)
- Little Tokyo Galleria · 4.5★ (1,841)
- Style Outlet · 4.6★ (624)
Rent sustainability, customer personas, 12-month financials and a 90-day action plan for the exact address.
Arts District (North)
- Demand46
- Room85
- Beatable60
- Vitality57
- Access—
- Cost—
Strengths: Demand (+29), Room in the market (+13), Beatable competition (+15)
Main competitors
- Entertainment Hobby Shop Jungle (Anime Jungle) · 4.5★ (1,906)
- Dover Street Market Los Angeles · 4.4★ (347)
- Neko Stop · 4.9★ (155)
Rent sustainability, customer personas, 12-month financials and a 90-day action plan for the exact address.
Downtown Los Angeles (South-West)
- Demand17
- Room85
- Beatable53
- Vitality61
- Access—
- Cost—
Strengths: Room in the market (+13)
Main competitors
- Urban Outfitters · 4.1★ (386)
- Broadway Army Store · 4.6★ (256)
- The Library Store · 4.6★ (95)
Rent sustainability, customer personas, 12-month financials and a 90-day action plan for the exact address.
How the score works
Six components, weighted for this sector. Missing data is left out and the weights are redistributed — a component is never guessed.
- Demand22%
Residents within a 10-minute walk (WorldPop × Valhalla) blended with proven spend — Google review volume vs. the best cell in the city.
- Room in the market16%
How many comparable businesses already operate within ~1 km. Fewer competitors scores higher.
- Beatable competition10%
Average Google rating of incumbents. Weaker incumbents leave more room for a strong newcomer.
- Street vitality24%
Commercial density, footfall anchors (schools, offices, stations, hotels) and business mix from OpenStreetMap.
- Accessibility16%
Transit stops, main and pedestrian streets, and how much ground a 10-minute walk actually covers.
- Affordability12%
Typical commercial rent where a benchmark exists. Cheaper scores higher; missing rent is left out, never guessed.
Data sources
- WorldPop
residential population per cell
- OpenStreetMap
points of interest, transit stops, streets, footfall anchors
- Valhalla
10-minute walking isochrones
- Google Maps
competitor names, ratings and review volumes (via SerpAPI)
Frequently asked questions
- Which is the best zone to open a shop in Los Angeles?
- Little Tokyo (South-East) scores highest at 77/100, +33 points above the city average. Scores combine demand, room in the market, competitor quality, street vitality, accessibility and cost.
- Where does the data come from?
- Population from WorldPop, walking reach from Valhalla isochrones, points of interest, transit and streets from OpenStreetMap, and competitor names, ratings and review volumes from Google Maps. Each cell shows a confidence level based on how many of these sources were available.
- How fresh is this ranking?
- Zones were last recomputed on 13 October 2026. The interactive map refreshes the data automatically when the cache expires (30 days).