Seattle Culture
Downtown Seattle Again Draws More Workers, Visitors
The number of visitors approaches pre-pandemic levels
By Rob Smith April 16, 2025
Downtown foot traffic hit yet another milestone last month.
The Downtown Seattle Association says March averaged 101,000 daily workers, the highest average since March 2020. The figure is still only 60% of foot traffic in March 2019 as employees continue working remotely, but is a 12% increase from a year ago.
More than 2.5 million unique visitors came downtown last month, or 92% of the visitors in March 2019. That’s a 30% increase over February.
“The return of workers to downtown has hit another gear and you can feel it,” says Downtown Seattle President and CEO Jon Scholes. “More workers mean more customers for small businesses, more patrons for our arts and cultural venues and a more vibrant urban experience. We’re seeing trend lines heading in the right direction.”
Scholes notes that the uptick coincides with the beginning of the 2025 cruise season last weekend. A projected 1.9 million passengers are expected to visit Seattle on 298 sailings through October, a boost of about $900 million to the economy.
The Downtown Seattle Association takes an expansive view of downtown, and includes these neighborhoods: Uptown; South Lake Union; West Capitol Hill; Belltown; Denny Triangle; West Edge; the retail core; First Hill; Waterfront; Pioneer Square; SODO; and the Chinatown-International District.
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