Sign up for our daily briefing
Make your busy days simpler with Axios AM/PM. Catch up on what's new and why it matters in just 5 minutes.
Stay on top of the latest market trends
Subscribe to Axios Markets for the latest market trends and economic insights. Sign up for free.
Sports news worthy of your time
Binge on the stats and stories that drive the sports world with Axios Sports. Sign up for free.
Tech news worthy of your time
Get our smart take on technology from the Valley and D.C. with Axios Login. Sign up for free.
Get the inside stories
Get an insider's guide to the new White House with Axios Sneak Peek. Sign up for free.
Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday
Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday
Want a daily digest of the top Denver news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Denver
Want a daily digest of the top Des Moines news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Des Moines
Want a daily digest of the top Twin Cities news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Twin Cities
Want a daily digest of the top Tampa Bay news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Tampa Bay
Want a daily digest of the top Charlotte news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Charlotte
Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios
Most of the 218,000 people who worked in downtown Minneapolis before the pandemic still have jobs — they're just working remotely.
Why it matters: Restaurants, retailers and hotels have been hit hardest by the lack of office workers, and years' worth of momentum for downtown has halted.
- While workers will return, it's unlikely to be at pre-pandemic levels —at least anytime soon.
By the numbers: Only 15.8% of office workers are going to their downtown job, according to the Minneapolis Downtown Council.
- Sales tax revenue in the city was down more than 40% from March to the fall.
- With corporate travel curtailed, hotel occupancy in downtown finished 2020 at 21.8% compared with 33.3% for the broader Twin Cities metro, according to STR, a hospitality benchmarking firm.
The state of play: The Downtown Council warned in August that several companies were considering moving their offices to the suburbs due to concerns about public safety — but no such moves have been confirmed.
- "The dynamic of a largely vacant downtown and the aspect of increases in crime is not unique to our city. It is something that we've seen in almost every major city nationwide," Mayor Jacob Frey told us.
- In fact, Frey said that he’s encouraged by Deluxe Corp.’s decision to move more than 500 jobs from Shoreview to downtown.
The bottom line: "We are not out of the woods yet, but there has not been a huge exodus by any means. It will take a year or two to more fully tell the tale," Downtown Council President Steve Cramer said.
This story first appeared in the Axios Twin Cities newsletter, designed to help readers get smarter, faster on the most consequential news unfolding in their own backyard.