Downtown Portland is on the upswing
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After some difficult years, things are looking up. Photo: Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images
Downtown Portland just saw its busiest summer since before the pandemic.
Why it matters: Visitors and weekend crowds, rather than the return of office workers, are driving much of the central city's recovery, according to a new report from the Portland Metro Chamber.
By the numbers: More than 22.2 million pedestrians visited downtown through August of this year — up nearly 4% compared with 2025.
- Foot traffic was particularly strong last month, with more than 3 million visits. That put downtown at 81% of August 2019 levels, its strongest monthly recovery rate since 2020, per the report.
- The data comes from Placer.ai's anonymized cell phone data — representing cumulative counts, not unique visits — and covers Downtown Portland Clean & Safe's 273-block district.
Weekends and large events are doing a lot of the heavy lifting.
- Saturday foot traffic through the first eight months of this year was only 8% below 2019 levels, and Sundays about 9% less.
- The Metro Chamber pointed to events like the Winter Light Festival, cherry blossom season, March Madness, Pride, waterfront festivals and concerts at Pioneer Courthouse Square as driving some of this year's strongest visitor turnout.
Meanwhile, on Aug. 15, downtown recorded more than 123,000 visitors — 35% higher than the comparable Saturday in 2019.
- That's thanks to the Rockstar Energy Open, a PDX Live concert and the "Wildwood: Follow the Crows" art trail, the report noted.
Between the lines: Downtown's reputation has improved dramatically since the early days of the pandemic.
- 68% of respondents to a 2021 Metro Chamber poll said they considered the city to be unsafe, while 82% of downtown business owners said they were negatively impacted by the ongoing homelessness crisis.
- In the years since, violent crime has dropped sharply, the public's perception of downtown safety improved and several beloved businesses opened shop there. Homelessness, however, remains at record highs.
What they're saying: "There remains work to be done, but this sustained positive momentum shows that we've made major progress together," Mayor Keith Wilson said in a statement.
Yes, but: Weekdays remain duds due to lack of office traffic.
- Downtown worker activity dropped 1% compared with last year and sits about 50% below pre-pandemic levels. Hybrid and remote work continues to weigh down weekday activity, especially for businesses that once depended on the reliable office crowd.
- Office vacancy here remains stubbornly high despite slight improvements, and once-prominent office towers continue to sell at fire-sale prices.