Downtown Seattle foot traffic nears pre-pandemic levels, violent crime down 51%

Foot traffic in downtown Seattle continues to increase, with the most recent data from July showing it’s at near pre-pandemic levels.

According to the Downtown Seattle Association (DSA), more than 3.2 million unique visitors came downtown in July 2025. This represents 97% of the visitors seen in July 2019.

“The collective effort of our city leaders is paying dividends toward downtown’s continued revitalization, with special thanks to Mayor Harrell’s Downtown Activation Plan and the leadership of Council President Nelson,” DSA President & CEO Jon Scholes stated. “We’re seeing more workers, strong visitor foot traffic, Seattleites returning to downtown in larger numbers and a record residential population. As those numbers go up, violent crime in the heart of downtown continues trending downward.

“There’s still work to be done to ensure downtown is vibrant and welcoming for all, but we have real momentum in downtown and now is the time to drive it forward,” Scholes continued.

In July 2025, three different days had 600,000 visits or more in downtown. July 26 was the highest with more than 671,000 people, due to a Morgan Wallen concert at Lumen Field and the Seafair Torchlight Parade.

Additionally, DSA reported that violent crime declined 51% in July throughout the downtown core.

Downtown Seattle hotels break record with $126M revenue in July

Downtown Seattle hotels also had a record-breaking July.

According to Visit Seattle, hotels in the downtown area generated $126 million in July, breaking a record for room revenue in a single month set two years prior. What’s even more impressive is what happened two years ago to set the initial record — the month the city hosted the MLB All-Star Game, a Mariners-Blue Jays series, and two Taylor Swift concerts.

Much of the boost for the new record-breaking month, July 2025, came from the Seattle Convention Center. The venue saw its highest monthly total of group bookings in 14 years.

“What set July 2025 apart was an exceptional base from group business, bolstered by a robust set of groups meeting at the Seattle Convention Center,” Visit Seattle wrote in a prepared statement. “July’s contracted convention room night total was the highest monthly total in 14 years. Having such a consistent base of group business allowed Downtown hotels to drive higher rates during Seattle’s peak visitation season.”

In total, Seattle’s downtown hotels sold 419,904 rooms, with an average daily room rate of $301. Occupancy was 89.2% on average. The number of rooms sold increased by 3% compared to last year, while the average daily room rate rose by 2% from 2024. Occupancy was also 3% higher than last year’s estimates.

Leisure travel, concerts, and sporting events also helped push single-day records for occupancy and room rates. Specifically, the days when two Morgan Wallen concerts took place, July 25 and 26, marked the top single-day performances for downtown Seattle hotels so far this year.

In July, Seattle hosted six events at the Seattle Convention Center, including Cubing USA’s Rubik’s Cube World Championship, four Seattle Storm games, 13 Seattle Mariners games, and a plethora of concerts featuring Barry Manilow, Incubus, Katy Perry, Death Cab for Cutie, My Chemical Romance, and Morgan Wallen.

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