This story appears in the August 2025 issue of Utah Business. Subscribe.
Downtown Salt Lake City isn’t just the geographic center of our capital — it’s the cultural and economic heart of Utah. With millions of visitors annually, billions in public and private investments, and powerful demographic shifts underway, downtown is not only thriving; it’s leading Utah into a better and brighter future.
The 2025 Downtown Economic Benchmark Report, produced by the Downtown Alliance, tells the story behind this momentum. In 2024 alone, downtown saw 20.9 million customer days — a 3.6 percent increase over the prior year, reflecting real and rising engagement:
- 13.1 million visitor days (+1.5 percent) from people drawn to our restaurants, performances, festivals and shops.
- 6.2 million worker days (+10.5 percent) from professionals contributing to the heartbeat of our business community.
- 1.6 million resident days (+27.5 percent) from people choosing downtown as home, embracing the benefits of vibrant urban living.
This activity isn’t just about movement — it’s about confidence in downtown as a destination for innovation, community and long-term growth. Venues sold more than 4 million tickets in 2024, an 18.4 percent year-over-year increase. And a new generation of downtown residents — young and educated — are signaling where the city is headed.
None of this is happening by chance. It’s the result of vision, long-term planning and aligned public-private collaboration. From restored landmarks like Temple Square to major developments like the University of Utah’s downtown expansion, we are building more than infrastructure — we are creating a culture people want to be part of.
This is why the Salt Lake Chamber made “Capital City Renaissance,” one of the signature projects of our statewide Utah Rising initiative. Utah Rising is a bold vision rooted in free enterprise that aims to shape a future of prosperity and resilience. With six measurable focus areas — Workforce, Transportation, Business Environment, Housing, Livability and Natural Resources — we are preparing not only for tomorrow, but for the 2034 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games and beyond.
For downtown Salt Lake, these pillars signify real progress: better transit, new mixed-use developments, increased housing and public spaces that foster a sense of belonging. Because when downtown thrives, all of Utah benefits.
Downtowns flourish when people feel connected — when they’re not just passing through, but putting down roots, starting businesses, raising families or finding inspiration. That’s the downtown we’re building together.
As Salt Lake City steps onto the global stage once more, the question isn’t whether we’re rising; it’s how we are rising together. And we are rising with vision, with unity, and with a commitment to building a legacy that matches our potential. Let’s keep building together.
