By Ted Dabrowski and John Klingner
We’ve written in detail about Chicago’s struggle to return its downtown to pre-pandemic normalcy. A toxic combination of increased crime, work-from-home and economic malaise has kept people from returning to the city’s core.
A key measure of that malaise is the number of people working downtown – office occupancy has flatlined at about 55 percent of pre-pandemic levels. But while that tells us how empty Chicago’s office buildings are, how has downtown activity fared as a whole?
A recently updated study by the School of Cities at the University of Toronto gives us an idea. The university used mobile phone data to compare the number of unique individuals (residents, workers, tourists, etc.) in downtowns across the U.S. in both 2023 and 2019.
Based on that metric, Chicago is suffering one of the nation’s worst recoveries. The number of unique individuals in the city in June 2023 was just 61 percent of the total in June 2019. That’s the 7th-worst recovery among the 55 American cities covered by the study.
In contrast, several other nearby cities have recovered far more. Cleveland is at 78 percent of activity compared to 2019. Indianapolis is at 79 percent. And Milwaukee is at 86 percent.
Cities like El Paso, San Jose, Oklahoma city and Miami are almost back to normal. Notably, the only city to have fully recovered is Las Vegas.
The lack of downtown recovery is a real threat to the city’s future. Budgets, transit, crime – all will be negatively affected.
Unfortunately, city and state officials are making things worse. The SAFE-T Act, the mansion tax, the migrant crisis and the additional burdens forced on businesses are sure to keep depressing downtown activity.
Read more from Wirepoints:
- 2023 Chicago crime to hit post-covid record, up nearly 60 percent over 2019
- Criminals robbing with impunity: Time to care about who replaces Cook County prosecutor Kim Foxx
- Chicago’s commercial ‘doom-loop’ could result in a property tax hike on homeowners as large as 22%
- Gov. Pritzker’s dishonest spin on Chicago crime, Illinois jobs
Expect no retraction or apology. This what they do.
The state’s existing buyout program for its own pensions is the precedent for Chicago, which should be a warning: Look out for similar exaggerated claims and shoddy analysis.
Coming out of evening Mass last night I was shocked by something I had not seen in awhile – a desperate person in the shadows of the side entrance foyer, who looked like an immigrant. Honestly I was so taken aback I just kept on my way to my car. But the NGO’s, like Catholic Charities, who helped to bring these immigrants here illegally have apparently just dumped these people on everyone’s doorstep. So naturally they are returning to the Catholic church that brought them here for some kind of help. In short, this is insanity and definitely a form… Read more »
I heard Jussie is moving back downtown for 150 days. That is a start in the right direction
The most toxic element of the situation in Chicago that wasn’t mentioned is insane Leftist governance .
Yeah, If you go in to Chicago, there’s a good chance you might have to deal with some recovery too…of a gunshot wound! Find somewhere safer to go. You know, you don’t even count if someone steals your cell phone and I bet someone will.
I have visited Chicago every fall since 2018. When I visited in 2019, pre-Covid, both the Miracle Mile and the Loop had a lot of people in them. For example, the Walnut Room in Macy’s had just put up their Christmas Tree and the restaurant was filled and had about 50 to 70 people waiting to get in for lunch. In 2022 I was in the Walut Room for lunch just before the tree went up and there were nine of us in the dining room for lunch. While I did not do lunch at the Walnut Room in 2023,… Read more »
The two down votes must be true Marxist believers.
I would love to see a comparison on 2019 vs 2023 statistics on the following for the greater Chicago downtown area: Private school attendance, particularly for grade school. This will show if upper class and wealthy families are leaving. Lunchtime restaurants. I do not see how lunchtime restaurants can survive with less workers downtown. Downtown bars. When I worked in the Loop pre-pandemic, there were many different bars we frequented after work, I wonder how they’re doing. This is a great measure of the vitality of downtown. Retail stores at Ogilvie and Union stations. With reduced commuter traffic, the stations… Read more »
Microsoft Teams is a very good video collaborative, communication, organizational, well integrated piece of software. So good in fact that it alone is eliminating the need for thousands of people to daily pile themselves into skyscrapers to work in person. City jobs in business are basically all jobs done on computers. All of this is actually a good thing, as the quality of life improvement for WFH people is priceless. I’m one of them. Since 1979 I’ve been schlepping my butt around every day on planes, trains and automobiles downtown, and to suburbs ungodly distances. I breathed exhaust fumes on… Read more »
Rick luckily realized the benefits of WFH late in his career. Millenials and Zoomers already know it and are more than willing to bounce from one company to another as soon as the “2 days a week in the office” comes down. None of them wants to do it. The downtown office scene is doomed.
CARNIVAL BARKERS!!!!! Maybe people are using landlines and that skews this so called data?!?!? Or people could be sending Faxes to each other!?!? Did you think of that?!?! Huh!!??!! Nothing to see here. Move along.
What a stupid comment. Of course cellphone usage downtown is an indicator or activity.
Apparently you missed the sarcasm. The unlikely scenarios he put forth are exactly the BS mayor Bedhead and politburo chief Pritzger would put forth to explain their failed utopian approach. When they’re done blaming white supremacy for Chicago’s current state of affairs.
We’ve learned the hard way here that sarcasm must always be followed by a ; ) or something, because some people just won’t get it.
Such knowledge of that, copy and paste, etc. are way above this old geezers skill set.
I thought that the reference to faxes and the subtle poke at our pal Rich Miller should have given away the snarky sarcasm. Apparently not. I’ll winky emoji next time.
I’ve been downtown for business no more than half a dozen time in 3.5 years and I used to go downtown several times a week. Downtown is dead for a generation, as Lori let essentially south and west criminality fill the void that was left when the commuters stayed home for a FULL 24 months until reopening. In general, cities that opened sooner fared better. Those that stayed closed long resulted in people changing their lifestyles and never coming back, like my household and nearly everyone I know.
What Downtown Chicago needs is more illegal
Migrants, that will fix it.
Mutt & Jeff will insure that the downward spiral
Will continue and watch your wallets as they will start looking for more bailouts from all the rich folks in the burbs.
Illinois chased him out of Chicago, high crime and high taxes.
Hedge fund billionaire Ken Griffin is building himself the most expensive home on earth — when most Americans are priced out of the housing market. Here’s 3 ways to invest in real estate (msn.com)
You sound jealous.
The Loop used to be a popular destination. Now it is a place to be avoided. That causes businesses and restaurants to close or relocate. Now they’re converting business towers into section 8 housing. Homelessness and lawlessness complete the picture and it isn’t pretty. An extremely unfriendly business environment and high taxes will prevent any recovery. Well done Democrats!
Might as well add an entire public transportation system on the brink of collapse. CTA, METRA,PACE , Checker and Yellow cabs all make their profits serving the downtown area.
Hmm, sounds like the Detroit of yesteryear. They couldn’t blame covid and didn’t have cell phones or WFH either. Gee, I wonder what’s the LCD here? Oh, Democratic Party “progressive” governance…..
Since you’re familiar with Detroit, you recognize the game plan to loot the city of what remains while the gettin’ is good. Think Kwame Kilpatrick as mayor of Detroit who openly operated Detroit as a corrupt as corrupt could be. And since all the staplers and reams of paper were already stolen, he straight up demanded cash from others instead. I believe that Mayor BJ is really considering higher office right now being an electable black man in a highly recognized office. But higher office is a competitive place right now and he’s not got the political capital, not yet… Read more »
Debtsor, I basically agree with you but BJ has more in common with Coleman Young who was a prior union activist and held the Detroit mayor’s office for 2 decades until his health gave out from smoking and emphysema. The end result of BJ’s stewardship will be the same though.
Obviously a far right plot hatched by MAGA Country suburbanites in cahoots with those crafty Canadians. Brandon will confirm soon.
This comment is sarcasm. Except for the second sentence.
It seems that the loop is becoming all government employees, City, State, and Federal
But isn’t that the Democrats plan? Like successful largely Communist countries elsewhere, one either works for the Party or lives on the fringes. SMH