KOMO 4: Downtown Seattle records busiest visitor month in 7 years; worker numbers still down

This story was originally published by KOMO 4 on Sept. 17, 2026.

By KOMO News Staff

SEATTLE — Downtown Seattle recorded its busiest month for visitor foot traffic since July 2019 in August, according to a new Downtown Seattle Association report that also showed hotel demand exceeding pre-pandemic levels.

The association’s September Downtown Dashboard reported 9.2 million visits downtown in August 2026, up 24% from August 2025.

Nearly 3.8 million unique domestic visitors came downtown, equal to 112% of the number recorded in August 2019 and a 3-percentage-point increase from a year earlier, according to cell-phone location data.

The dashboard does not include international visitors in its foot-traffic figures.

Downtown hotels sold nearly 429,000 rooms in August, or 106% of the room demand recorded in August 2019, the report said. That was a 3% increase from August 2025, based on data from Visit Seattle and STR.

However, worker activity remained below pre-pandemic levels. Downtown averaged nearly 150,000 weekday workers in August, or 62% of the daily average in August 2019, according to the dashboard. The association said the figure was similar to the average of recent months.

The report also cited consumer spending data showing about $165 million spent downtown in July, a 5% increase from the prior month.

Separately, the DSA/Metropolitan Improvement District Clean Team had collected 731,054 gallons of trash from downtown sidewalks, curbs, and alleys through the first eight months of the year, the association said.