The Value of U.S. Downtowns and Center Cities

Cities and Regions Can Generate Profound Lasting Benefits by Investing in Downtowns and Center Cities

Even as downtown leaders navigate new challenges and opportunities in their district, a strong downtown remains an indispensable part of a successful city. From concentrating land value and employment to being a hub for visitors, culture and civic infrastructure, downtowns are at the heart of regional vitality. The Value of U.S. Downtowns and Center Cities research articulates the incredible value a downtown provides to the greater city, highlighting a district’s contributions based upon 150+ key data points in the principles of Economy, Inclusion, Vibrancy, Identity and Resilience. 

The methodology and data standard used in The Value of U.S. Downtowns and Center Cities study are more than a research framework. They help downtown leaders understand changing conditions, identify opportunities, communicate impact to stakeholders and make informed decisions about the future of their communities. By translating complex data into practical insights, the study provides a clear, evidence-based understanding of downtown performance and its role in broader community success. IDA has developed two versions of the study to provide meaningful analysis for organizations of all sizes across the United States. 

The Value of U.S. Downtowns and Center Cities: 2026 Trends Report

The 2026 Trends Report outlines key trends across downtowns and center cities in the U.S. and their impacts on its city and region. Our data showed that while study downtowns only made up 2% of city land area, they account for outsized shares of sales in key experience industries and land value, with a median assessed value of $2.9 billion per square mile, 7x the value of the rest of the city’s land value. However, there is still work to be done to achieve renewed growth post-pandemic. The median downtown has recovered 80% of pre-pandemic worker presence and 94% of visitor presence, with both groups plateauing in recovery in 2025. Download the 2026 Trends Report to learn more about IDA’s findings and apply them to your own districts.

2026 Trends Report

IDA would like to thank MIG for their generous support of The Value of U.S. Downtowns and Center Cities research. Downtowns are the unparalleled economic, civic and cultural hearts of our cities and regions. MIG’s planners, designers, economists and strategists help downtown organizations and their partners create thriving city centers and districts, vibrant and resilient communities and attractive and memorable places. To learn more, visit www.migcom.com. 

Want more insights? Watch the Advancing Places: Putting the Value of Downtowns to Work recorded webinar to see how other downtowns use the study to uncover meaningful insights and respond to community and city priorities. 

The Power Your Downtown Plays in Your City

What happens downtown doesn’t stay downtown. The Value of U.S. Downtowns and Center Cities report demonstrates the significant impact downtowns have on the rest of the city and the entire region. IDA classifies each of the participating districts into one of three groups: Emerging, Growing and Established districts. These tiers are defined by the local context of the district in its city as well as the stage of development in the district. The resulting report is a complete and data-driven narrative, providing both a clear articulation of the impact of your district and benchmarks for performance of peer downtowns. The Value of U.S. Downtowns and Center Cities research is designed to equip downtown leaders to work with public and private sector partners to support the continued evolution of downtown. 

Comparing Your District’s Performance

IDA’s The Value of Downtowns: Comparisons research provides a new way to compare your downtown with its true peers. Rather than comparing city to city, this research is unique by comparing district to district, giving you a direct, apples-to-apples benchmark with a group of peer downtowns selected from across the full study. Past participants of The Value of U.S. Downtowns and Center Cities can also benefit from this Comparisons study by taking a broader look at previous findings, complete with updates to their data from prior years.   

How to Participate

Put your downtown on the map and contribute to the place management industry. IDA’s research supports the development of your downtown or district and is a vital step towards helping your organization prioritize its efforts. Through data-driven insights and objective analysis, the research helps downtown leaders understand, manage and strengthen their communities, communicate impact to stakeholders and make informed decisions for the future. By participating, you also advance the place management industry through the use of IDA-approved data standards and universal key metrics. 

The Value of U.S. Downtowns and Center Cities report is particularly well-suited to organizations who are just starting their research journey and looking for a downtown-focused data framework, The Value of Downtowns: Comparisons is best for organizations who already collect a significant amount of data (such as for “State of Downtown” reports), and are interested in more detailed analysis of benchmark data across different downtowns in the U.S. 

Interested in participating? Please contact Cathy Lin, AICP, Director of Research, at (202) 798-5924 or cathy@downtown.org by December 16, 2026.