Studies show downtown is thriving compared to other major metros

Two studies, one hosted by the University of Toronto + the other by Apollo Academy, show downtown Columbus is among the nation’s best in recovery from the pandemic.

April 26, 2023 •

Mitch Hooper

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CBUStoday Columbus skyline — How often do you visit downtown? | Photo via Canva

Business is booming for downtown Columbus — just look at these two global studies.

Thanks to a Reddit thread by u/NextLevelCBUS on r/Columbus, we found downtown is one of the top major metropolitan cities rebounding from the pandemic. A study from the University of Toronto shows downtown is ranked No. 4 in the US, with a recovery value of 104%. For comparison, Cincinnati has a 63% recovery rate and Cleveland is even lower at 44%.

CBUStoday downtown rankings.png — Columbus is the top city in Ohio for downtown cell phone activity. | Stats via Apollo Academy

These stats also align with the original theme of the thread — downtown cell phone activity. This study shows cell phone activity in downtown Columbus is at 93% of pre-pandemic rates, while downtown Cleveland is at 36%. Similarly, Cincinnati is in the middle of the two Ohio cities, with a score of 57%.