Nashville’s economy has rebounded to 2019 levels — and is the only major US city to have done so completely — according to a new study.
Philadelphia’s Center City District surveyed the nation’s 25 largest cities for its “Downtowns Rebound” report, specifically looking at downtown recovery rates. Music City ranked No. 1 — above San Jose’s 92% recovery rate — when comparing the total number of workers, residents, and visitors downtown in 2023 to the same time in 2019.
Fast facts from the report:
- Nashville and San Jose have the highest percentages of visitors and the highest worker recovery rates.
- Nashville tourists are most likely to be from outside the region, rather than from within the Metro area. This is also the case in Washington DC, San Antonio, Austin, and San Diego.
- San Antonio, Nashville, and San Diego are the three cities that have the most residents employed in hospitality.
Nashville Downtown Partnership independently verified the findings using the same data tool used in the study to confirm the boundaries for a 100% match of the city’s definition of downtown.
“I have a lot of reasons to think that downtown Nashville is No. 1, but it’s certainly nice for it to be verified and reinforced in the company of so many great American cities,” said Tom Turner, president and CEO of Nashville Downtown Partnership.