Overall foot traffic in the heart of Downtown D.C. started hot last year, thanks to the inauguration and return to office mandates, but as the year went on, things started to level off.
The number of people who visited Downtown was up slightly in 2025 for those reasons, and with help from other major events such as WorldPride. But local business leaders said during Thursday’s State of Downtown Forum they鈥檙e worried about where things are going there and the rest of the region.
鈥淔oot traffic in 2025 started with a sprint, but ended up crossing the finish line with a hobble,鈥� said Mark Simpson, director of planning and economic development for the Downtown D.C. Business Improvement District.
Trips to museums and Capital One Arena were up, while theater traffic was slightly down. Then he got to the matter of jobs.
鈥淚 shouldn’t say the R-word 鈥� recession 鈥� but the warning lights are flashing red,鈥� Simpson said.
鈥淭he District overall has the unique and unenviable position of being the only jurisdiction among our neighbors that not only saw negative job growth last year, but is still below prepandemic levels,鈥� he said. 鈥淎nd the indications of the most recent data for ’26 show that all of our municipalities are losing jobs.鈥�
Other BID leaders tried to argue that, while there鈥檚 no 鈥渟ilver bullet,鈥� there are what they called 鈥済olden BBs鈥� that can help with the turnaround. Multifamily housing growth has declined in recent years, far below the pace in Northern Virginia, but they tried to tout the opportunity that exists. They also highlighted the increased presence of large universities from around the country that are migrating to D.C.
鈥淭hey recognize the long-term investment and opportunity and value that comes from bringing their faculty, staff and alumni Downtown in the nation’s capital,鈥� Simpson said. 鈥淲e need to continue to build on these gains.鈥�
Ebony Walton, the head of marketing for the Downtown BID, said remote work isn鈥檛 going away completely, and Downtown businesses will need to find ways to adjust.
鈥淲e must become a magnet, finding other ways to draw people to our Downtown,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e want people to choose to come Downtown. We want them to come for the joy, for the inspiration, to come and meander.鈥�
Mayor Muriel Bowser spoke last at the event, and though it was the Downtown business community in attendance, her message was pointed more toward whoever her successor might be. She warned specifically about neglecting Downtown businesses, crediting them for the city鈥檚 most recent surge of economic growth.
鈥淭he Downtown is literally the golden goose that, for many years, made it possible for us to invest in world class city services,鈥� she said.
She warned against 鈥渂acktracking鈥� on public safety and policies that might attract more businesses.
鈥淜eep fighting for how we grow as a city,鈥� Bowser said. 鈥淲e cannot tax ourselves into prosperity. We have to create more jobs, more revenue and more opportunities for D.C. residents and businesses to grow.鈥�
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