Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of visitors who came to downtown Denver tanked.

Slowly and surely, the city has seen gains in the recovery of the office workers, tourists and residents who come downtown but has hovered around 85% of what it used to be.

Yet in September, downtown was the closest it’s ever been to seeing foot traffic at levels seen before the pandemic.

The city’s urban core saw foot traffic in September at 93% of what visitor levels were in September 2019, according to a monthly economic update from the Downtown Denver Partnership. It’s three percentage points higher than in September 2024.

Before the pandemic, September saw a total of 7.7 million visits downtown.

In September 2024, downtown saw 6.9 million. And in 2025, there were almost 7.2 million.

It’s the highest monthly recovery rate since the organization began tracking foot traffic following the pandemic.

“This achievement caps a successful summer, with August reaching 86% of foot traffic recovery,” the Downtown Denver Partnership said in a press release.

So far this year, the organization said downtown has seen approximately 6,200 more daily visits per day on average in 2025 than in 2024.

Most of the recovery has been driven by tourism and residents, which the Downtown Denver Partnership said it’s been at or above pre-pandemic levels.

Meanwhile, the number of office workers coming downtown is taking a lot longer to recover.

The number of weekday employees was at a 64% recovery rate in September, the monthly report said.

But the organization is remaining positive and said it’s still higher than last year by seven percentage points, showing that more workers are coming back to downtown.

“This, combined with stabilizing office vacancy rates and net positive absorption in Q4 to date, signals encouraging movement in the office market,” the Downtown Denver Partnership said.

The Downtown Denver office real estate market has seen some improvements, though vacancy rates are still rising.

Downtown Denver inched up to 37.7% vacancy in the third quarter, according to commercial real estate firm CBRE, but analysts said they are seeing signs of stabilization.

The city center, a major economic engine for both Denver and Colorado, is also awaiting to see a rebound with the finished construction of 16th Street. The city held a final reopening on Oct. 4, that garnered almost 30,000 people, according to the Downtown Denver Partnership.

“This past year, we’ve seen recovery numbers significantly improve through 16th Street activation, new business openings, progress on safety, and the perception of safety,” said Kourtny Garrett, president and CEO of the Downtown Denver Partnership, in a written statement.

With the reopening, downtown investments through the Downtown Development Authority and the establishment of a new Downtown Area Plan, she added they’re “excited to see downtown evolve to a complete neighborhood that serves all of Denver and beyond.”