Downtown Seattle’s skyline still looks rich from a distance. The glass towers still catch the light. The cranes still move. The sidewalks still carry tourists, commuters, delivery riders, tech workers, office staff, and restaurant crews trying to keep the city’s core alive.
But a new report argues that behind the postcard view, Seattle’s downtown economy has been bleeding quietly for years.
According to the Downtown Seattle Association, the city’s core has lost roughly 30,000 jobs since 2020, while office vacancy in the downtown core has climbed to 32%, and more than $10 billion in office value has disappeared…