Economic Impact Dashboard

MARKET OVERVIEW Q3 2026

To gain an understanding of the current business environment and market potential in Downtown Tempe, statistics are collected and analyzed in the retail, residential, and hotel markets on a quarterly basis. In addition, an inventory of all street-level establishments in the downtown district was conducted the week of October 5, 2026.

Retail

There are 146 street-level retail businesses currently downtown. 6 new businesses opened and 4 businesses closed between July - September 2026. Dining remains the dominate retail category with 74 food establishments or 51% of total businesses. 45, or 61% of the dining establishments are independently owned and offer a broad spectrum of cuisine. 8% of businesses are in the nightlife category, and 5% are in the hotel category bringing a total hospitality category to 74%.

92 or 63% of the downtown street-level businesses are considered local & independently owned.
There are 25 current street-level vacancies.

Q3 New Businesses

Phantom Fox & Goat and Ram

Roman God of Fire

Culinary Gangster

The Sandwich Spot

Russo's Italian Pizza

Trophy Room

Residential & Hotel

Downtown Visits July - September 2026

Source: Placer.ai

See City of Tempe's Economic Development website: ThinkTempe!

Highlights from The Value of U.S. Downtowns and Center Cities (Downtown Tempe), 2020 International Downtown Association Publication