Birmingham skyline. (Pat Byington / Bham Now)
REV Birmingham released its Q1–Q2 2025 Economic Vitality Report today about downtown Birmingham’s performance across areas like employment, residential growth and retail trends.
Some of the numbers may surprise you.
Read on to learn how The Magic City is doing economically.
What is considered downtown in the study?
Downtown Birmingham study boundaries (Rev Birmingham)
Before we dive into the report, let’s make sure we show you how REV Birmingham defines “downtown.”
From North to South, the borders are the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex to the Five Points South. Meanwhile, I-65 and Red Mountain Expressway frame the east and west boundaries.
What’s inside this rectangle? UAB, Five Point South, Southtown, Mid-town, Parkside, Civil Rights District, Central Business District, the BJCC and much more.
First six months of 2025 takeaways
According to the new Rev Birmingham some encouraging trendlines occurred in downtown Birmingham over the past six months. They include:
Employment is up, but mixed: Overall downtown employment was up 1.8% compared to the first half of 2024. The good news — downtown Birmingham’s northside (Everything north of the railroad tracks) has increased by 4.9%. Unfortunately the southside saw a 3.8% decline in employment. It is the first time Birmingham showed such a decline since 2023.
Residential development continues to grow: In Q1–Q2 2025, 443 new residential units were delivered in downtown Birmingham. Multifamily rental occupancy held steady at 86.4%, up from 81.4% at the same time in 2024.
Expanded dining hours means growth: Downtown Birmingham’s brunch scene is expanding — think new openings such as Toasted Yolk, Brick & Tin and Epice.
Additional first half of 2025 numbers and facts from the report about downtown:
Currently 19 development projects are under construction
Office occupancy stands at 77%
Downtown Birmingham’s hotels are occupied at 61.2 year to date
Birmingham’s office occupancy has recovered to 99.7% of Q4 2019 pre-COVID pandemic levels. Other regional cities have fared far worse. For example, Atlanta is at 61.9% and Austin, Texas 69%
Downtown Birmingham’s most visited spots are: The BJCC (787K), City Walk (563K) Railroad Park (162K)
“Downtown Birmingham continues to show signs of resilience and momentum, from strong residential infill to emerging market opportunities that signal where future growth can happen . This report doesn’t just measure progress. It points to where strategic investment and collaboration can make the biggest impact in our city center.”
David Fleming, president and CEO of REV Birmingham
Get the report
To access the full report, visit downtownbhm.com/do-business.
The following organizations helped make the report possible: CBRE, Colliers International, Daniel Corporation, Dobbins Group, EGS/Cushman Wakefield, Graham & Co, Greater Birmingham Convention & Visitors Bureau, Harbert Realty, J.H. Berry & Gilbert, Inc., Retail Strategies, Shannon Waltchack and Tessa Commercial Real Estate.