Downtown Halifax is the vibrant urban heart of the region. By blending its rich history with modern amenities, it buzzes with an energy unmatched anywhere else in Atlantic Canada.
VISITORS
RESIDENTS
According to the latest Statistics Canada Census, Downtown Halifax’s residential population has grown by 26.1%, making it the fastest growing downtown in the country.
DOWNTOWN POPULATION:
2001 to 2021
Halifax’s total population in 2023 was 492,199
Source: Halifax Index 2024
WORKERS
Over the last year, Downtown Halifax’s employment base grew by 24.3%, from 18,000 in 2022 to 22,374 in 2023.
Of the 22,374 people working in the urban core, 4,240 of them work directly in the ground floor business sector (food & drink, retail, hotel and personal services).
Source: Data Axle Canada 2023 Business Data, Dalhousie Transportation Collaboratory (DalTRAC)
Scan
Downtown Halifax has world-class attractions and events, an exceptional culinary scene, and unique shops, offering an incredible array of year-round experiences for everyone to enjoy.
From April 2023 - March 2024, Downtown Halifax hosted 16,233,475 visitors.
VISITATION TO DOWNTOWN:
According to the University of Toronto’s School of Cities, Downtown Halifax is ranked #1 in North America for visitation growth over the past year.
Source: downtownrecovery.com
GROUND FLOOR SALES
SECTOR 2023
FOOD + DRINK
RETAIL HOTEL
PERSONAL SERVICES
# businesses: 131
Sales: $128M
# businesses: 72
Sales: $141M
# businesses: 15
Sales: $111M
# businesses: 29
Sales: $8M
Sales growth outperformed the entire city by 3.4%
Source: Dalhousie
Total revenue for all Downtown Halifax businesses was $8.4B representing 21.1% of all Halifax Regional Municipal (HRM) sales. $389M came from Downtown Halifax ground floor businesses.
PARKING
Downtown Halifax has close to 10,000 public parking spots that almost always have vacancies.
These spots are broken down by privately owned and operated parking lots and garages, and city owned and operated on-street parking, which is a payby-plate, pay-by-zone system. The average parking session is 120 minutes.
Source: Halifax Regional Municipality Parking Demand Study, 2022
INVESTMENT
With over 27 development projects currently in progress (5,200 residential units) and plans for 6.5 hectares of land being redeveloped as part of “the biggest city-building project in the history of Halifax,” now is the time for Downtown Halifax!
Downtown’s Newest Neighbourhood: The Cogswell District
• $122.6M going into public infrastructure.
• 10,000+ square feet of new commercial ground floor space.
• Over 16 acres of road infrastructure will be converted into mixeduse neighbourhoods that will include outdoor cafes, a pavilion for markets and festivals, expanded crosswalks, a plaza, an interactive fountain and seating areas with planters.
• A reimagined transit hub on Barrington Street.
Development Map: www.downtownhalifax.ca/developmentmap
COMMERCIAL VACANCY RATES
Source: Colliers International (Nova Scotia) Inc.
Interested in leasing space in Downtown Halifax?
Scan to see a list of available retail spaces within the Downtown Halifax Business Commission boundaries.
