Manhattan Chamber of Commerce
Manhattan
Storefront Tracker
Storefront Tracker
Recovery is real — but fragile and uneven. Vacancy is nearing its pre-pandemic mark, yet foot traffic, rents, and regulation are squeezing Main Street.
Reading the trends: arrows compare against the December 2025 tracker.
▼ Vacancy improved (lower)
▲ Vacancy worsened (higher)
＝ Essentially unchanged
Total Storefronts in Manhattan
~37,000
Active commercial storefronts, Q1 2026
＝ Roughly flat vs Dec 2025
Manhattan Vacancy Rate
12.99%
Just 0.20 pts above the 12.79% pre-pandemic benchmark
▼ 0.75 pts vs Dec 2025
▲ Still above citywide 11.04%
NYC Citywide Vacancy
11.04%
Baseline comparison across all five boroughs
▼ 0.12 pts vs Dec 2025
48.46%
Of Storefronts Opened Since Q1 2020
▲ up from 47.2% in Dec 2025
8 / 12
Community Districts At or Below Their Pre-Pandemic Vacancy Benchmark
−2.1%
Year-Over-Year Non-Resident Visits — First Decline in Five Years
Vacancy Intelligence
Storefront Vacancy Rate by Community District — Q1 2026
#1
Lower ManhattanCommunity District 1
20.19%
▼ 1.92 vs Dec
#2
LES & East VillageCommunity District 3
15.33%
▼ 0.10 vs Dec
#3
East SideCommunity District 6
14.75%
▼ 0.46 vs Dec
#4
MidtownCommunity District 5
14.62%
▼ 0.53 vs Dec
#5
East HarlemCommunity District 11
14.49%
▼ 0.46 vs Dec
#6
Central HarlemCommunity District 10
14.15%
▼ 1.08 vs Dec
#7
West Village & SoHoCommunity District 2
13.41%
▼ 0.45 vs Dec
#8
Chelsea & Hell's KitchenCommunity District 4
12.92%
▼ 1.18 vs Dec
#9
West HarlemCommunity District 9
9.57%
▲ 0.50 vs Dec
#10
Upper East SideCommunity District 8
8.94%
▼ 1.70 vs Dec
#11
Upper West SideCommunity District 7
8.31%
▼ 1.22 vs Dec
#12
Washington Heights & InwoodCommunity District 12
7.86%
▼ 0.39 vs Dec
Change in Vacancy Since the December Tracker
% change in vacancy rate, Q3 2025 → Q1 2026 · 11 of 12 districts improved
Non-Resident Foot Traffic
652.7M total non-resident visits, Nov 2025 – Apr 2026 (Placer.ai) · YoY change shown per district
"
Vacancy is within a fifth of a point of its pre-pandemic benchmark — but Manhattan's non-resident visits just declined for the first time in five years, with Upper Manhattan seeing drops of 5.5% to 9.2%.
— MANHATTAN STOREFRONT TRACKER · JUNE 2026 EDITION
Survey Intelligence
Main Street's Outlook — Spring 2026 Survey
59%
Government Effectiveness
Say City government is ineffective at promoting their wellbeing — an improvement from 68% in the fall, but still a clear majority. Top quality-of-life concerns: homelessness, cleanliness, scaffolding, and construction.
43%
Compliance Burden
Spent more time on licensing and compliance tasks than a year ago. Regulatory burdens — permits, inspections, and fines — remain among the top challenges owners cite.
16%
Closure Risk
Are considering permanently closing within the next year, citing high commercial rents, reduced worker and commuter presence, and shifting neighborhood foot traffic.
District Intelligence
Community District Profiles — Q1 2026
District 01
Lower Manhattan
Vacancy
20.19%
Rank #1 Highest
▼ from 22.11% in Dec
Foot Traffic
54.9M
Rank #4
▼ 2.4% YoY
Top Business Needs
District 02
West Village & SoHo
Vacancy
13.41%
Rank #7
▼ from 13.86% in Dec
Foot Traffic
71.3M
Rank #3
▲ 0.9% YoY
Top Business Needs
District 03
LES & East Village
Vacancy
15.33%
Rank #2 Highest
▼ from 15.43% in Dec
Foot Traffic
47.7M
Rank #6
▲ 1.9% YoY
Top Business Needs
District 04
Chelsea & Hell's Kitchen
Vacancy
12.92%
Rank #8
▼ from 14.10% in Dec
Foot Traffic
79.3M
Rank #2
▼ 3.5% YoY
Top Business Needs
District 05
Midtown
Vacancy
14.62%
Rank #4
▼ from 15.15% in Dec
Foot Traffic
185.0M
Rank #1
▼ 0.6% YoY
Top Business Needs
District 06
East Side
Vacancy
14.75%
Rank #3
▼ from 15.21% in Dec
Foot Traffic
47.2M
Rank #7
▼ 2.3% YoY
Top Business Needs
District 07
Upper West Side
Vacancy
8.31%
Rank #11
▼ from 9.53% in Dec
Foot Traffic
36.5M
Rank #8
▼ 3.9% YoY
Top Business Needs
District 08
Upper East Side
Vacancy
8.94%
Rank #10
▼ from 10.64% in Dec
Foot Traffic
50.7M
Rank #5
▼ 2.3% YoY
Top Business Needs
District 09
West Harlem
Vacancy
9.57%
Rank #9
▲ from 9.07% in Dec — only district that worsened
Foot Traffic
17.4M
Rank #12
▼ 5.5% YoY
Top Business Needs
District 10
Central Harlem
Vacancy
14.15%
Rank #6
▼ from 15.23% in Dec
Foot Traffic
17.4M
Rank #11
▼ 8.1% YoY
Top Business Needs
District 11
East Harlem
Vacancy
14.49%
Rank #5
▼ from 14.95% in Dec
Foot Traffic
22.3M
Rank #10
▼ 9.2% YoY — sharpest decline
Top Business Needs
District 12
Washington Heights & Inwood
Vacancy
7.86%
Rank #12 Lowest
▼ from 8.25% in Dec
Foot Traffic
22.9M
Rank #9
▼ 6.8% YoY
Top Business Needs
Manhattan Chamber of Commerce
Data sources: Live XYZ · Placer.ai · NY Fed Regional Business Surveys · MCC Storefront Wellbeing Survey, Spring 2026 (N = 117). Foot-traffic data excludes international visitors.
UPDATED BIANNUALLY · NEXT UPDATE: DECEMBER 2026