Study finds SLC has recovered from pandemic better than other cities

SALT LAKE CITY — Salt Lake City is North America’s most recovered major city from pandemic losses. That’s according to a recent study from the University of California-Berkeley.

The study was an analysis of phone location data collected by the California university.

The study found that Salt Lake City saw 55% more visitors in May 2022 than it did in May 2019. Much of that may have to do with people’s desire to get out and travel after being limited on what they could do during the pandemic.

During the pandemic, people were given the opportunity to work from home. That has made it hard for cities to recover even up until now. 

Recovered from the pandemic

The study says activity in downtown Salt Lake City has risen relatively consistently in the two years after the pandemic. Other cities have had a harder time bouncing back.

Only three other cities saw more activity this year than before the pandemic – Bakersfield, Calif., Fresno, Calif., and Columbus, Ohio. 

Mark Jones contributed to this article. 

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