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Adelaide CBD Economy Grows: Employment, Output, Business Registration Data Revealed
Official figures detail the scale of activity across employment, output and business registrations in the city centre.
How we reported this
The City of Adelaide generated a Gross Regional Product of $23.95 billion in 2023.
These figures matter because they track the volume of economic activity occurring within defined city boundaries and show how many people and businesses rely on that activity for daily operations. Local employment reached approximately 170,000 jobs in 2023 after rising 19 percent from 142,000 jobs in 2019. The largest employing sector remains Education and Training.
Employment and Spending Patterns
Workers in the CBD and North Adelaide spend an estimated $2.5 billion annually in the city, averaging $72 per day per worker. City worker return rates stand at 80 percent of pre-pandemic levels, which is described as the highest return rate recorded in available local data. Peak-day attendance now reaches 94 percent of pre-pandemic levels.
Business Registrations and Sentiment
There are 12,338 GST-registered businesses in the city, a level 10 percent higher than the 11,129 recorded in 2019. Sixty-four percent of businesses perceive the city as a good place to do business. Mainstreet occupancy levels averaged 90 percent across 2024 and 2025.
Office Market and Visitor Revenue
The Adelaide CBD office vacancy rate lifted to 15.5 percent in January 2026. Net absorption reached 33,023 square metres across 2025. International and domestic travel sits 10 percent higher than the Q1 2023 baseline, producing $43 million in accommodation revenue in March 2024 alone.
These indicators will continue to be monitored by city authorities as new supply enters the market and visitor numbers fluctuate. Local decision makers use the same set of statistics to assess rental conditions and business sentiment in the months ahead.