San Diego City Foot Traffic

The average monthly foot traffic per venue for San Diego in the last 12 months was 14,506, this is a 22.3% decrease from the previous 12 months. Though foot traffic in San Diego is decreasing overall, zip code91980 has seen a steady increase. Mission Valley East, Santee and Fletcher Hills neighborhoods experienced the highest total foot traffic for San Diego. These 3 neighborhoods constitute over 10.8% of the total foot traffic experienced from 09/01-2022-08/30/2023. Conversely, the Descanso, Julian, and Tecate neighborhoods experienced the lowest total foot traffic for the same period of time.

Methodology – San Diego foot traffic data was pulled from the Foot Traffic Trend Value module on a monthly basis. The metric Person Count was averaged by zip code by month and simple linear regression was applied to generate trend lines for Foot Traffic. When visualizing the data, the total foot traffic by zip code was plotted on a map and colored by total foot traffic. To analyze specific points of interest, data is aggregated at theCensus Block Group geographic level. Additionally, Census Track level data can be used to investigate the surrounding area to any point(s) of interest.

San Diego saw the highest average monthly foot traffic (19,545) May 2022 through October 2022 withFebruary 2023 having the lowest average foot traffic of 11,087 average visitors. July 2022 had the highest average foot traffic (21,678) for the total time frame analyzed (06/01/2021-08/30/2023). When considering only the past 12 months, the foot traffic pattern holds displaying similar seasonality. Further analysis would provide insights into this change in visitor behavior.

Methodology - The metric Person Count was summed by zip code by month to generate Foot Traffic. To analyze change in foot traffic by quarter, Person Count was summed by zip code by quarter and the percent change was calculated between quarters.

Utilizing the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) codes available in the foot traffic trend value module, consumers can gain valuable insights on 110 unique industry sectors found in San Diego.The top industries include: Supermarkets, General Merchandise Stores, Movie Theaters, HardwareStores, and Children’s Clothing Stores. While the industry specific foot traffic patterns generally mirror the overall foot traffic pattern of San Diego, there is a notable difference in the hardware store industry. While he foot traffic trend in San Diego is decreasing, the hardware store industry is experiencing an increase in average monthly foot traffic. Additionally, there was a larger than expected increase in foot traffic in the hardware store industry in April 2023. Deeper analysis of foot traffic data for specific brands in the hardware store industry could illuminate potential causes for this uptick.

Methodology – The NAICS codes were grouped to create broader Industry level classifications. The Person Count metric was then averaged by industry by month to calculate foot traffic. The data was then visualized for individual industries.

Foot Traffic data is available for 1,217 unique brands in San Diego allowing consumers to create detailed brand analysis as well as head-to-head comparisons between two or more brands. The most highly trafficked brands in San Diego include: Starbucks, Walmart, McDonald’s, Costco, and Target.Taking a deeper dive into the foot traffic data available for the 238 Starbucks locations in San Diego, we find that 3.8% or 9 locations are experiencing an increase in foot traffic. For the time period 09/01/2022-08/30/2023, Cardiff has the highest average foot traffic pattern with 65,898 visits per month. The LaMesa area had the highest total foot traffic for San Diego Starbucks locations with 2,384,963 visits. This can be explained by the zip code 91942 being home to 8 Starbucks locations in total. The total foot traffic at the 1010 N El Camino Real location is decreasing, it is the most visited Starbucks boasting approximately 2.09% of all Starbucks foot traffic in San Diego. Conversely, the 3060 Plaza Bonita Rd location accounts for only 0.01% of the total San Diego Starbucks foot traffic.

Methodology – The San Diego data was filtered to only consider the brand Starbucks. The metric Person Count was summed by zip code by month to calculate Foot Traffic. To analyze change in Foot Traffic by quarter, Person Count was summed by zip code by quarter and the percent change was calculated between quarters. For location level data, Person Count was summed by Street Address. Foot Traffic Percentage was calculated by taking the sum of foot traffic for street address and dividing the resulting value by the total Foot Traffic for San Diego in the selected date range.