Highlights. American mall foot traffic is up 2.71% year-over-year* (YoY).
- The U.S. is home to 1,200 shopping malls.
- The Top 100 busiest malls have a 50% market share.
- High-end and luxury malls have a 95% average occupancy rate.
- 25% of malls that were open in 2023 are expected to close by 2028.
- 73% of consumers born between 1997 and 2012 (a.k.a. Gen Z) visit a mall in a month.
*In the first half of 2026 (Jan-Jun), average weekly foot traffic was up compared to the first half of 2025.
Mall Foot Traffic Growth
Mall foot traffic was up in the first half of 2026 compared to the same period in 2025 but still below 2019 (pre-pandemic) traffic.
- Compared to the same period in 2025, the first half of 2026 saw a 2.23% uptick in visits to indoor malls, while visit length decreased by 2.34%.
- In the first half of 2026, outlet malls saw the largest 7-year decline in visits (down 9.1%) compared to indoor malls (down 2.2%) and open-air shopping centers (up 5.1%).
- Monthly indoor mall visits increased by an average of 1.30% between 2024 and 2025 following a 3.08% average YoY increase in 2024.
- The busiest malls had 12.0% more foot traffic in 2022 than in 2019 (pre-pandemic).
- In 2017, 56% of American adults reported at least one mall visit over a 30-day period.
Shopping Center Foot Traffic
Shopping centers include traditional malls as well as outlet malls, outdoor malls, and open-air “lifestyle centers.”
- Over three (3) years**, foot traffic in shopping centers nationwide increased at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 1.77%.
- The average American adult visits a shopping center 5.2 times per month.
- U.S. consumers make a total of 1.3 billion monthly visits to shopping centers.
- There are 116,214 shopping centers in the U.S.
- Malls represent 1.03% of U.S. shopping centers.
**Data for 2026 is year-to-date through July.
Daily Mall Foot Traffic Statistics
The busiest mall in the U.S. averages 142,466 daily visitors.
- Most mall shoppers start their visits between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m.
- Malls are generally emptiest prior to 11 a.m.
- Shopping trips at indoor malls last a median 71.7 minutes.
- Shoppers at open-air malls spend a median 68.7 minutes per trip.
- Outlet mall shoppers spend a median 65.5 minutes per trip.
- 39% of mall visits include a food or beverage purchase.
Weekly Mall Foot Traffic Statistics
The world’s busiest mall (Dubai Mall in the United Arab Emirates) received an average 2.01 million weekly visitors in 2023.
- 61.9% of shoppers prefer to shop on weekends as opposed to weekdays.
- Consumers are most likely to visit open-air shopping centers on weekdays, which account for 64.0% of total visits.
- 60.9% of visits to indoor malls occur on weekdays.
- 56.8% of total visits to outlet malls take place on weekdays.
Monthly Mall Foot Traffic Statistics
December is usually the busiest month at the average mall, whether it’s indoor or open-air; March and the summer months also tend to see upticks.
- The average American mall patron spends 135 minutes in a mall over a 30-day period.
- In 2023, indoor malls received 58.3% more foot traffic in December than in January of the same year.
- Open-air malls are less crowded, in comparison, with 40.8% more foot traffic in December than in January.
- February is the least crowded month at indoor malls (down 8.70% compared to January) and outdoor malls (down 8.40%).
- August was the most popular summer month for mall shopping in 2024; indoor mall foot traffic was up 27.3% over January, while outdoor mall traffic was up 22.6%.
- From August 2023 to August 2024, foot traffic increased 7.93%.
Annual Mall Foot Traffic Statistics
Malls are naturally busier during the holiday shopping season than during any other time of the year; this is when they receive the largest share of foot traffic.
- A 28.6% greater share of American adults visit malls during the holiday shopping season than in a typical 30-day period.
- Among the 72% of adults who visit malls during the holiday season, 93.1% shop.
- The busiest mall in the world is Dubai Mall in Downtown Dubai, UAE, which receives 105 million visitors in one year.
- 52 million shoppers visit the nation’s busiest mall (Ala Moana Center in Honolulu, Hawaii) in one year.
- The Ala Moana Center in Honolulu, Hawaii has 12 million more visitors in one year than the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota.
- 40 million shoppers visit the Mall of America in one year, equivalent to 76.9% of annual traffic at Ala Moana.
- The eight (8) companies that own or manage 78% of mall properties made $20.3 billion in 2025.
- Among the eight (8) largest owners and/or managers of mall property in the U.S., the square footage of owned mall space has declined at a CAGR of 2.32% since 2014.
Mall Foot Traffic Demographics
Mall shopping appeals more to younger shoppers with more disposable income.
- 73% of consumers born between 1997 and 2012 (commonly referred to as Generation Z or Gen Z) visit a mall in a month.
- 65% of consumers born between 1981 and 1996 (also known as Millennials) visit a mall in a month.
- Among Gen Z mall visitors, 82.2% go primarily to socialize.
- 60% of Gen Z consumers sometimes visit malls to socialize without intent to purchase.
- The average shopper at an indoor mall has a median income of $101,500, while shoppers at open-air lifestyle centers have an $109,600 median income.
- Compared to indoor malls, shoppers at open-air lifestyle centers have a 7.98% higher median income.
- Shoppers at outlet malls have a median income of $92,000, which is 9.36% lower than the typical indoor mall visitor.
Mall Value Growth
The producer price index (PPI) indirectly measures the value of an industry; it reflects the prices a wholesaler or producer charges for goods or services.
- The PPI for malls and shopping centers increased 2.92% in 2025.
- Mall PPI increased more in 2022 (up 3.38% YoY) than in any year since 2005 (3.51% YoY).
- From 2020 to 2025, mall and shopping center PPI increased 11.7%.
Mall Store Growth
From 2016 to 2025, there were far more mall store closings than openings.
- Between 2016 and 2025, a net 14,610 mall stores closed.
- In 2025, 5,640 mall stores closed while 9,760 new stores opened, for a net 4,120 store openings.
- From 2021 to 2025, a net 9,900 mall stores opened.
- 2022 had the second-highest number of net openings (3,980).
- From 2017 to 2020, a net 24,950 mall stores closed.
- 2020 saw the highest number of net closings (11,650).
Mall Foot Traffic Decline
Multiple reasons for mall traffic decline include increased online shopping, stagnant wages, and a declining tolerance for unsupervised youth.
- In 2018, 20% of people preferred to shop online as opposed to in-store; by 2025, 70% of people preferred online shopping.
- In recent decades, dozens of malls have implemented parental escort policies.
- Once the nation’s largest indoor mall, the Mall of America bans unaccompanied minors under the age of 16 from 3 p.m. until close.
- No indoor megamall construction has been completed since 2019.
The Capital One Shopping team compiled these data and insights based on publicly available data.
Sources
- Ideastream Public Media
- U.S. House of Representatives, The GREATER Revitalization of Shopping Centers Act of 2023
- Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Economic Data
- International Council of Shopping Centers
- Statista, Retail & Trade
- Placer Labs, Placer.ai
- U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Filings
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- Wiley Online Library, Mathematical Problems in Engineering, Sales Associations between Brand Stores Based on Spatial Interaction Effects
- Business Insider
- ResearchGate, Advances in Anthropology, Emerging Mall Culture and Shopping Behavior of Young Consumers
- U.S. Treasury, Fiscal Data
- Government of Dubai Media Office, Dubai Mall Becomes Most Visited Place on Earth with Record 105m Visitors in 2023
- National Public Radio, Why Malls Across America Are Dying
- CoStar Group, Here’s How Malls Across the Country Are Restricting Teen Visitors
- New York Times, Business