Downtown Raleigh Alliance on Wednesday will present its state of downtown report, which aims to cover key topics such as public safety, cost of living and overall progress in downtown Raleigh.
The 2026 State of Downtown Raleigh Report is expected to highlight progress, trends and areas for the city to improve.
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The average rent in downtown Raleigh is about $1,800 a month, according to the Downtown Raleigh Alliance. Data shows almost 93% of downtown apartments have tenants. That high demand could lead to even higher costs.
“We need to keep building housing units in downtown and across the city to keep rent from spiking even harder,” said Bill King, CEO of the Downtown Raleigh Alliance.
King said safety should also be top of mind as the city considers expansion downtown. He explained that safety should be addressed with a multi-faceted approach, including addiction services, mental health services and security.
“The reality is it needs to get better," he said. "The safety situation here needs to improve. I don't think it's good enough, and so we need to see that for what it is, which is a problem that requires urgency and some really big action."
Community leaders will meet Wednesday at the Martin Marietta Center of the Performing Arts to discuss the details of the report.