Map Shows Cities Where Malls are Dying Off Fastest
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Long considered hubs of American commerce and community, the country's shopping malls are undergoing a rapid decline, a new report detailing which cities have suffered the sharpest drops in traffic.
Why It Matters
The slow death of the American mall can be viewed as an extension of the broader decline of the U.S. retail sector, both fueled by and contributing to a simultaneous boom for online shopping. The diminishing success of brick-and-mortars and malls across the country holds implications for the millions employed in the sector, the small businesses which rely on shopping hubs for footfall, and the overall landscape of American cities.
What To Know
A new study by fashion brand Selfie Leslie, the results of which were shared with Newsweek, found that in-store shopping across the U.S. has declined by 62 percent over the past decade, during which the popularity of online shopping has risen 111 percent.
Below is a map based on those findings, showing how in-store shopping has declined across 25 of America's largest cities between 2015 and 2025.
According to Selfie Leslie, New York has seen the largest drop at 77 percent, coinciding with a 102-percent increase in online orders. Chicago and San Francisco hold the joint second place, both seeing a 70-percent decline matched by 126-percent and 67-percent surges in online shoppers, respectively.
The in-store shopping decline this year alone has ben credited with a surge in layoffs sweeping the retail sector. According to a recent report by Challenger, Gray & Christmas (CGC), retailers announced 11,483 job cuts in May, up from 7,235 in April. For the first five months of 2025, the outplacement firm recorded a total of 75,802 planned cuts, marking a 274-percent increase from the same period last year.
What People Are Saying
Selfie Leslie Head of Marketing Sharmayne Roumeliotis, in comments shared with Newsweek, said that the results of the study can help retailers "better understand what the public may expect from us in the future, and how we can better tailor our practices to suit their ever-changing needs and demand."
"We have noticed the increasing demand as an online retailer, and for the first time, we can see how shopping behavior is evolving across the states, with some regions picking up the digital cart at a much faster pace," she added.
Nicole Leinbach Hoffman, founder and president of RetailMinded.com, told Newsweek previously that "supply chain disruptions, increased competition, and changing consumer habits—including online buying—are all strong influencers to the challenges facing retailers." Hoffman tied this to the number of layoffs that have swept the sector this year.
What Happens Next?
With many household name retailers announcing closures in 2025, challenges are set to persist for America's physical shops. Earlier this year, retail-focused data firm Coresight Research estimated that 15,000 stores will shutter for good this year, more than double the 7,325 which closed in 2024 and outpacing the roughly 10,000 which were recorded in 2020 amid the COVID pandemic.
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