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Analysts and Reports Highlight Adelaide's Visitor Spending and Job Figures in Latest Data
City of Adelaide economic figures point to tourism revenue and business events as key contributors according to multiple sources.
How we reported this
The City of Adelaide posted a Gross Regional Product of $23.95 billion with 5.7 per cent growth for the year ending June 2023, with Health Care and Social Assistance listed as the largest industry in figures compiled by economy.id.
These numbers arrive as state final demand data for South Australia showed a 3.6 per cent year-on-year rise to September 2025, outpacing the national average, while Adelaide University economists have projected 2 per cent gross state product growth for 2025/26 on the back of domestic spending and grain crop recovery.
Visitor revenue and events add stimulus
In Q1 2024 the visitor economy recorded $43 million in accommodation revenue for March alone, the strongest month on record, alongside a 10 per cent rise in travel compared with the same quarter in 2023, according to data from aedasa.com.au. Business events delivered an estimated $45 million in economic stimulus and nearly 45,000 bed nights during the same period, supported by medical conferences and AFL Gather Round.
Rundle Mall posted the nation's lowest strip retail vacancy rate of 4.1 per cent in the first half of 2022, while resident vacancy rates reached a 10-year low in August 2022, per City of Adelaide records.
Workforce and population indicators
The local population stood at 27,901 in ABS 2023 figures, supporting 169,940 jobs in the City of Adelaide, with the broader Greater Adelaide region contributing 18 per cent of South Australia's total economy. The City of Adelaide workforce grew about 8 per cent in 2022-23 to more than 170,000, unemployment sat at 4.5 per cent and the participation rate reached near 78 per cent.
Workers in the city spend roughly $2.5 billion annually locally, with March 2025 consumer expenditure hitting a record $371 million, up 5 per cent from the prior year. Employment across South Australia reached a record 986,500 in October 2025, with construction up 49 per cent and healthcare and social assistance up 45 per cent.
Reports from economy.id and aedasa continue to track these indicators as the city maintains its position in state economic output.