Return-to-Office Trend Maintains Momentum

February 16, 2026

Despite the winter storm, visits climbed to their highest January level since the pandemic.

As a cold month, January this year inspired many people to work from home, especially in certain parts of the U.S. Even so, according to Placer.ai data, the return-to-office trend continues to see momentum, as it has in recent months and years.

Last month, nationwide office visits were 38.3 percent lower than the pre-pandemic January 2019, but 1.5 percent higher than January 2025. The most recent office visits also compare quite favorably to January 2022, when visits were 74 percent lower than in January 2019.

Chart showing January 2026 office visits, according to Placer.ai data — January 2026 office visits saw continued progress. *Chart courtesy of Placer.ai*

Cities hit by the winter storm from Jan. 23 to Jan. 27 saw office visits fall last month. In Dallas most notably, visits shrank 6.7 percent year-over-year. Boston saw a 3.8 percent drop compared with last year, and New York City experienced a small drop (0.3 percent).

The rest of the 11 cities that Placer.ai tracks gained visits from a year ago, including those unaffected by the storm. San Francisco, whose RTO has been particularly brisk recently as AI companies expand, saw a 10.9 percent gain, while Los Angeles enjoyed a 15.6 percent gain.

In-person has made its comeback

Despite widespread weather-related disruptions, offices were generally fuller than in prior Januaries, which points to a continued RTO trajectory. That is partly being advanced by RTO mandates.

“With January 2026 reaching the highest January level of return-to-office on a per-working-day basis since the onset of the pandemic, it’s clear that corporate employers see the future of business as in-person,” Placer.ai Director of Research Elizabeth Lafontaine told Commercial Property Executive.

Chart showing office visits across major cities nationwide, January 2026 compared to January 2019 and 2025, according to Placer.ai — Office visits across major cities nationwide, January 2026 compared to January 2019 and 2025. *Chart courtesy of Placer.ai*

There seems to have been a true acceleration over the past year with corporate RTO mandates, and office culture has returned in many ways, she said. But that doesn’t mean that an all-the-time, five-day workweek is ever returning.

“Despite this monumental shift toward working from the office, the commitment to more flexibility appears to have remained, as workers can easily return to remote work in specific circumstances, such as winter weather closures,” Lafontaine said.

Placer.ai