{"id":1004788628,"date":"2026-05-27T01:47:00","date_gmt":"2026-05-27T09:47:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/?p=1004788628"},"modified":"2026-05-22T01:57:46","modified_gmt":"2026-05-22T09:57:46","slug":"placer-ai-office-index-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/placer-ai-office-index-2\/","title":{"rendered":"2026 Placer.ai Office Index"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure data-wp-context=\"{&quot;imageId&quot;:&quot;6a317f63a2f98&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"core\/image\" class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized wp-lightbox-container\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" data-attachment-id=\"1004799687\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/placer-ai-office-index-2\/0626_cpe_placer_nationwide\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/46\/2026\/04\/0626_CPE_Placer_Nationwide.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"800,600\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"0626_CPE_Placer_Nationwide\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/46\/2026\/04\/0626_CPE_Placer_Nationwide.jpg?w=800\" data-wp-class--hide=\"state.isContentHidden\" data-wp-class--show=\"state.isContentVisible\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on-async--click=\"actions.showLightbox\" data-wp-on-async--load=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on-async-window--resize=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" src=\"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/46\/2026\/04\/0626_CPE_Placer_Nationwide.jpg\" alt=\"Year-over-year office visit recovery percentages. Source: Placer.ai\" class=\"wp-image-1004799687\" style=\"width:550px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/46\/2026\/04\/0626_CPE_Placer_Nationwide.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/46\/2026\/04\/0626_CPE_Placer_Nationwide.jpg?resize=300,225 300w, https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/46\/2026\/04\/0626_CPE_Placer_Nationwide.jpg?resize=768,576 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><button\n\t\t\tclass=\"lightbox-trigger\"\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\taria-haspopup=\"dialog\"\n\t\t\taria-label=\"Enlarge\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-init=\"callbacks.initTriggerButton\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-on-async--click=\"actions.showLightbox\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--right=\"state.imageButtonRight\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--top=\"state.imageButtonTop\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"12\" height=\"12\" fill=\"none\" viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\">\n\t\t\t\t<path fill=\"#fff\" d=\"M2 0a2 2 0 0 0-2 2v2h1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 1 .5-.5h2V0H2Zm2 10.5H2a.5.5 0 0 1-.5-.5V8H0v2a2 2 0 0 0 2 2h2v-1.5ZM8 12v-1.5h2a.5.5 0 0 0 .5-.5V8H12v2a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H8Zm2-12a2 2 0 0 1 2 2v2h-1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 0-.5-.5H8V0h2Z\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Office visits in April 2026 vs. April  2019 and 2025. Source: Placer.ai<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>In April 2026, Home Depot&#8217;s five-day return-to-office\u00a0mandate\u00a0took effect for corporate employees\u2014the latest addition to a growing list of major employers requiring more in-person presence. What does the latest data reveal about the pace of recovery on the ground?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-a-recovery-pulled-in-two-directions\">A recovery pulled in two directions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Nationwide office visits landed 29.1 percent below April 2019 levels in April 2026\u2014a slight improvement compared to April 2025. While this marks continued progress, the pace of recovery was more measured than in\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.placer.ai\/anchor\/articles\/placer-ai-march-2026-office-index-the-rto-marches-on\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">March<\/a>, which saw a 4.2 percentage point gain when controlling for the number of working days. (April 2025 and April 2026 had the same number of working days, offering a clean basis for comparison).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Alongside the growing wave of mandates, a\u00a0survey\u00a0from MyPerfectResume early this year found that just 7 percent of employees would quit outright over a mandatory RTO policy in 2026\u2014down from 51 percent in January 2025. The shift reflects a labor market that has\u00a0continued\u00a0to soften, leaving workers with less leverage to push back on policies they might have resisted just a year ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On the other side of the ledger, rising gas prices introduced a meaningful counterweight in April, with the national average\u00a0surpassing\u00a0$4.00 per gallon for the first time since 2022. For daily commuters already reassessing the cost of in-office work, a jump of more than $1.00 per gallon in a single month is a significant headwind\u2014and likely one factor behind the slower pace of gains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-regional-roundup\">Regional roundup<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Looking across eleven major office markets, nearly all posted modest year-over-year visit growth, led\u00a0again\u00a0by West Coast hubs Los Angeles and San Francisco. Once viewed as a persistent laggard, San Francisco\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/return-to-office-growth-slows-in-april\/\">AI-powered recovery<\/a> has helped it avoid the bottom spot for several months running. And as the city\u2019s narrative continues shifting from \u201cdoom loop\u201d to \u201cboom loop,\u201d it is likely to keep gaining ground in the months ahead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Denver, on the other hand, finished last in April across both measures\u2014down 45.3 percent versus April 2019 and 1.1 percent from a year ago. With one of the most remote-friendly labor\u00a0markets\u00a0in the country and downtown office\u00a0vacancy\u00a0still hovering around 38 percent, the city is increasingly leaning on alternative strategies such as office-to-residential\u00a0conversions\u00a0to revive its urban core. Still, prime and Class A buildings remain a\u00a0bright spot, as employers look to draw workers back with higher-quality spaces and\u00a0perks\u00a0rather than mandates alone\u2014and as these efforts gain traction, Denver could begin to narrow the gap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2014Posted on May 27, 2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity has-very-light-gray-to-cyan-bluish-gray-gradient-background has-background is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure data-wp-context=\"{&quot;imageId&quot;:&quot;6a317f63a45a2&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"core\/image\" class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized wp-lightbox-container\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" data-attachment-id=\"1004795694\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/placer-ai-office-index-2\/0526_cpe_placer_nationwide\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/46\/2026\/03\/0526_CPE_Placer_Nationwide.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"800,600\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"0526_CPE_Placer_Nationwide\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/46\/2026\/03\/0526_CPE_Placer_Nationwide.jpg?w=800\" data-wp-class--hide=\"state.isContentHidden\" data-wp-class--show=\"state.isContentVisible\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on-async--click=\"actions.showLightbox\" data-wp-on-async--load=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on-async-window--resize=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" src=\"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/46\/2026\/03\/0526_CPE_Placer_Nationwide.jpg\" alt=\"Year-over-year office visit recovery percentages. Source: Placer.ai\" class=\"wp-image-1004795694\" style=\"width:550px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/46\/2026\/03\/0526_CPE_Placer_Nationwide.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/46\/2026\/03\/0526_CPE_Placer_Nationwide.jpg?resize=300,225 300w, https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/46\/2026\/03\/0526_CPE_Placer_Nationwide.jpg?resize=768,576 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><button\n\t\t\tclass=\"lightbox-trigger\"\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\taria-haspopup=\"dialog\"\n\t\t\taria-label=\"Enlarge\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-init=\"callbacks.initTriggerButton\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-on-async--click=\"actions.showLightbox\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--right=\"state.imageButtonRight\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--top=\"state.imageButtonTop\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"12\" height=\"12\" fill=\"none\" viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\">\n\t\t\t\t<path fill=\"#fff\" d=\"M2 0a2 2 0 0 0-2 2v2h1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 1 .5-.5h2V0H2Zm2 10.5H2a.5.5 0 0 1-.5-.5V8H0v2a2 2 0 0 0 2 2h2v-1.5ZM8 12v-1.5h2a.5.5 0 0 0 .5-.5V8H12v2a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H8Zm2-12a2 2 0 0 1 2 2v2h-1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 0-.5-.5H8V0h2Z\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Office visits in March 2026 vs. March 2019 and 2025. Source: Placer.ai<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>After a weather-disrupted start to the year, March delivered a clear signal that the office recovery is once again moving forward. The latest data points to a seasonal rebound alongside tightening workplace policies translating into sustained return-to-office (RTO) gains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-a-spring-rebound-nbsp\">A spring rebound&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>March 2026 marked the busiest March for office visits since the onset of COVID, with traffic just 26.5 percent below 2019 levels.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Part of this strength was calendar-driven, as the month included 22 working days compared to 21 in both 2019 and 2025. But even after adjusting for this difference, the underlying trend remained firmly positive. Average visits per working day were 29.8 percent below 2019 levels and 6.4 percent higher than March 2025, pointing to real and continuing momentum in the market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-regional-laggards-closing-the-gap\">Regional laggards closing the gap<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>On a regional basis, substantive year-over-year (YoY) gains were seen across every major market but Washington, D.C., where adjusting for working days revealed a 3.4 percent YoY visit gap \u2013 possibly influenced by a mid-month severe storm&nbsp;event&nbsp;that may have kept some workers home in a region relatively&nbsp;unaccustomed&nbsp;to such disruptions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity has-very-light-gray-to-cyan-bluish-gray-gradient-background has-background is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>READ ALSO:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/ai-promises-to-challenge-the-office-sector-for-the-rest-of-the-decade\/\">AI Is Likely to Challenge Office Sector for the Rest of the Decade<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity has-very-light-gray-to-cyan-bluish-gray-gradient-background has-background is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p>Miami and New York remained at the top of the recovery curve, with office visits exceeding 90 percent of pre-COVID baselines.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But the more interesting story is unfolding on the West Coast, where some of the nation\u2019s biggest recovery laggards are making steady progress. Los Angeles recorded the strongest YoY growth of any analyzed market, supported in part by the comparison to early 2025, when the city was still reeling from January\u2019s wildfires. San Francisco, where an AI-driven recovery remains in full swing, also continued to build momentum, with visits up 15.4 percent YoY. The city is steadily climbing the post-pandemic recovery rankings\u2014after avoiding the bottom spot since September 2025, it edged up to third from last for the second month in a row.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For more data-driven RTO analyses, follow&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/placer.ai\/anchor\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Placer.ai\/anchor<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2014Posted on April 27, 2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-fl-heading-text-color has-alpha-channel-opacity has-fl-heading-text-background-color has-background is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure data-wp-context=\"{&quot;imageId&quot;:&quot;6a317f63a5ae6&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"core\/image\" class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized wp-lightbox-container\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" data-attachment-id=\"1004792525\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/placer-ai-office-index-2\/0426_cpe_placer_nationwide\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/46\/2026\/02\/0426_CPE_Placer_Nationwide.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"800,600\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"0426_CPE_Placer_Nationwide\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/46\/2026\/02\/0426_CPE_Placer_Nationwide.jpg?w=800\" data-wp-class--hide=\"state.isContentHidden\" data-wp-class--show=\"state.isContentVisible\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on-async--click=\"actions.showLightbox\" data-wp-on-async--load=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on-async-window--resize=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" src=\"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/46\/2026\/02\/0426_CPE_Placer_Nationwide.jpg\" alt=\"Year-over-year office visit recovery percentages. Source: Placer.ai\" class=\"wp-image-1004792525\" style=\"width:550px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/46\/2026\/02\/0426_CPE_Placer_Nationwide.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/46\/2026\/02\/0426_CPE_Placer_Nationwide.jpg?resize=300,225 300w, https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/46\/2026\/02\/0426_CPE_Placer_Nationwide.jpg?resize=768,576 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><button\n\t\t\tclass=\"lightbox-trigger\"\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\taria-haspopup=\"dialog\"\n\t\t\taria-label=\"Enlarge\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-init=\"callbacks.initTriggerButton\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-on-async--click=\"actions.showLightbox\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--right=\"state.imageButtonRight\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--top=\"state.imageButtonTop\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"12\" height=\"12\" fill=\"none\" viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\">\n\t\t\t\t<path fill=\"#fff\" d=\"M2 0a2 2 0 0 0-2 2v2h1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 1 .5-.5h2V0H2Zm2 10.5H2a.5.5 0 0 1-.5-.5V8H0v2a2 2 0 0 0 2 2h2v-1.5ZM8 12v-1.5h2a.5.5 0 0 0 .5-.5V8H12v2a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H8Zm2-12a2 2 0 0 1 2 2v2h-1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 0-.5-.5H8V0h2Z\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Office visits in February 2026 vs. February 2019 and 2025. Source: Placer.ai<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>February 2026 marked the strongest in-office February since COVID-19, with the post-pandemic visit gap narrowing to 31.9 percent below 2019 levels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In February 2026, visits to the Placer.ai Nationwide Office Index were 31.9 percent below 2019 levels\u2014marking the smallest February post-pandemic visit gap to date. Overall attendance even slightly outpaced February 2024, a leap year that benefited from 20 business days instead of the usual 19.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-snowstorms-skew-the-northeast\">Snowstorms skew the Northeast<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>While this is hardly the most&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.placer.ai\/anchor\/articles\/placer-ai-november-2025-office-index-post-pandemic-record-occupancy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">impressive<\/a>&nbsp;RTO showing we\u2019ve seen in recent months, February\u2019s gains came in spite of meaningful headwinds.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A late-February blizzard disrupted major Northeast markets, driving a year-over-year decline in New York City office visits and widening Manhattan\u2019s post-pandemic gap to 21.3 percent below 2019 levels. Boston, also hit hard by snow, saw visits remain flat YoY, slipping behind San Francisco and Denver in overall recovery progress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>By contrast, cities in other regions posted clear gains, with San Francisco\u2014still benefiting from AI-driven hiring and renewed tech activity\u2014once again seeing some of the strongest growth at +11.9 percent year-over-year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For more data-driven office insights, follow&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/placer.ai\/anchor\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Placer.ai<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2014Posted on March 27, 2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure data-wp-context=\"{&quot;imageId&quot;:&quot;6a317f63a6856&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"core\/image\" class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized wp-lightbox-container\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" data-attachment-id=\"1004788629\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/placer-ai-office-index-2\/0326_cpe_placer_nationwide\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/46\/2026\/02\/0326_CPE_Placer_Nationwide.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"800,600\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"0326_CPE_Placer_Nationwide\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/46\/2026\/02\/0326_CPE_Placer_Nationwide.jpg?w=800\" data-wp-class--hide=\"state.isContentHidden\" data-wp-class--show=\"state.isContentVisible\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on-async--click=\"actions.showLightbox\" data-wp-on-async--load=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on-async-window--resize=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" src=\"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/46\/2026\/02\/0326_CPE_Placer_Nationwide.jpg\" alt=\"Year-over-year office visit recovery percentages. Source: Placer.ai\" class=\"wp-image-1004788629\" style=\"width:550px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/46\/2026\/02\/0326_CPE_Placer_Nationwide.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/46\/2026\/02\/0326_CPE_Placer_Nationwide.jpg?resize=300,225 300w, https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/46\/2026\/02\/0326_CPE_Placer_Nationwide.jpg?resize=768,576 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><button\n\t\t\tclass=\"lightbox-trigger\"\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\taria-haspopup=\"dialog\"\n\t\t\taria-label=\"Enlarge\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-init=\"callbacks.initTriggerButton\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-on-async--click=\"actions.showLightbox\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--right=\"state.imageButtonRight\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--top=\"state.imageButtonTop\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"12\" height=\"12\" fill=\"none\" viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\">\n\t\t\t\t<path fill=\"#fff\" d=\"M2 0a2 2 0 0 0-2 2v2h1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 1 .5-.5h2V0H2Zm2 10.5H2a.5.5 0 0 1-.5-.5V8H0v2a2 2 0 0 0 2 2h2v-1.5ZM8 12v-1.5h2a.5.5 0 0 0 .5-.5V8H12v2a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H8Zm2-12a2 2 0 0 1 2 2v2h-1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 0-.5-.5H8V0h2Z\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Office visits in January 2026 vs. January 2019 and 2025. Source: Placer.ai<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>January 2026 delivered a reminder that return-to-office progress is anything but linear\u2014but it is still gaining ground. Despite Winter Storm Fern disrupting travel and commutes across large parts of the country toward the end of the month, office attendance continued its gradual recovery. Visits to the Nationwide Office Index were 38.3 percent below January 2019 levels, a modest improvement from January 2025, when a Polar Vortex&nbsp;similarly&nbsp;inhibited commutes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And while total monthly visits came in slightly below January 2024 levels, adjusting for the number of working days reveals a more encouraging picture. On a per-working-day basis, January 2026 was the busiest in-office January since COVID-19\u2014no small feat in a month when ice and snow covered large swaths of the contiguous U.S. for several days. The fact that offices were generally fuller than in prior Januaries, even amid widespread disruptions, points to a robust <a href=\"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/return-to-office-trend-maintains-momentum\/\">underlying return-to-office trajectory<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-cities-tell-a-weather-driven-story\">Cities tell a weather-driven story<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Fern\u2019s influence becomes clearer, however, when zooming in on individual metros. Cities that avoided the worst of the storm generally posted stronger year-over-year gains, while heavily impacted markets saw flatter or negative results. Miami, for example, continued to record year-over-year increases, while New York City\u2014hit&nbsp;hard&nbsp;by Fern\u2014saw visits edge down 0.3 percent year-over-year.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>READ ALSO:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/top-markets-for-office-deliveries\/\">Top 10 Markets for Office Deliveries in 2025<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p>Last year\u2019s winter conditions also played a meaningful role in annual comparisons. Both Dallas and Houston were affected by Fern this January, though Dallas bore the brunt of the storm, with&nbsp;snow, ice, travel disruptions, and flight&nbsp;cancellations&nbsp;contributing to a 6.7 percent year-over-year drop in office visits. Houston, by contrast, experienced more limited&nbsp;disruption&nbsp;in January 2026 and posted an annual increase\u2014in part because it was lapping the January 2025 Gulf Coast&nbsp;Blizzard, which saw rare snow accumulations effectively shut the city down. In other words, Houston\u2019s biggest weather-related disruption occurred last winter, while Dallas faced a more acute shock this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/washington-dc-office-market-update\/\">Washington, D.C.<\/a>\u2019s 3.2 percent year-over-year uptick and Atlanta\u2019s 9.1 percent gain similarly reflect comparisons to January 2025, when both markets were hampered by&nbsp;extreme&nbsp;winter weather. But these rebounds also point to underlying recovery momentum\u2014especially for Atlanta, which, despite being&nbsp;impacted&nbsp;by Fern, ranked third among the analyzed cities for post-pandemic office recovery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Meanwhile, West Coast markets that were largely spared severe winter conditions posted the strongest year-over-year gains. Los Angeles and San Francisco led the pack, with annual increases of 15.6 percent and 10.9 percent, respectively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For more data-driven office insights, follow&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/placer.ai\/anchor\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Placer.ai\/anchor<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2014Posted on Feb. 27, 2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The latest data on national and local office foot traffic trends.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3638,"featured_media":1004799687,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21742,21747,37798,37749],"tags":[52442],"class_list":["post-1004788628","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latest","category-office","category-rc-office-occupancy","category-research-center-cpe","tag-placer-ai"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v23.4 (Yoast SEO v24.6) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>2026 Placer.ai Office Index - Commercial Property Executive<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Nationwide office visits landed 29.1 percent below April 2019 levels in April 2026\u2014a slight improvement compared to April 2025.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/placer-ai-office-index-2\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"2026 Placer.ai Office Index\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Nationwide office visits landed 29.1 percent below April 2019 levels in April 2026\u2014a slight improvement compared to April 2025.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/placer-ai-office-index-2\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Commercial Property Executive\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/CPExecutive\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-05-27T09:47:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/46\/2026\/04\/0626_CPE_Placer_Nationwide.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Lila Margalit\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@cpexecutive\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@cpexecutive\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/placer-ai-office-index-2\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/placer-ai-office-index-2\/\",\"name\":\"2026 Placer.ai Office Index - Commercial Property Executive\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/placer-ai-office-index-2\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/placer-ai-office-index-2\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/46\/2026\/04\/0626_CPE_Placer_Nationwide.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-27T09:47:00+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/59be5d5203d1413f4d3c15aa79ade376\"},\"description\":\"Nationwide office visits landed 29.1 percent below April 2019 levels in April 2026\u2014a slight improvement compared to April 2025.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/placer-ai-office-index-2\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/placer-ai-office-index-2\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/placer-ai-office-index-2\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/46\/2026\/04\/0626_CPE_Placer_Nationwide.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/46\/2026\/04\/0626_CPE_Placer_Nationwide.jpg\",\"width\":800,\"height\":600,\"caption\":\"Year-over-year office visit recovery percentages. Source: Placer.ai\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/placer-ai-office-index-2\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"2026 Placer.ai Office Index\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/\",\"name\":\"Commercial Property Executive\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/59be5d5203d1413f4d3c15aa79ade376\",\"name\":\"Lila Margalit\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/2ae32e7eb1e821b425a8f6afbe8136001536d36099cacd10559846cce1329b49?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/2ae32e7eb1e821b425a8f6afbe8136001536d36099cacd10559846cce1329b49?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Lila Margalit\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/author\/lilamargalit\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"2026 Placer.ai Office Index - Commercial Property Executive","description":"Nationwide office visits landed 29.1 percent below April 2019 levels in April 2026\u2014a slight improvement compared to April 2025.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/placer-ai-office-index-2\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"2026 Placer.ai Office Index","og_description":"Nationwide office visits landed 29.1 percent below April 2019 levels in April 2026\u2014a slight improvement compared to April 2025.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/placer-ai-office-index-2\/","og_site_name":"Commercial Property Executive","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/CPExecutive","article_published_time":"2026-05-27T09:47:00+00:00","og_image":[{"width":800,"height":600,"url":"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/46\/2026\/04\/0626_CPE_Placer_Nationwide.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Lila Margalit","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@cpexecutive","twitter_site":"@cpexecutive","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/placer-ai-office-index-2\/","url":"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/placer-ai-office-index-2\/","name":"2026 Placer.ai Office Index - Commercial Property Executive","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/placer-ai-office-index-2\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/placer-ai-office-index-2\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/46\/2026\/04\/0626_CPE_Placer_Nationwide.jpg","datePublished":"2026-05-27T09:47:00+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/59be5d5203d1413f4d3c15aa79ade376"},"description":"Nationwide office visits landed 29.1 percent below April 2019 levels in April 2026\u2014a slight improvement compared to April 2025.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/placer-ai-office-index-2\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/placer-ai-office-index-2\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/placer-ai-office-index-2\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/46\/2026\/04\/0626_CPE_Placer_Nationwide.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/46\/2026\/04\/0626_CPE_Placer_Nationwide.jpg","width":800,"height":600,"caption":"Year-over-year office visit recovery percentages. Source: Placer.ai"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/placer-ai-office-index-2\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"2026 Placer.ai Office Index"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/","name":"Commercial Property Executive","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/59be5d5203d1413f4d3c15aa79ade376","name":"Lila Margalit","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/2ae32e7eb1e821b425a8f6afbe8136001536d36099cacd10559846cce1329b49?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/2ae32e7eb1e821b425a8f6afbe8136001536d36099cacd10559846cce1329b49?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Lila Margalit"},"url":"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/author\/lilamargalit\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/46\/2026\/04\/0626_CPE_Placer_Nationwide.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1004788628","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3638"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1004788628"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1004788628\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1004799723,"href":"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1004788628\/revisions\/1004799723"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1004799687"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1004788628"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1004788628"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1004788628"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}