{"id":1004796150,"date":"2026-04-23T02:55:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-23T10:55:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/?p=1004796150"},"modified":"2026-05-01T05:34:24","modified_gmt":"2026-05-01T13:34:24","slug":"return-to-office-momentum-marches-on","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/return-to-office-momentum-marches-on\/","title":{"rendered":"Return-to-Office Momentum Marches On"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

All of the U.S. office markets that Placer.ai tracks showed an increase in office foot traffic in March 2026 compared with a year ago, with the busiest markets close to the pace of foot traffic last seen in 2019, the year before the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This March, foot traffic was an average of 26.5 percent lower than March 2019 levels, a 7.5-percentage point improvement from 34 percent lower in March 2025 compared to the same month in 2019, according to Placer.ai.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That is the latest year-over-year increase in office visits in a string of increases that has partly restored traffic over recent years. The trough was deep: Traffic was down 79.9 percent in 2021 compared to before the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also during March 2026, average visits per working day across 11 major U.S. markets were 4.2 percent higher than March 2025. That metric also slumped severely in 2021, showing an 81.6 percent drop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Chart<\/a>
March 2026 was the busiest in-office March since COVID. Chart courtesy of Placer.ai<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

RTO Momentum is broad-based now<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In short, according to Placer.ai, return to office has momentum across the board. Indeed, the report noted, office visits reached their highest March level since COVID-19 hit. Even after accounting for calendar effects, foot traffic showed clear year-over-year momentum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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READ ALSO<\/strong>: Office Fit-Out Costs Are Rising\u2014Here\u2019s Why<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Placer.ai predicts that the trend toward increasing in-office work will continue, driven partly by the fact that hybrid policies are tightening, with some companies (such as Stellantis) requiring five-day-a-week attendance; and partly by the fact that workplace behavior is shifting slowly but surely toward more in-person work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Chart<\/a>
Monthly visits to nationwide office index compared to Mar. ’19 baseline. Chart courtesy of Placer.ai<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

While office attendance<\/a> is unlikely to return to pre-COVID norms, additional mandates that are set to take effect later this year\u2014at Home Depot and the California state government, to cite two diverse examples\u2014point to further gains in office visits in the months ahead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Miami, NYC still top the nation for office visits<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While all the cities tracked by Placer.ai saw year-over-year increases in office foot traffic during March, Miami and New York City remain closest to pre-pandemic levels. Miami\u2019s March 2026 office visits were down 9.1 percent compared to March 2019, while New York City visits were down 9.7 percent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even so, Placer.ai reported that the more interesting story is unfolding on the West Coast, where some of the nation\u2019s \u201cbiggest recovery laggards\u201d are making steady progress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe rebound of return-to-office trends stood out across West Coast cities in March,\u201d Placer.ai Director of Research Elizabeth Lafontaine told Commercial Property Executive<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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