According to a September 2026 report on workspace trends, Manhattan has the highest office demand in the US. As 9 in 10 employers now ask for a minimum of 3 in-office days per week, a new study by the cabinet manufacturing company Highland Cabinetry mapped areas where offices are needed more than ever.
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Only 13.1% of Manhattan offices are staying empty, making its workplaces the busiest in the US.
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Office-using jobs, including information, finance, and business services, grew the most in Orlando, at 15.7%.
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Miami is building new office space the fastest, with 1 new workplace for every 100 existing ones.
To identify the US metro areas with the highest office demand, the study looked at 5 key factors. The research took into account search demand, calculating a ratio per 100K residents to compare the metro areas fairly, and share of new office construction as a % of existing office space to see how the demand is affecting investment in office buildings. The study also tracked the change in office-using jobs and the change in vacancy rates. The final list ranks areas from the smallest office vacancy rate to the highest.
Here are the top US metro areas where office space is most needed:
|
Metro Area
|
Vacancy Rate
|
Vacancy Rate 12-Mo Change (pp)
|
Office-Using Jobs Growth 5-Yr
|
New Const. as % of Existing Office Space
|
Searches per 100K
|
|
Manhattan
|
13.1%
|
-2.1
|
9.4%
|
0.6%
|
123
|
|
Miami
|
13.2%
|
-1.1
|
13.7%
|
1.1%
|
83
|
|
Tampa
|
14.3%
|
-1.9
|
9.7%
|
0.4%
|
89
|
|
Los Angeles
|
14.4%
|
-0.4
|
-1.3%
|
0.5%
|
113
|
|
Phoenix
|
16.5%
|
-0.6
|
3.4%
|
0.4%
|
90
|
|
New Jersey
|
17.4%
|
-1.0
|
6.0%
|
0.4%
|
124
|
|
Orlando
|
17.4%
|
+0.3
|
15.7%
|
0.1%
|
126
|
|
Boston
|
17.6%
|
+1.1
|
-1.8%
|
1.3%
|
85
|
|
Chicago
|
17.8%
|
-1.8
|
-0.02%
|
0.1%
|
79
|
|
Twin Cities
|
17.8%
|
+0.2
|
-5.6%
|
0.2%
|
34
|
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Manhattan, New York
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Office vacancy rate: 13.1%
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Vacancy rate change: -2.1% in 12 months
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Office-using job growth: 9.4% in 5 years
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New office construction: 0.6% of existing office space
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Search interest: 123 per 100K
In Manhattan, employers need offices the most, with the lowest vacancy rate in the US, at just 13.1%. This is almost twice as low as in San Francisco, which ranks last, and the need for offices in Manhattan has been rising for a while. In the last year, the vacancy rate fell by 2.1%, the biggest gap in the top 10. One of the reasons is the mass return to on-site work, as office-using jobs grew 9.4% in the post-pandemic years.
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Miami, Florida
The second-highest office demand is recorded in Miami, with 13.2% of office spaces sitting empty, just 0.1% more than in Manhattan. Similar to the New York metro, the vacancy rates fell last year, down by 1.1%. On-site work is even more common now in Miami, as industries relying on office spaces grew by 13.7%, the second-highest rate on the list.
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Tampa, Florida
The second Florida city on the list, Tampa, also shows a need for more offices. Here, there are 1.9% fewer empty workspaces than a year ago, and professions that rely on office presence added 1 to 10 already-hired workers (9.7% growth).
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Los Angeles, California
In fourth place is Los Angeles, which stands out among California cities, with high demand for offices. Here, new construction makes up 1 in 20 of existing workplaces, and vacancy rates go down, too. In 2026, this metro area records 14.4% of empty offices, down 0.4% from the last year.
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Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix also makes the list of US metro areas where employers need more office space, with vacancy rates lowering by 0.6%. Office-reliant jobs are one of the key reasons for the demand, as they added 3.4% more employees, more than Seattle, Los Angeles, or Boston. In 2026, 16.5% of workspaces in Phoenix are vacant, down from 17.1% the previous year.
A spokesperson from Highland Cabinetry commented on the study:
“Manhattan’s strong numbers are hiding a split market. Companies returning to the office aren’t going back to just any building: they’re competing specifically for the newest, best-located space, while older stock sits increasingly empty and unleasable. The flight to quality is so pronounced that Midtown’s trophy buildings are essentially full while the broader market still has significant vacancy. The buildings that don’t meet the new standard are being quietly abandoned.”
When using the data, please credit: highlandcabinetry. com
