Office Recovery Trends Gain Strength in December 2025

Office foot traffic hit a post-pandemic high in December 2025, signaling continued momentum in the return-to-office trend.

January 21, 2026

Nina Dale

Office foot traffic in December 2025 was down 33.1% from 2019, up from 39.2% down the previous year.
The Placer.ai Office Index confirms this December was the busiest in-office month since the pandemic began.
Miami leads US metros in office recovery; Dallas and New York City also show strong momentum.
Employers are increasing on-site requirements, signaling continued office recovery in 2026.

Key Takeaways

Office Recovery Trends Accelerate

Office properties saw their busiest December since the onset of the pandemic, with new data from Placer.ai highlighting sustained momentum in office recovery trends. Despite the usual holiday slowdowns, the Commercial Property Executive reports that foot traffic nationwide showed significant improvement compared to previous years, indicating that the return-to-office push remains robust.

December 2025 office visits were 33.1% below pre-pandemic levels, an improvement from 39.2% below in December 2024 and a sharp recovery from the 64% drop recorded in December 2021. Analysts attribute the gains to continued employer emphasis on bringing workers back to physical workspaces.

Office visits in December 2025 were the highest since the pandemic began, improving steadily year over year. Source: Placer.ai

Wider Market Patterns and Corporate Shifts

Nationally, return-to-office trends have been gradually building as firms introduce stricter attendance requirements. According to CBRE, 87% of surveyed companies report challenges tied to fluctuating office usage. These include optimizing workspace and forecasting future needs. Many firms are now increasing required in-office days from two or three, to four or five each week. This change is also reshaping corporate real estate strategies, especially around long-term space planning and lease commitments.

Regional Leaders in the Office Index

Miami continues to lead the 11 major markets tracked by the Placer.ai Office Index, with December office traffic down just 10.9% from 2019. Dallas has also surpassed New York City in office attendance recovery, coming in at 18.8% below 2019 numbers, while New York trails closely at a 19.6% drop. Chicago and San Francisco are lagging but are showing improvements, with San Francisco posting an 18% year-over-year uptick in visits—the highest growth among major office markets.

Dallas surpassed New York City in office attendance recovery in December 2025, while Miami continued to lead all major metros. Chart courtesy of Placer.ai

San Francisco posted the highest year-over-year growth in office visits for December 2025, followed by Dallas and Boston. Chart courtesy of Placer.ai

What’s Next

As companies raise expectations for on-site presence, experts forecast that time spent in the office will continue to rise through 2026. The Placer.ai Office Index, which surveys foot traffic in roughly 1,300 US office buildings, indicates that office recovery trends are poised for further gains, particularly in leading markets like Miami, Dallas, and San Francisco.