Office attendance improved across most major U.S. markets in February, marking the strongest in-office February since the pandemic even as severe winter weather disrupted activity in parts of the Northeast.
According to Placer.ai's nationwide office building index, the post-pandemic visit gap narrowed to 31.9% below February 2019 levels, improving from 35.7% in February 2025. Nationwide office visits were also 6% higher than a year earlier, despite February 2024 benefiting from an extra business day due to the leap year.
The gains come as the labor market remains tight and more employers push for in-person work. A growing number of companies are requiring employees to return to the office, with some mandating five days per week.
While February delivered the strongest showing for the month since the pandemic, Placer.ai noted that it did not represent the most significant return-to-office surge seen in recent months.
"February's performance underscores a familiar pattern of month-to-month fluctuation, even as the broader RTO trajectory continues its upward climb," the firm said.
Regional conditions played a major role in shaping performance. A late-February blizzard disrupted activity across the Northeast, contributing to a year-over-year decline in New York City office visits. Manhattan's recovery gap widened to 21.3% below 2019 levels, while Boston visits remained flat year over year after heavy snowfall.
Outside the region, most markets posted solid gains. San Francisco recorded one of the strongest increases, with visits rising 11.9% year over year as the market continues to benefit from AI-driven hiring and renewed tech-sector activity.
Several Sun Belt and growth markets also showed strong performance. Atlanta visits increased 9.9% year over year, Dallas rose 9.3%, and Miami climbed 8.2%. Denver posted a 10.7% gain, while Los Angeles saw visits increase 8.5% compared with February 2025.
Despite the recent progress, office utilization remains well below pre-pandemic levels. Nationwide visits are still nearly one-third below February 2019 levels, though the steady improvement over the past several years highlights the gradual return of workers to office buildings.
Historical data illustrates the trajectory. The February office visit gap stood at 83.5% below 2019 levels in 2021, improving to 65% in 2022, 44.6% in 2023 and 32.6% in 2024 before reaching 31.9% in 2026.
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