Manhattan Office Market Report Q1 2026

Manhattan's office market in the first quarter of 2026 showed significant improvement, with available space declining for eight consecutive quarters to 14.6% from 19.5%, leasing activity reaching 12.9 MSF—the highest since Q4 2019—and overall asking rents growing to $78.25 per square foot, though remaining 4.2% below pre-pandemic levels. Tech and media sector requirements hit a decade-high of 8.8 MSF with artificial intelligence firms representing 22.1% of that demand, while office-using employment remained below December 2024 peaks as unemployment rose to 5.5% amid economic uncertainty.