San Francisco Office Market Report - Q1 2026

The San Francisco office market showed improving fundamentals in first quarter 2026, with leasing activity totaling 3.4 million square feet—the sixth consecutive quarter exceeding 2.0 million square feet—and net absorption of 855,000 square feet representing the strongest total since 2019, though overall vacancy remained elevated at 28 percent and asking rents increased 3.4 percent year-over-year to $48.70 per square foot. High-profile tenant expansions by AI-focused firms including OpenAI's 222,000-square-foot lease and Anthropic's combined 626,000 square feet across three properties demonstrated confidence in San Francisco as an innovation center, while demand concentrated in newer, well-located buildings with amenities reinforced a widening performance gap between high-quality and older inventory.