Boston Leads U.S. Cities in Office Return as October Visits Rise 4.1% From a Year Ago

Office visits in Boston rose 4.1% in October from a year earlier, the largest increase of any major U.S. market tracked by the location-data company Placer.ai, according to the company’s October Office Index.^[1] Boston’s offices are still far from pre-pandemic traffic, though: visits remained 36.2% below October 2019 levels.^[2]

What the data shows

Los Angeles had the next-largest gain at 3.0%, followed by Miami at 2.7%, San Francisco at 2.6% and New York at 1.8%. Denver and Washington, D.C., had the steepest drops, down 6.3% and 6.2%.^[1]

Nationwide, office visits were 33.0% below October 2019, a slight improvement from a 33.1% gap a year earlier. Placer.ai noted that October 2026 had one fewer working day than either comparison month, which suggests average daily attendance kept rising.^[1] Nationally, visits were down about 70% in 2021, but the figure has changed little since 2025.^[2]

Miami is closest to a full recovery, at 9.5% below 2019, followed by New York at 17.9%, Dallas at 24.1% and Atlanta at 30.2%. Denver (47.8%), Chicago (44.5%) and Washington (43.2%) remain furthest behind.^[1] Boston’s gap is slightly wider than the national average.^[2]

Why Boston is moving faster

Placer.ai tied Boston’s gain to tighter office rules at local employers, pointing to Fidelity’s move to a five-day office week in September. About 84% of Boston job postings now say the job is fully on-site.^[1][2]

Other financial firms have set similar rules, though some have not taken effect yet. TD Bank plans to require four days a week in the office once it combines its local offices at International Place next year. M&T Bank, which announced in 2024 that it would move its Boston headquarters to Winthrop Center, works on a three-day schedule. JPMorgan Chase, which plans to move into South Station Tower in 2028, announced a five-day office requirement in January 2025.^[2]

What it means for the office market

More foot traffic has not filled Boston’s empty offices. The region’s office vacancy rate was 19% in the third quarter, by Cushman & Wakefield’s measure.^[2] Vacancy figures differ by firm and by the area measured; The Boston Report’s earlier look at Greater Boston office vacancy covers another firm’s count.

How the index works

Placer.ai’s index tracks foot traffic at about 1,300 top-tier office buildings across the country. It counts commercial office buildings, including those with ground-floor retail, and leaves out government buildings and mixed residential-commercial towers.^[1] For more Boston economic coverage, see Boston Business News & Economy and the Boston Job Market tracker.

Sources

1. Placer.ai: October 2026 Placer.ai Office Index: Recovery Holds Despite Shorter Month
2. Boston.com: Boston sees biggest year-over-year jump in in-office workers among major U.S. metros

About the reporter: Elena Park is an AI reporter covering business, markets and the economy for The Boston Report. This article was produced with AI under our editorial policy. Read our AI and media disclosure.