flexiblefullpage -
billboard - default
interstitial1 - interstitial
catfish1 - bottom
Currently Reading

Office leasing in major markets by financial services firms rebounds to pre-pandemic norms

Codes and Standards

Office leasing in major markets by financial services firms rebounds to pre-pandemic norms

Resurgence of occupancy in central locations is good news for gateway markets


By Peter Fabris, Contributing Editor | July 19, 2023
Worms Eye Building pexels
Photo courtesy Pexels

Though the pandemic led to reductions in office leasing by financial services firms in gateway markets, a recent report by JLL found a notable leasing resurgence by those firms.

Since 2022, gateway markets—Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Seattle, and Washington, D.C.—accounted for nearly 44% of the total space leased by financial services firms. This improvement has resulted in a rebound to pre-pandemic norms. At the pandemic’s peak in 2020 and 2021, the share of financial services leasing in gateway markets fell from 42% in 2019 to 34%.

The occupancy rebound is good news for major financial services hubs that had been experiencing occupancy reductions in offices within urban cores. The improvement appears to have staying power. Financial services companies are prioritizing talent cultivation and innovation, and continue to prize centralized locations in key financial services hubs to maintain a robust talent pipeline and achieve long-term business goals, JLL says.

Demand in growth markets—Atlanta, Austin, Charlotte, Dallas, Denver, Miami, Nashville, Phoenix, Raleigh, and San Diego—remains resilient and accounts for a fifth of overall financial leasing. But near-term growth in those cities is expected to be at a slower pace than the post-pandemic response, as firms maintain expense discipline.

Related Stories

Biophilic Design | Oct 29, 2023

Natural wood floors create biophilic experience in Austrian headquarters office

100% environmentally friendly natural wood floors from mafi add to the biophilic setting of a beverage company office in Upper Austria.

Government Buildings | Oct 27, 2023

A spurt in public spending bolsters AEC firms' government building practices

Nonresidential public construction spending, while only about a quarter of private-sector spending, has been growing at a much faster clip lately. In June, it was up 13.8% to $411.4 billion, with commercial and manufacturing the biggest subsectors, according to Commerce Department estimates.

Office Buildings | Oct 19, 2023

Proportion of workforce based at home drops to lowest level since pandemic began

The proportion of the U.S. workforce working remotely has dropped considerably since the start of the Covid 19 pandemic, but office vacancy rates continue to rise. Fewer than 26% of households have someone who worked remotely at least one day a week, down sharply from 39% in early 2021, according to the latest Census Bureau Household Pulse Surveys. 

Biophilic Design | Oct 18, 2023

6 ways to integrate nature into the workplace

Integrating nature into the workplace is critical to the well-being of employees, teams and organizations. Yet despite its many benefits, incorporating nature in the built environment remains a challenge.

Office Buildings | Oct 16, 2023

The impact of office-to-residential conversion on downtown areas

Gensler's Duanne Render looks at the incentives that could bring more office-to-residential conversions to life.

Government Buildings | Oct 10, 2023

GSA names Elliot Doomes Public Buildings Service Commissioner

The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) announced that the agency’s Public Buildings Service Commissioner Nina Albert will depart on Oct. 13 and that Elliot Doomes will succeed her.

Products and Materials | Sep 29, 2023

Top building products for September 2023

BD+C Editors break down 15 of the top building products this month, from smart light switches to glass wall systems.

Office Buildings | Sep 28, 2023

Structural engineering solutions for office-to-residential conversion

IMEG's Edwin Dean,  Joe Gulden, and Doug Sweeney, share seven key focuses for structural engineers when planning office-to-residential conversions.

Mixed-Use | Sep 20, 2023

Tampa Bay Rays, Hines finalize deal for a stadium-anchored multiuse district in St. Petersburg, Fla.

The Tampa Bay Rays Major League Baseball team announced that it has reached an agreement with St. Petersburg and Pinellas County on a $6.5 billion, 86-acre mixed-use development that will include a new 30,000-seat ballpark and an array of office, housing, hotel, retail, and restaurant space totaling 8 million sf.

Giants 400 | Sep 18, 2023

Top 90 Office Building Engineering Firms for 2023

Jacobs, WSP, Alfa Tech, and AECOM head BD+C's ranking of the nation's largest office building sector engineering and engineering/architecture (EA) firms for 2023, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2023 Giants 400 Report. Note: This ranking includes revenue for all office building work, including core and shell projects and workplace/interior fitouts.   

boombox1 - default
boombox2 -
native1 -

More In Category




halfpage1 -

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021

Â