Office busyness in MSP: is this new normal here to stay?
- According to Avison Young’s Office Busyness Index, office busyness in both the Minneapolis – St. Paul (MSP) market and the U.S. overall has increased year-over-year since April 2020. From April 2020 to April 2025, MSP’s busyness rose from 10.7% to 50.6% of pre-COVID (2019) levels, while the U.S. overall climbed from 10.2% to 64.7%.
- Despite consistent annual gains, the pace of recovery has slowed significantly. Between April 2024 and April 2025, MSP saw only a 0.6% increase, and the U.S. overall just 3.6%. In the MSP market, office busyness appears to be plateauing at around half of pre-pandemic levels, while the U.S. overall is stabilizing closer to two-thirds.
- The continued, albeit slowing, growth in office activity is an encouraging sign of stabilized return-to-office policies and occupier confidence in lease commitments. However, the diminishing impact of year-over-year gains suggests that current busyness levels—around 50% of 2019 activity in MSP and 65% nationally—may be representative of the new post-pandemic normalcy.
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