Avison Young’s Office Busyness Index shows that DC’s office utilization (office attendance as a percentage of the same month’s attendance in 2019) climbed to 82.9% in March 2026 – the highest level since 2019 and slightly surpassing Q1 2024’s peak of 82.6%. Once rivaling Manhattan for the top spot, the District’s rebound reflects increasingly consistent return-to-office (RTO) efforts that are driving a meaningful resurgence in office attendance toward pre-pandemic highs.
Further fueling the District’s momentum is the Southwest’s Wharf district where modern, mixed-used, placemaking approach has attracted residents, office tenants, and retailers, cultivating a vibrant destination in the city. Office utilization in the Southwest district reached 146.7% compared to March 2019 levels, making it DC’s busiest office submarkets by a wide margin, followed by Capitol Hill and the West End, both at 99.7% busyness.
As Trophy and Class A properties remain increasingly competitive in the leasing landscape, office utilization is expected to continue its steady recovery toward pre-pandemic norms. Continued investor activity in the District further signals strong underlying demand for office space, with momentum building as investments accelerate in the latter half of the 2020s.