Hybrid work patterns reveal occupancy varies throughout the week with Tuesdays typically being the highest day of the week and Fridays being the lowest. The chart below tracks Tuesday occupancy over time in ten cities and provides a new dimension to the weekly Barometer report. The Peak Day Hybrid Index will now be published weekly, offering a wider aperture into the full picture of workplace occupancy.
Get Weekly UpdatesYou can now track the Return to Work Barometer on the Bloomberg Terminal, available under {ALLX KASL<GO>}
Class A+ Occupancy
The occupancy gap between A+ Class office buildings and all office buildings narrowed slightly this past week, as average occupancy in A+ Class buildings returned to pre-Thanksgiving Day levels (78.8%), while among all office buildings occupancy shot up to 56.3%, the highest weekly average since the pandemic. Peak occupancy took place on Tuesday, when A+ Class buildings hit 95.5% occupancy, while all office buildings hit 66.0% (a single day record).
Peak Day
Office occupancy reached a new single-day post-pandemic record this past Tuesday, 66.0%, a rise of three points over the week prior. Washington DC also reached a post-pandemic high that Tuesday, 64.3%. On Wednesday, Austin TX hit its record high, 92.9%, more than five points higher than the Wednesday prior, and a full two points higher than the prior record set Nov. 5.
Weekly Average
Workers returned to the office in record numbers this past week, with the 10-City Back to Work Barometer hitting 56.3% occupancy, half a point increase over the prior record set in mid-November. Austin TX (77.7%) and New York (59.5%) also reached record highs.
Methodology
To provide some clarity on the issues facing American businesses, Kastle has been studying keycard, fob and KastlePresence app access data from the 2,600 buildings and 41,000 businesses we secure across 47 states. We’re analyzing the anonymized data to identify trends in how Americans are returning to the office.
We have tracked and published U.S. office occupancy status in Kastle-secured commercial properties since the beginning of the Covid crisis in early 2020. We continue to seek to help companies navigate the ever-changing workplace landscape and adjust to the ‘new normal’ of office occupancy. Whether full-time hybrid or in-person, our commitment remains to helping American businesses understand how average workplaces are being attended weekly, monthly, and annually.
Kastle’s reach of buildings, businesses and cardholders secured generates millions of access events daily as users enter office complexes, and individual company workspaces. The Barometer weekly report summarizes access control data among our business partners in ten major metro areas, not a national statistical sample. Charted percentages reflect unique authorized user entries in each market relative to a pre-COVID baseline, averaged weekly.*
*On March 22, 2021, Kastle moved from daily to weekly data reporting to provide a more robust and comprehensive picture of office occupancy. We have also recalculated data back to the start of the time series for consistency. This has only a marginal impact on most cities and the national average.
Click here for more information about the Barometer methodology and FAQ
Ready to make your property smarter and more secure? Connect with Kastle's experts to find the perfect solution tailored to your needs.
Workplace Occupancy Barometer
Legal Occupancy Barometer
Barometer Data Science