Ground-level data suggests that return-to-office (RTO) policies have been effective at pushing sector visits higher nationwide. Office visits last month were 32.2% below March 2019 levels, which still represents a year-over-year improvement, according to the Placer.ai Nationwide Office Building Index, which analyzes foot traffic data from more than 1,000 office buildings across the country.

RTO mandates have been on the rise across the country, with the federal and local governments introducing stricter in-person work requirements and a growing number of corporations demanding that this happens on a full-time basis, said a Placer.ai analysis. March 2025 office visit levels didn’t match the peaks recorded in October 2023 and July 2024, but it ranked as the second-busiest in-office month since the pandemic, said the report. This reversed declining office visit numbers in January and February, which had industry observers wondering if the market had stalled. Instead, Placer.ai said the lower office attendance earlier in the year may have been due to temporary factors like weather.

New York and Miami continue to lead the office recovery trend nationwide. Visits to New York City buildings in March were only 11.4% below pre-pandemic levels, while Miami's were 17.3% below pre-pandemic levels. This compares with the national office visit average of 32.2% below 2019 levels. Atlanta, Washington, D.C., Dallas and Houston all outperformed the national average as well. San Francisco and Chicago tied for last place, both with visits 44.6% below 2019 levels.