Open for business
More than one-third of Austin workers are back in the office, says report
So much for that everybody-working-from-home thing. New data shows Austin workers have headed back to the office in greater numbers than most other major U.S. metros.
Figures from Kastle Systems, a provider of security services for buildings, shows Austin ranks third for back-to-the-office activity, with a 34.5 percent occupancy rate as of October 28.
To assess office occupancy habits since pandemic lockdowns went into effect, Kastle Systems has been examining keycard, fob, and app data from 3,600 buildings and 41,000 businesses in 138 cities. Its weekly back-to-the-office barometer reflects access activity in Austin and nine other major metros:
- Dallas
- Houston
- New York City
- Los Angeles
- Chicago
- Philadelphia
- Washington, D.C.
- San Francisco
- San Jose, California
Meanwhile, 41.2 percent of workers in Dallas-Fort Worth were at the office as of October 28 compared with pre-pandemic levels. By comparison, Kastle Systems’ 10-metro average was 27.4 percent. Kastle says this data makes Dallas-Fort Worth the “most open” place among the 10 metros.
Rounding out the top 5 is Los Angeles in the fourth spot with 33.9 percent of workers back in the office and Philadelphia at No. 5 with 27.6 percent. In last place among the 10 metros is New York City, where the occupancy rate was 16.9 percent.
