Coworking Trends

S. markets. “Coworking represents a small yet growing segment of the office market,” the report says, noting that that 20 markets contain more than 1,100 coworking space encompassing almost 27 million square feet of space.

Yardi Matrix has completed the first report that quantifies the amount of office space dedicated to coworking in office buildings with 50,000 square feet or more in 20 large U.S. markets.

“Coworking represents a small yet growing segment of the office market,” the report says, noting that that 20 markets contain more than 1,100 coworking space encompassing almost 27 million square feet of space.  This total represents 1.2% of the total office space in those markets.

Shared workspace originated in the 1990s to provide space for self-employed workers and employees traveling or working remotely. The practice expanded after the Great Recession, driven by a growing gig economy, cost-cutting strategies and other factors. Today, the report says, “coworking represents a small yet growing segment of the office market” that helps companies accommodate remote employees, attract talent, promote work satisfaction and reduce leasing costs.

Eleven of the 20 metros in the Yardi Matrix study have more than 1 million square feet of coworking space for lease, led by Manhattan, N.Y., with 7.65 million square feet in 245 spaces and the Los Angeles office space market with 3.7 million square feet of coworking space in 158 locations.

Nine other metros have at least 1 million square feet dedicated to coworking. Miami has the most coworking space as a percentage of total stock, at 2.7%.

“Demand is high in markets with concentrations of knowledge workers—especially IT but also new media or industries such as biotechnology and telecommunications—that are friendly to startups [and] in metros where space is at a premium,” the report says, and lower in metros such as Dallas and Houston that have low barriers to construction and high vacancy rates.  The practice is more prevalent in urban settings due to the concentration of workers there and the tendency of startups to proliferate in cities.

Key risks of coworking to landlords includes maintain revenue during a downturn, short-term leases that lack the protection of long-term commitments, and small firms and entrepreneurs who might opt to work from home when budgets are squeezed.  “The industry has grown during the long economic recovery and certainly will be tested the next time the economy hits a bump,” the report says.  However, it continues, “over time, the industry is likely to develop its model to be able to survive recessions and changes in business operational trends.”

Last year, Yardi acquired WUN Systems, a workspace management platform provider, to help real estate companies leverage shared workspace for improved revenue and customer retention.

View the full Yardi Matrix report, titled “Shared Space: Coworking’s Rising Star.”

 

SHARE POST

Facebook LinkedIN

AUTHOR

Joel Nelson, senior marketing writer, joined Yardi in 2007. His byline has appeared in New York Real Estate Journal, Canadian Property Management and Los Angeles Lawyer, among others. He has won multiple awards from major professional organizations including the International Association of Business Communicators and Public Communicators of Los Angeles. Joel earned a bachelor’s degree from Pomona College.

Recent articles

YASC San Diego 2026 spotlights Virtuoso & AI Agents

YASC San Diego 2026, the biggest-ever Yardi Advanced Solutions Conference, brought together roughly 6,500 attendees from about 1,200 real estate organizations and Yardi experts for three days to exchange ideas and explore products.

An image containing the Yardi Voyager logo and the text "11 questions answered" next to an empty speech bubble with light blue and grey tones.

The 11 Yardi Voyager Residential questions property managers ask most

Yardi Voyager Residential is the residential edition of Yardi Voyager, a cloud-based property management platform that runs accounting, leasing, operations and reporting on a single database for multifamily, affordable housing, senior living, student housing, HOA and build-to-rent portfolios. This guide answers the 11 questions property managers ask most before adopting it.

Welcome to the Yardi Senior CRM Road Show: Lessons, learning and more in six cities

Senior living CRM tips from operators on the road

Four senior living operators share CRM tips and results from the Yardi Senior CRM Road Show. See what they learned and get the free white paper.

10 / 30 / 26