Updated
Updated · ROI-NJ.com · Jul 16
North, Central New Jersey Office Vacancy Falls to 25% as Absorption Tops 1.2 Million Square Feet
Updated
Updated · ROI-NJ.com · Jul 16

North, Central New Jersey Office Vacancy Falls to 25% as Absorption Tops 1.2 Million Square Feet

1 articles · Updated · ROI-NJ.com · Jul 16

Summary

  • A 40-basis-point drop left Northern and Central New Jersey office vacancy at 25% in mid-2026, the market’s lowest level since year-end 2022.
  • 704,150 square feet of second-quarter net absorption extended the market’s positive streak to five quarters and lifted year-to-date absorption above 1.2 million square feet.
  • 1.3 million square feet of office transactions closed in the second quarter, driven mostly by smaller leases; PNC Bank’s 91,915-square-foot renewal in East Brunswick was the largest deal.
  • 5.2 million square feet of sublease space remained at mid-2026, down from nearly 7.9 million in mid-2023 as higher-end space was leased or pulled from the market.
  • 13.5% direct vacancy in Premier Class A buildings versus 27.1% for the rest of Class A points to continued flight-to-quality and further pressure on vacancy and rents.

Insights

With premium offices thriving, is the rest of New Jersey's commercial real estate facing an inevitable collapse?
As vacant offices become luxury housing, will this trend solve New Jersey’s affordability crisis or deepen it?