Office Occupancy Rates Drop to 81.8%

Office occupancy rates in the United States and Canada have fallen to 81.8% at mid-year from 83.1% a year ago, a building owners association said today.

The mid-year survey by the Building Owners and Managers Assn. International also showed an increase in suburban occupancy rates, apparently at the expense of downtown office markets.

The association’s North American office market review reported an 0.9% decline in downtown occupancy rates to 84.9%, while suburban occupancy rates gained 0.3% to 79.3%.