If the first half of 2026 was about coworking holding its ground, the third quarter was about where it chose to plant new flags. U.S. coworking inventory grew 2.4% in Q3, from 9,384 to 9,612 locations — a net gain of 228 spaces — while total footprint rose 1.2% to 168.36 million square feet. Growth, however, didn’t stop, and more of it happened away from the country’s flagship metros.

Smaller Markets, Bigger Gains: How Growth Is Spreading Beyond the Top 50

Nationwide, the number of active coworking locations rose from 9,384 in Q2 to 9,612 by the end of Q3 2026 — a 2.4% quarter-over-quarter increase. Total allocated coworking square footage grew at roughly half that pace, climbing 1.2% from 166.36 million to 168.36 million square feet.

That’s been the slow-building story all year. National location growth slipped from 3.2% in Q1 to 2.7% in Q2, and now to 2.4% in Q3. Square footage followed the same arc, easing from 2.9% to 1.5% to 1.2%. Meanwhile, coworking’s slice of the broader office market inched up again: flexible workspace now accounts for approximately 2.5% of total office inventory across the markets we track, up from 2.34% in Q2 and 2.28% in Q1. Granted, that’s a modest share — but it’s one that has grown every single quarter this year.

Growth in Q3 wasn’t limited to the largest flex hubs, as markets outside the top 50 also saw their coworking footprint expand. Even so, the top 50 still dominate in absolute terms, holding 77% of all U.S. coworking locations and 86% of total square footage. Smaller markets are worth watching in the quarters ahead, but for now, the national coworking footprint remains firmly anchored in its biggest metros.

Breaking down the top 50 markets by region, the South continues to hold the largest share of coworking real estate, with 18 markets accounting for 33.7% of top-50 markets’ total square footage (48.81 million square feet) and 36.4% of locations. Its growth this quarter, however, was nearly flat in terms of space (0.1%), even as location count rose 1.9%. The West was the clear growth engine of Q3: its 14 markets added 72 locations (up 3.5%) and grew their combined footprint by 1.6% to 40.22 million square feet — the strongest regional performance on both counts, with the Bay Area, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Portland all contributing meaningfully.

The Midwest posted steady, if quieter, gains, as locations rose 2.1% and square footage edged up 0.5% to 22.71 million. The Northeast, meanwhile, was the only region to lose space, with square footage slipping 0.6% to 33.22 million — largely due to contractions in Manhattan and Pittsburgh — even as it added 15 locations overall.

Read more at https://www.coworkingcafe.com/blog/national-coworking-report/