Manhattan’s leasing volume decreased since the previous quarter. Meanwhile, the asking rent average dropped with more supply and negative absorption.
The arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic drove New York City’s unemployment rate from 4.0% in March 2020 to a record-high 20.4% three months later. Since June, the unemployment rate tightened for five consecutive months, decreasing by 8.6 pp (percentage points) to 11.8% in November. However, the November 2020 unemployment rate was still more than triple the rate one year ago (3.4%).
Lowest Yearly Leasing Volume So Far This Century
Manhattan leasing volume decreased by 13.4%, quarter-over-quarter. At 4.16 million square feet, 4Q 2020 leasing volume was two-thirds lower than the volume recorded in 4Q 2019 (13.17 million square feet).3 Furthermore, leasing activity during the fourth quarter was 52.2% below the five-year rolling average (8.71 million square feet) and 49.3% below the ten-year average (8.20 million square feet). Additionally, full-year leasing volume (18.97 million square feet) decreased by 55.9% since 2019. Manhattan’s 2020 leasing volume was the lowest post-2000 activity on record.