For most countries, 2022 saw an end to the restrictions of the pandemic alongside a rise in the number of freelance workers and requests by employers for their staff to return to the office.
This mixed bag of factors resulted in 2022 being a very active year for coworking operators, with many adapting to a variety of business models and services and announcing plans to open up new locations in 2023.
In December 2022, CoworkingCafe put together its annual list of the largest players in the U.S. coworking office market based on total number of locations. Below is a breakdown of the top five operators in the U.S.
1. Regus
With approximately 3,000 locations across the globe, Regus holds the largest share of the coworking market. Owned by IWG, Regus currently operates 832 coworking locations in the U.S. and is three times the size of WeWork. With its headquarters in Luxembourg and its decades of experience in the coworking market (established in 1989), Regus operates at a global scale and outperforms many of its competitors as a trusted professional workspace provider. In the U.S., they are mostly focused in the Northeast, with 100 locations in New York City and the wider Tri-state area.
2. WeWork
Although WeWork recently announced it would be terminating 40 U.S. leases as part of a consolidation strategy by the end of 2022, the company is still runner-up in CoworkingCafe’s ranking. With a 700-strong global portfolio, WeWork has a massive American footprint with 246 coworking locations in the U.S., including 70 locations in Manhattan alone. Unlike Regus, WeWork has a more even coverage of the West Coast, with a strong presence in the Bay Area that includes 22 locations in Downtown San Francisco, Oakland, and Silicon Valley.
3. Industrious
Founded in 2013 and based in New York, Industrious currently operates 135 coworking locations in 40 U.S. cities. The brand also has an impressive international portfolio, with locations in Europe, UK, Canada, and Asia. Over half of Industrious’ locations are based along the East Coast in the U.S., though it also has major hubs in Florida and Atlanta.
4. Spaces
Established in 2008 with its headquarters in Luxembourg, Spaces by IWG has 466 coworking locations in more than 50 countries in Europe, Africa, the Americas, Asia, and the Pacific. Spaces has 117 coworking locations in the U.S., earning the brand fourth place in CoworkingCafe’s national ranking. The bulk of Spaces’ coverage is in Southern California and the Bay Area, with a total of 29 spaces, making the brand a direct competitor of WeWork.
5. Premier Workspaces
Established in 2002 and formerly known as Premier Business Centers, Premier Workspaces manages 87 coworking locations in the U.S., continuing their growth strategy of repositioning distressed locations. In 2021, the company announced an ambitious, long-term plan to take over 100 distressed locations backed by real estate investment company The Bascom Group. Premier Workspaces’ core focus is in Southern California and the Los Angeles Metropolitan Area, although they also manage many spaces on the East Coast and throughout the Midwest.
It will be these impressive players at the forefront of the sector over the next 12 months, with the profits they make and the trends they set determining the continued expansion of the coworking market in 2023.
