Mapping the federal footprint: Locating the U.S. government’s leased square footage

graph of active General Service Administration lease agreements outside the D.C. area in U.S. markets by leased square feet compared to average FS annual rent
  • As of December 2024, the General Service Administration (GSA) provided the latest disclosure on real estate leased by the federal government, totaling 173 million square feet (msf) across the country.
  • The largest portion of this leased square footage, approximately 43 msf—25% of the total—is located within the Washington, D.C. area, including parts of Northern Virginia and Suburban Maryland.
  • However, most of the space leased by the federal government is located in 20 other cities outside the U.S. capital with large footprints exceeding 1 msf.
  • Given the substantial leasing footprint in these key markets, the impact of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and the federal government’s real estate strategy could potentially change drastically in the coming months. Understanding this constantly evolving strategy and the federal agencies involved will be key in assessing the exposure a market or asset has moving forward.

February 28, 2025

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