Newmark Zimmer’s Kansas City market reports provide a comprehensive overview of current real estate conditions by sector and submarket. Newmark Zimmer is constantly monitoring market indicators, tracking and analyzing supply and demand drivers, cyclical patterns and industry trends. The following quarterly research data examines the multifaceted Kansas City commercial real estate market.
The industrial market recorded 1.2 MSF of positive net absorption in third-quarter 2025, following up the second-highest quarterly absorption total in the market’s recorded history (7.5 MSF) in first-quarter 2025. Robust leasing activity was ongoing in late second-quarter and continued in third-quarter 2025. Steady demand and a slowing speculative construction pipeline drove vacancy down 50 basis points year over year to 4.9%. Of the 6.1 MSF construction pipeline, more than 4.8 MSF (80%) is currently dedicated to build-to-suit projects including Panasonic’s 2.35 MSF, Amazon’s 630,000 SF and Church & Dwight’s 553,000-SF distribution center. Upon fully leasing Building 5, VanTrust has commenced construction on Raymore Commerce Center 4, a 577,500-SF facility which will be built on a speculative basis.
The office market recorded 67,924 SF of net absorption during the quarter, bringing the four-quarter total to 1.1 million SF. This marks the fifth consecutive quarter of positive absorption, driven by tenants capitalizing on favorable leasing conditions. The non-owner-occupied construction pipeline has remained inactive since the fourth quarter of 2018, with just 84,500 SF currently under construction. Vacancy remained flat at 16.2% but is expected to trend downwards to 15.8% as the market stabilizes and Class A product continues to experience strong leasing momentum. Asking rental rates increased $0.46 to $23.42/SF in the quarter, approaching a new record high.
Kansas City continues to outperform regional and national retail benchmarks as leasing activity exceeded new deliveries by more than eight-to-one during the past year. Occupancy levels of 95.9% combined with a 1.8% year-over-year rent increase reflect solid tenant demand and limited new supply. Retail investment volume for all-sized deals topped $773 million over the past 12 months, a 26.6% increase year-over-year, with sustained activity in core infill areas and community shopping centers. Leasing velocity remains robust across both national brands and local operators, with many tenants locking in terms of further tariff-induced price increases.
The pace of investment activity in the Kansas City market increased during the past four quarters, with sales volume totaling $3.3 billion, nearly double sales volume from this period a year prior. As a leading second-tier market, the Kansas City Metropolitan area ranked fifth out of the largest 13 Midwest markets in total sales volume during the past 12 months, with multifamily and industrial assets combining 66.9% of the Metro’s activity. Capitalization rates increased by eight basis points compared with the past 12 months, registering 6.7% in the third quarter of 2025.
For a more detailed view of the industrial, office, retail and investment commercial real estate markets, please visit the research section of Newmark Zimmer’s website. Additionally, national reports and market insights are available online through Newmark.
