U.S. Lab Availability Declines for First Time in Years

After four years of unprecedented decline, the U.S. life sciences real estate market has bottomed out and begun to recover, JLL reported Tuesday. Lab availability has dropped by two million square feet since mid-2025, a time period that included the largest quarterly decline in a decade, as equity markets warm to biotech, capital flows back into the sector and tenant demand stabilizes across top markets.

However, the sector faces a long road ahead. A flight to quality represents increased challenges for older properties. Buildings completed since the beginning of 2020 have shed 2.6 million square feet of availability over the past nine months, while pre-2000 inventory has added 700,000 square feet back to the market during that time. Meanwhile, a new trend is emerging as AI, robotics and “tough tech” companies increasingly occupy lab buildings.

“After years of oversupply weighing on the sector, we’re finally seeing clear signs that the worst is behind us,” said Travis McCready, head of life sciences, Americas markets and chair of JLL’s Global Life Sciences Advisory Board. “The market’s defining challenge is no longer demand – it is supply.”