Colliers Report: Columbia Industrial Market Q4 2025

Colliers | South Carolina Market Report

Record absorption creates critical Class A inventory shortage

Market Highlights

The Columbia market experienced record absorption at 1,475,793 square feet as manufacturers led the charge, capping a year of sharply growing, multifaceted demand. Intense user interest in the market has met severe inventory limitations, leaving Class A vacancy at 1.98% to close the year. This intersection of new baseline demand and supply has produced a steep climb in rents for Class A space, up 17% year-over-year. Automotive, aerospace and pharmaceutical users are all active in the market, drawn by a well-aligned and rapidly growing labor force providing enough excess capacity to supply new employers as well as supply chain opportunities for Scout Motors.

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Key Takeaways

• A record 1.5M square feet of net absorption is part of a still-building demand wave driving big-box rent growth to 17% YoY
• With Class A vacancy at 1.98%, representing fewer than 300,000 square feet, an extreme space crunch will position immediate speculative starts favorably
• All 4.7 million square feet of active construction will deliver occupied, providing little relief for new requirements.

About Colliers

Colliers | South Carolina is the largest full-service commercial real estate firm in South Carolina with 225 real estate professionals covering the state with locations in Charleston, Columbia, Greenville and Spartanburg. Colliers is an Accredited Management Organization (AMO) through the Institute of Real Estate Management (IREM) and is the largest manager of commercial real estate properties in South Carolina with a portfolio of over 31 million square feet of office, industrial, retail and healthcare properties. Colliers’ staff hold the most professional designations of any firm in South Carolina. Colliers | South Carolina’s partner, LCK, provides project management services for new facilities and renovations across South Carolina.

Colliers is a global diversified professional services and investment management company. Operating through three industry-leading platforms – Real Estate Services, Engineering and Investment Management – we have a proven business model, an enterprising culture and a unique partnership philosophy that drives growth and value creation. With $5.5 billion in annual revenues, a team of 24,000 professionals, and $108 billion in assets under management, Colliers remains committed to accelerating the success of our clients, investors, and people worldwide. Learn more at corporate.colliers.com, X @Colliers or LinkedIn.