Warehouse space in the Inland Empire filled up in the second quarter of 2026, according to CBRE’s Inland Empire industrial figures published on July 9. Vacancy in the Inland Empire core market fell 40 basis points from the previous quarter to 7.4%. New leasing activity reached 15.5 million sq. ft., which CBRE described as a new high: 12% above the 13.9 million sq. ft. leased in the first quarter and 41.7% above the 10.9 million sq. ft. leased in the second quarter of 2025.
Both halves of the market improved. Vacancy in the Inland Empire West fell 60 basis points to 5.9%, and vacancy in the Inland Empire East fell 30 basis points to 9.0%. CBRE summed up the quarter this way: “Vacancy falls and net absorption rebounds as new leasing activity surges to new high.”
Rents have not followed yet. Asking lease rates in the core market averaged $1.08 per sq. ft. per month on a triple-net basis, and taking rates fell by $0.03, or 2.8%, from the previous quarter. New supply is limited: 1.2 million sq. ft. was delivered in the quarter and 3.5 million sq. ft. broke ground, leaving 6.2 million sq. ft. under construction, 41.3% less than a year ago.
What it means for shippers
- More occupied buildings mean more freight in and out. Every newly leased warehouse has to be stocked and then shipped from. Plan for busier docks and longer waits for delivery appointments at Inland Empire distribution centers, especially ahead of the holiday season.
- Book appointments early and confirm them. A missed dock appointment at a busy facility can push a delivery back by days. Send appointment numbers and receiving hours to your carrier with the pickup request.
- If you are moving into new space, plan the transfer as a freight project. Moving inventory between buildings takes scheduled trucks, a loading plan and labor on both ends. Decide what moves as full truckloads and what moves as smaller LTL lots.
- The window for choosing space may be narrowing. Rents were still soft in this report, but the construction pipeline is well below last year’s. Companies weighing a lease or renewal should talk to their real estate broker; the figures can change from quarter to quarter.
These are one brokerage’s figures for one quarter. Other firms define the market differently and publish different numbers, so treat the direction as the main message: less empty space, more leasing, fewer new buildings on the way.
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Image: Axisadman, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0).
