Space Per Employee Calculator

Work out space per employee instantly with clear inputs, formula shown and shareable results.

About Space Per Employee Calculator

Area per employee is the headline workplace density metric. Traditional cellular offices ran at 200-250 square feet per person, open plan at 120-150, and activity-based working with desk sharing at 70-100. Comparing actual density with the target shows how much space is surplus, which is usually the largest single property saving available.

Formulas

Density

Area per employee = usable area / headcount

Capacity

Headcount supported = usable area / target area per person

Worked example

With the default values below, Space Per Employee Calculator returns Area per employee of 133.33. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.

Inputs used

Usable office areaminimum 0.1 ft²: 12,000 ft²
Headcountminimum 1: 90
Target area per personminimum 1 ft²: 100 ft²

Results

Area per employee: 133.33 ft²
Area needed at the target: 9,000 ft²
Surplus or shortfall: 3,000 ft²
Headcount the space supports: 120 people

Step by step

1Values used
2Density
3Capacity
4Area per employee= 133.33 ft²
5Area needed at the target= 9,000 ft²
6Surplus or shortfall= 3,000 ft²
7Headcount the space supports= 120 people

Assumptions and limits

The result is derived only from the 3 inputs listed above. Anything not among them is not part of the calculation.
In particular, this calculator does not take inflation, tax, fees or charges or compounding frequency into account.
Figures are rounded for display to 2 decimal places, so totals built from several rounded parts can differ slightly from the unrounded arithmetic.

How these calculators are built and tested is described on the Methodology page. If a figure looks wrong, please report it.

Frequently Asked Questions

How is the Space Per Employee figure worked out?

Area per employee = usable area / headcount. Area per employee is the headline workplace density metric.

How low can density go?

Below about 70 square feet per person acoustic and air quality complaints rise sharply, and many jurisdictions set a minimum floor area or air volume per occupant.

What values do I need to enter?

This calculator takes 3 inputs: Usable office area, Headcount, Target area per person. The pre-filled defaults are a realistic worked example — replace them with your own site or project figures.