In the first study to document the full size and scope of the commercial real estate market, using direct measurement of commercial property, the CoStar Group recently valued all commercial real estate in the U.S. at $11 trillion ( 1,000,000,000,000,000,000, or one million million million or 10 to the 18th power). At 11 trillion dollars, U.S. commercial real estate approaches the size of the 16 trillion dollar U.S. stock market.
In addition to benchmarking commercial real estate as a major asset class, the direct measurement calculations used in the study also provide an important framework for analyzing the investment potential of commercial real estate within different markets, and by different commercial property types. Quantifying such commercial real estate information and improving market transparency affords investors and lenders the ability to make decisions more effectively, thereby facilitating greater levels of investment in this important asset class.