May 2026 Rent Report

May 2026 Market Data

Summary

May 2026 recorded 22,662 new rental listings in New York City, up 50% from April's 15,101 and back above March's pace as the spring market opened up. Citywide median asking rent still moved higher to $3,985, up $85 month over month and just shy of the $4,000 threshold.

Across 141 neighborhoods with comparable data, the median month-over-month rent change was +2%. The wildest moves came from smaller submarkets again: Riverdale jumped 36%, Sutton Place and Noho both rose 21%, while Norwood fell 23%.

The full dataset, 22,662 listings with 34 columns each, is available on the Open Data page.

By Bedroom Count

TypeListingsMedian Rentvs. April
Studio3,716$3,300+$5
1 Bedroom8,258$3,750+$55
2 Bedroom6,997$4,300-$100
3 Bedroom2,861$4,700+$200

May brought a lot more inventory without much price relief. Studios and 1BRs kept inching up, 3BRs made another big move higher, and only 2BRs softened at all, slipping $100 after April's sharp spike.

Median Rent Over Time

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With listing volume snapping back while the citywide median kept rising, May looked like a broadening market rather than a cooldown. More supply showed up, but renters still did not get cheaper asks overall.

Listing Volume by Neighborhood

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Top 20 Neighborhoods by Volume

The 20 neighborhoods with the most new listings in May 2026, with month-over-month median rent changes compared to April.

#NeighborhoodListingsMedian RentMoM
1Bushwick1,092$3,800+3%
2Williamsburg962$4,950-1%
3East Village794$5,2730%
4Flatbush668$3,065+2%
5Upper West Side652$4,4950%
6Hell's Kitchen619$4,695+1%
7Crown Heights577$3,7000%
8Astoria542$3,172+6%
9Yorkville534$4,095+2%
10Hunters Point456$4,674+4%
11Lenox Hill450$4,100-1%
12Stuyvesant Heights439$3,400+3%
13Bedford-Stuyvesant421$3,700+2%
14Downtown Brooklyn402$4,702+2%
15Murray Hill402$4,995+9%
16Financial District361$4,885+4%
17Greenpoint341$4,8000%
18West Village341$5,995+1%
19Chelsea335$6,000+4%
20Kips Bay332$4,963+6%

Biggest Price Movements

Among neighborhoods with at least 10 listings in both April and May:

Largest drops: Norwood (-23%), Columbia St Waterfront District (-13%), Little Italy (-12%), Newport (-11%), Fort Hamilton (-10%)

Largest increases: Riverdale (+36%), Sutton Place (+21%), Noho (+21%), East Williamsburg (+20%), West Harlem (+19%)

Bushwick reclaimed the top spot by volume in May with 1,092 new listings, ahead of Williamsburg's 962. East Village stayed third and remained one of the priciest high-volume neighborhoods in the city with a median ask just above $5,270.