Rents Falling, Vacancies Spiking: The NYC Rental Market Is Shifting

The rental market is triggering metrics not seen since the depths of the Great Recession, according to a new report on the state of the rental market in three New York City boroughs.

1 minute read

October 27, 2020, 5:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


New York Apartments

Ryan DeBerardinis / Shutterstock

"A record-high share of rent cuts contributed to a Manhattan median asking rent of $2,990 in the third quarter of 2020 — the first time this figure has been below $3,000 in nine years," reports Emily McDonald.

McDonald is sharing data from StreetEasy’s Q3 2020 Market Reports. The data includes several metrics that tell the story of a suddenly shifting rental market in the nation's most populous, and famously expensive, city.

"The share of Manhattan rental listings on StreetEasy that was discounted during the third quarter rose 22.7 percentage points year over year to a record high of 44.7%, " explain McDonald. "Meanwhile, rental inventory in Manhattan increased by 69.8%, with 72,267 listings available during the quarter — nearly 30,000 more than last year."

Among the other metrics from the report with no recent precedent is the decline of rent in all three boroughs analyzed in the report—Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens.

StreetEasy Economist Nancy Wu is quoted in the article saying "Renters are no longer willing to pay the commute premium of living in Manhattan when they do not need to commute to an office five days a week."

A lot more data from the report are available in the source article, including specific attention to each of three boroughs analyzed in the report and a long list of neighborhood-level data.

Friday, October 23, 2020 in StreetEasy

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

June 11, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Rendering of Shirley Chisholm Village four-story housing development with person biking in front.

San Francisco's School District Spent $105M To Build Affordable Housing for Teachers — And That's Just the Beginning

SFUSD joins a growing list of school districts using their land holdings to address housing affordability challenges faced by their own employees.

June 8, 2025 - Fast Company

Yellow single-seat Japanese electric vehicle drivign down road.

The Tiny, Adorable $7,000 Car Turning Japan Onto EVs

The single seat Mibot charges from a regular plug as quickly as an iPad, and is about half the price of an average EV.

June 6, 2025 - PC Magazine

Two small wooden one-story homes in Florida with floodwaters at their doors.

As Trump Phases Out FEMA, Is It Time to Flee the Floodplains?

With less federal funding available for disaster relief efforts, the need to relocate at-risk communities is more urgent than ever.

59 minutes ago - Governing

People riding bicycles on separated bike trail.

With Protected Lanes, 460% More People Commute by Bike

For those needing more ammo, more data proving what we already knew is here.

3 hours ago - UNM News

Bird's eye view of half-circle suburban street with large homes.

In More Metros Than You’d Think, Suburbs are Now More Expensive Than the City

If you're moving to the burbs to save on square footage, data shows you should think again.

5 hours ago - Investopedia