Manhattan Rents Hit Record High as Mamdani Won Mayoral Election

Rents for Manhattan apartments surged to a record high in November, as Zohran Mamdani won the mayoral election in large part due to affordability concerns.

New leases were signed at a median of $4,750 in the month, up 13% from a year earlier and 3.3% from October, according to data from appraiser Miller Samuel Inc. and brokerage Douglas Elliman.  Bloomberg's Paulina Cachero reports.

In fact, all price metrics — the median, average and price per square foot — hit records in November, according to data going back to 2008.

Jonathan Miller, president of Miller Samuel, said the latest data “solidifies the idea that there is no exodus and there is no Mamdani effect.”

“In fact, there are people coming to the city and not enough supply,” he added.

The rental market typically cools in October and November as New Yorkers head into the holiday season. But this year, new leasing activity in Manhattan increased compared with the prior year, and roughly one in four apartments rented above asking price.

The unseasonal surge was driven by the upper half of the market, Miller said.

The top 10% of Manhattan rentals saw greater price gains than all other tiers, jumping nearly 18% annually to a median of $11,500 in November.

And the biggest apartments, or those with three or more bedrooms, saw the largest annual gains compared to all other rentals, increasing 27% to a median of $8,500.

“The luxury market is where the strength is for both the rental and sales market,” said Miller, who noted rising rents are also being supported by wage growth for the highest earners. “That says something about the inbound migration in the city.”

Rent prices in some of the city’s outer boroughs also continued to rise.

The median rent on Brooklyn leases was $3,804 in November, up 8.7% from the year prior. Northwest Queens, an area which includes Astoria and Long Island City, saw median rents increase 1.5% from a year ago to $3,510.

--------

Watch Bloomberg Radio LIVE on YouTube

Weekdays 7am-6pm ET

Follow us on X

Subscribe to our Podcasts:

Bloomberg Daybreak

Bloomberg Surveillance

Bloomberg Intelligence

Balance of Power

Bloomberg Businessweek

Listen on Apple CarPlay and Android Auto with the Bloomberg Business app:

Apple CarPlay

Android Auto

Visit our YouTube channels:

Bloomberg Podcasts

Bloomberg Television

Bloomberg Originals