Manhattan, Queens and Brooklyn were among the top 30 most competitive rental markets during the peak rental season through July 2026, according to RentCafe.
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Queens had the 22nd-most competitive rental market in 2026 across the United States during the peak rental season, which typically runs from May to September, according to a report from RentCafe.
During the peak rental season, through July 2026, Queens had a Rental Competitive Index (RCI) score of 77.3. The RCI score, which can range from 0 to 100, is calculated by combining how long an apartment in a city took to fill, the share of apartments occupied, how many renters competed for each vacancy, how many renters renewed their leases and how much new construction reached the market. Higher scores indicate more difficulty getting an apartment in that city.
Year-over-year, Queens rose from 32nd place to 22nd among the most competitive markets in the study, from an RCI score of 74.7 to 77.3. Vacant apartments spent an average of 37 days on the market in the borough. Approximately 95.2% of the apartments in the borough were occupied. There were 11 renters competing for each vacancy. The lease renewal rate was 61.2%. New units accounted for 0.91% of the apartments available.
After ranking behind Brooklyn last year, Queens put up a higher RCI score in 2026. Brooklyn dropped from seventh place to 26th place, with its RCI score falling from 82.4 to 76.4. One of the key factors in this drop was a jump in new apartments among available units, from 0.8% in 2025 to 1.1% in 2026. This led to the occupancy rate dropping from 95.9% last year to 94.6% this year.
For the second year in a row, Manhattan had the fourth-highest RCI score in the report. Its RCI score rose from 85.1 in 2025 to 85.4 in 2026. New apartments among available units plummeted from 0.19% last year to 0.05% this year.
Of the 139 markets analyzed in the report, the United States had an RCI score of 73.9 during the peak season through July 2026. As was the case in 2025, nine prospective renters competed for each available apartment in 2026. There was a slight jump in the time it took for an apartment to get filled, from 40 days in 2025 to 42 days in 2026. The percentage of new units among available apartments dropped from 0.84% last year to 0.5% this year. There was hardly any change among renters who decided to renew leases, going up from 62.7% last year to 62.8% this year. The share of apartments that were occupied fell from 93.4% in 2025 to 92.9% in 2026.