New York County, NY

Across the 12 selected direct-evidence ZIP/ZCTA matches assigned to New York County, Zillow’s June 2026 ZORI—a typical observed asking-rent index—runs from $2,940 to $5,153, a $2,213 spread, with a $4,485.50 median. The county-level Zillow reading is $4,833, so the selected locations span both sides of that broader index. ZIP 10032 marks the low end and 10016 the high end. The decision question is not whether these labels describe uniform rental submarkets; it is how much current asking-rent variation a search can tolerate while separately checking the unit’s terms and the household’s budget. Because the displayed set was selected by renter-household coverage, it should frame a comparison rather than establish a countywide ranking.

Three rent series answer different questions and should not be combined into one price. For the displayed matched labels, Zillow readings are current typical asking-rent index observations, whereas ACS 2024 five-year ZCTA median gross-rent estimates range from $1,229 to $3,433 and describe a survey measure. FY 2026 HUD’s two-bedroom FMR is $2,616 in every displayed ZIP, an administrative program standard rather than an advertised or typical asking rent. Relative to that ZIP FMR, the ZORI readings are about 12.4% to 97.0% higher. These differences identify distinct benchmarks, not a rent change, a unit-level payment gap, or an eligibility result; bedroom count, household composition, and program rules require separate review.

The affordability-and-turnover indicators produce a trade-off screen, not a causal explanation. Across the selected ACS ZCTAs, renter share is 61.9%–92.8%, vacancy is 6.7%–19.5%, and the share of renters spending at least 30% of income on rent is 39.1%–56.2%. ZIP 10032 combines a 7.3% vacancy estimate with the highest burden share and a $56,829 ACS median household income; its ZORI-based 30%-of-income benchmark is $117,600. Those are not matched tenant records, and survey vacancy is not a count of presently rentable units. Conversely, a higher vacancy estimate in another displayed ZIP does not by itself signal a lower asking-rent index, lighter burden, or a more suitable unit. Use the measures to identify questions about budget resilience, timing, and unit fit.

Coverage and geography set hard limits. The direct-evidence selection is not a complete county or ZIP inventory, and its ZIP labels were assigned to New York County through the largest HUD residential-address-share crosswalk rule. In this set every recorded primary share is complete, but the rule is still an assignment method, not proof that a delivery ZIP is a county boundary. The ACS figures are attached to Census ZCTA tabulations, which can cover a different footprint than the mail-delivery ZIP used in a New York County housing search. Before acting on any comparison, verify the live advertised rent, exact bedroom count, utilities, concessions, lease length, occupancy terms, and income or program eligibility for the specific property.