The city’s economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic has solidified new preferences for where New Yorkers wish to live. StreetEasy’s list of NYC neighborhoods to watch for 2022 reflects these new trends, leading to a list somewhat different from years past. Last year, Brooklyn dominated the list. It does this year, too — but the borough’s popularity has spread even further, to the neighborhoods next door to last year’s entries. For example, this year we see Gowanus instead of Park Slope.
Table of Contents
Manhattan Rentals Under $3,000 on StreetEasyArticle continues below
West Village
204 West 14th Street
$2,742No Fee
Studio |
1
South Harlem
364 West 119th Street
$2,650No Fee
1 |
1
West Village
5 Jane Street
$2,720No Fee
Studio |
1
Kips Bay
229 East 28th Street
$2,500No Fee
Studio |
1
Washington Heights
509 West 170th Street
$2,450No Fee
3 |
1
East Village
515 East 6th Street
$2,690No Fee
Studio |
1
Central Harlem
100 Edgecomb Avenue
$2,450No Fee
1 |
1
Hell’s Kitchen
411 West 48th Street
$2,999No Fee
1 |
1
South Harlem
272 West 115th Street
$2,200No Fee
Studio |
1
Midtown South
7 East 32nd Street
$2,895No Fee
Studio |
1
East Village
55 First Avenue
$2,800No Fee
Studio |
1
East Village
153 Avenue C
$2,475No Fee
1 |
1
We define our NYC neighborhoods to watch for 2022 as the areas that saw the greatest surge in interest among buyers, renters, and sellers in 2021, gearing them up for continued interest this coming year. To create this list we ranked the areas based on an index of three factors: increases in sales prices, rents, and user searches year-over-year.
Downtown Manhattan’s Amenities Draw New Yorkers Who Can Afford Them
The hottest neighborhoods in Manhattan are also among the most expensive. Topping the list is SoHo, joined by Greenwich Village and Flatiron. Now that shopping, restaurants, and nightlife have reopened, living in — or close to — neighborhoods with a lot going on has become important again. At least, to those New Yorkers who can afford to.
All the fun of pre-pandemic New York is not limited to Manhattan, of course. The neighborhoods in Brooklyn that have always been hot or up and coming are once again the top neighborhoods for 2022. Dumbo and Fort Greene are relatively easy to access from Manhattan’s office centers, and provide a diverse range of restaurants and nightlife that help make NYC the greatest city in the world. Interestingly, Bushwick ranks higher this year than Williamsburg, which didn’t even make our top 10. (On last year’s list, Williamsburg came in at number 7, while Bushwick was 9.) Bushwick has similar transportation options but is farther from Manhattan.
Brooklyn 1-2BR Rentals Under $2,800 on StreetEasyArticle continues below
Flatbush
1471 Nostrand Avenue
$2,700No Fee
1 |
1
Flatbush
2250 Clarendon Road
$2,700No Fee
2 |
1
Stuyvesant Heights
879 Park Avenue
$2,650No Fee
1 |
1
Sunset Park
429 43rd Street
$2,750No Fee
2 |
2
East Flatbush
1249 New York Avenue
$2,499No Fee
1 |
1
Flatbush
1498 Nostrand Avenue
$2,650No Fee
1 |
1
Bushwick
1693 Grove Street
$2,300No Fee
1 |
1
Bedford-Stuyvesant
26A Hart Street
$2,500No Fee
2 |
1
Greenwood
275 22nd Street
$2,700No Fee
1 |
1
Flatbush
177 Veronica Place
$2,650No Fee
2 |
1
Flatbush
223 Martense Street
$2,700No Fee
2 |
1
Flatbush
223 Martense Street
$2,600No Fee
2 |
1.5
Working from home has changed where people decide to live in order to save money or gain space. The New Yorkers who wish to live in, say, Bushwick or Gowanus may be seeking the creative vibe SoHo once had in terms of food, nightlife, and even people watching. Before COVID, these beloved Brooklyn neighborhoods were gaining traction. Gowanus and Red Hook, though, are a difficult commute for anyone who does not have easy access to the G or F trains. In fact, Red Hook was one of the only neighborhoods on our list where rents fell year-over-year. But sales prices rose so significantly — 21%— that the neighborhood still made our list.
New NYC Neighborhoods to Watch in the Bronx and Queens
Many of the hot NYC neighborhoods on this list are also expensive. But two have median asking rents below $2,000: Kew Gardens Hills in Queens, and Fordham in the Bronx. These are also the only two areas on our list outside of Manhattan or Brooklyn. With plenty of green space and parks nearby, these neighborhoods are great options for New Yorkers who do not need to commute to Manhattan and are looking for more space.
Bronx & Queens Rentals Under $2,500 on StreetEasyArticle continues below
Astoria
27-29 21st Street
$2,250No Fee
1 |
1
Woodside
61-04 43rd Avenue
$2,299No Fee
1 |
1
Ditmars-Steinway
21-27 27th Street
$2,200No Fee
1 |
1
Astoria
14-43 28th Avenue
$2,050No Fee
Studio |
1
Long Island City
36-10 Ninth Street
$2,300No Fee
2 |
1
Riverdale
6629 Broadway
$1,950No Fee
1 |
1
Fordham
2676 Grand Concourse
$2,467No Fee
2 |
1
Kew Gardens
83-15 118th Street
$1,900No Fee
1 |
1
Crotona Park East
1409 Bryant Avenue
$2,484No Fee
1 |
1
Rego Park
65-41 Saunders Street
$2,295No Fee
1 |
1
Maspeth
69-17 62 Drive
$2,195No Fee
1 |
1
Astoria
31-42 45th Street
$2,498No Fee
2 |
1
It’s no surprise that these are also university neighborhoods, now that campuses are open for in-person classes. Fordham is home to Fordham University, and Kew Gardens Hills is a stone’s throw away from Queens College. According to a report by the NYC Comptroller’s office, the reopening of in-person learning coincided with an improvement in net residential migration to the city.
How We Did It
We identified our 10 NYC neighborhoods to watch for 2022 using an index of three key performance indicators: annual change in median asking rent, annual change in median sale price, and annual change in user searches that include a given neighborhood on StreetEasy.