Watch out! You might get what you’re after (in one of these 'hoods)

StreetEasy’s Neighborhoods to Watch in 2026 ranks New York City neighborhoods based on the largest year-over-year increases in buyer and renter searches from 2024 to 2025. The forward-looking trendspotter, published in early January , operates on the assumption that last year’s upticks will carry into the current year. (Duh, that’s basically what “trend” means.)

Brooklyn and Queens continue to dominate the list , taking up seven of the 10 spots. (Side note: I’ve called four of the seven neighborhoods home over the years , proving that places like Windsor Terrace, Carroll Gardens, Fort Greene, and Long Island City have perennial appeal.) My local legacy has nothing to do with this ; but new development and deeper inventory does.

More For LES fans will appreciate that the Lower East Side ranked #4 overall , recording a 44.4% year-over-year increase in searches . StreetEasy says this places 10002 among the fastest-rising neighborhoods citywide in terms of buyer and renter interest. Median asking rent in the Lower East Side rose 7.3% year over year to $4,500 , slightly above the Manhattan median, while asking prices held steady at $1.299M, unchanged from the prior year.

StreetEasy’s data highlights the Lower East Side’s role as a mixed housing market , with inventory spanning prewar tenement-style buildings , e.g., along Orchard and Ludlow from Canal to Houston Street; long-standing co-ops , e.g., along Grand Street from the FDR to Essex Street; large-scale redevelopments and new construction , e.g., scattered about along Houston, Delancey, Broome, and Cherry Streets (to name a few).

Within the broader rankings, the Lower East Side stands out as a downtown neighborhood showing strong demand growth without corresponding price inflation , particularly when compared with peer neighborhoods where prices declined or rose materially year over year.

That said, whether true “demand” and search behavior are one and the same is unclear . For instance, people conducting searches downtown may include the LES — either by choice or based on pricing parameters — but may only be interested for the purposes of perspective or comparison . The LES may also be included if people are searching by borough (“Manhattan”) and price (“Under $1.25M”) without geographic parameters. This would artificially point to “demand” where it does not explicitly exist.

Point being: Search activities do not equate to actual interest, offers, or deals.

Nevertheless, despite Brooklyn and Queens taking the lion’s share , the LES’ rank underscores its continued relevance as a core downtown market where demand is rising while pricing remains comparatively stable .

Here’s the StreetEasy list:

1. Financial District (MN)

2. East Village (MN)

3. Windsor Terrace (BK)

4. Lower East Side (MN)

5. Carroll Gardens (BK)

6. Downtown Brooklyn (BK)

7. Sunnyside (QNS)

8. Ridgewood (QNS)

9. Long Island City (QNS)

10. Fort Greene (BK)

Maybe next year, Staten Island?