Queens sees modest rise in new apartment sizes while other NYC boroughs shrink
A new RentCafe analysis shows that only Queens has larger new apartments over the past decade, with an average size of 732 sq ft, while Brooklyn and Manhattan have seen slight declines.
RentCafe’s latest report, tracking new-construction apartments in the nation’s 100 biggest cities, reveals that Queens is the only New York City borough where average unit size has risen over the last ten years, now standing at 732 sq ft—a 16-sq ft increase. This improvement ranks Queens fifth nationwide for space gains, though the borough remains over 175 sq ft below the U.S. average of 910 sq ft. Brooklyn and Manhattan lag behind, with new apartments averaging 714 sq ft and 735 sq ft respectively, the former shrinking by six square feet and the latter showing minimal change since 2016.
The trend reflects developers’ strategy of building more studios and one-bedrooms to fit more units per building, a move that boosts inventory but drags down average size. RentCafe research analyst Veronica Grecu explained that while the average size drops, the approach satisfies growing numbers of single-person and smaller households. Even with its gains, Queens falls far short of the country’s most spacious market, Tallahassee, Florida, where new apartments average 1,156 sq ft.
Why it matters
NYC renters need to understand how development trends affect apartment size and availability across boroughs.
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