The Commons Gallery

NY Economic Dashboard

Cost of living, inflation, rent, and jobs — connected to legislative activity

This dashboard tracks the economic conditions New Yorkers are actually living with — how fast rent is rising, whether inflation is above or below the national average, and what the job market looks like region by region. Each section connects to the bills the legislature is voting on.

Data last updated: FRED 2026-05-24 · HUD FMR 2026-05-24.

NYC Metro Rent (YoY)
+4.3%
Rent of primary residence
NYC Metro Inflation (YoY)
+4.6%
Overall CPI · 2026-04
US core: +2.7% · +1.8pp vs US
NY Home Prices (YoY)
+6.3%
Statewide house price index · 2025-10
NY Unemployment Rate
4.6%
+0.5pp YoY · 2026-03
US Core Inflation (Benchmark)
+2.7%
Excludes food & energy · 2026-04
Use this to benchmark NY vs. the rest of the country
Cost of Living & Inflation
How fast are prices rising — and is New York keeping pace with, or outrunning, the rest of the country? NYC Metro CPI is the most direct measure for downstate residents. The Northeast Regional CPI is used as an upstate proxy. US Core CPI (which strips out volatile food and energy prices) is the standard national benchmark.
What this means: NYC Metro inflation is running at 4.6% annually, compared to 2.7% US core inflation. New York is 1.8 percentage points above the national average — meaning prices here are rising faster than in most of the country. Shelter costs — rent and owners' equivalent rent — are rising at 5.1%, which is faster than overall inflation.
NYC Metro CPI — 24 months
2024-04 → 2026-04 · +4.6% YoY
US Core CPI — 24 months (national benchmark)
2024-04 → 2026-04 · +2.7% YoY · excl. food & energy
Inflation Breakdown — NY vs. US
Indicator YoY Change
NYC Metro — Overall +4.6% YoY
↳ Shelter (rent & owners' equiv. rent) +5.1% YoY
↳ Dining Out (restaurants only, not groceries) +3.4% YoY
Northeast Regional CPI (upstate proxy) +4.4% YoY
NY Median Household Income +6.4% YoY
$86,830/yr
US Core CPI (national benchmark) +2.7% YoY

NYC overall vs. US core: +1.8pp vs US . Note: US core excludes food & energy; NYC overall includes them, so some difference is expected.

Housing & Rent
Rent costs for NYC Metro from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. HUD Fair Market Rents (FMRs) are the 40th-percentile market rate for each county — the threshold used to set housing voucher values and a reliable benchmark for what a modest apartment actually costs across New York. The "income needed" column shows the annual earnings required to keep rent at 30% of household income — the standard affordability guideline.
What this means: NYC Metro rents are up 4.3% year-over-year. Home prices statewide are up 6.3%. A household needs to earn roughly $116,400/year to afford a 2-bedroom at the Manhattan HUD Fair Market Rent of $2,910/month under the 30%-of-income affordability guideline.
NYC Metro Rent Index — 24 months
2024-04 → 2026-04 · +4.3% YoY
NY Statewide House Price Index
2023-01 → 2025-10 · +6.3% YoY
HUD Fair Market Rents by County — FY2026
County / Area 1 BR 2 BR Income Needed
(2BR, 30% rule)
Manhattan $2,655 $2,910 $116,400/yr
Brooklyn $2,655 $2,910 $116,400/yr
Queens $2,655 $2,910 $116,400/yr
Bronx $2,655 $2,910 $116,400/yr
Staten Island $2,655 $2,910 $116,400/yr
Nassau County $2,379 $2,747 $109,880/yr
Suffolk County $2,379 $2,747 $109,880/yr
Westchester $2,655 $2,910 $116,400/yr
Monroe (Rochester) $1,256 $1,573 $62,920/yr
Erie (Buffalo) $1,139 $1,343 $53,720/yr
Onondaga (Syracuse) $1,123 $1,392 $55,680/yr
Albany $1,417 $1,702 $68,080/yr

Source: U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development. FMR = 40th percentile market rent.

Jobs & Unemployment by Region
Monthly unemployment rates from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. A rate below 4% is generally considered near full employment; above 6% signals significant slack in the labor market. Regional variation across New York is significant — NYC and upstate metros often diverge.
NY Statewide Unemployment — 24 months
2024-03 → 2026-03 · +0.5pp YoY
Metro Unemployment Comparison
Region Rate YoY As of
NYC Metro 4.8% +0.4pp YoY 2026-03
Albany 3.6% +0.3pp YoY 2026-03
Syracuse 4.2% +0.4pp YoY 2026-03
Rochester 4.2% +0.4pp YoY 2026-03
Utica-Rome 4.5% +0.4pp YoY 2026-03
Buffalo 4.5% +0.3pp YoY 2026-03
New York State 4.6% +0.5pp YoY 2026-03

Below 4% = near full employment · Above 6% = elevated joblessness. Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics via FRED.

Economic Votes — What Were Conditions When Legislators Voted?
Recent Senate floor votes on housing, labor, tax, and social services bills — with the most relevant economic indicator at the time of the vote. This connects legislative decisions to the economic reality they were made in. Did legislators pass rent legislation when rents were spiking? Did they act on unemployment during a recession?
Bill Date Law Section Result Vote Economic Indicator at Vote
S913 2026-04-27 Social Services Law Passed 58–1 86830.0 Median Household Income — New York · 2024-01
S2022 2026-04-27 Social Services Law Passed 59–? 86830.0 Median Household Income — New York · 2024-01
S940 2026-04-22 Social Services Law Passed 58–? 86830.0 Median Household Income — New York · 2024-01
S2393 2026-04-22 General Business Law Passed 58–? 359.8 CPI All Items — NYC Metro · 2026-04
S3460 2026-04-22 Labor Law Passed 37–21 4.6 % New York Unemployment Rate · 2026-03
S7974 2026-04-22 General Business Law Passed 43–15 359.8 CPI All Items — NYC Metro · 2026-04
S1668 2026-04-21 Public Authorities Law Passed 55–7 2467674.0 New York GDP (nominal) · 2025-01
S3147 2026-04-20 Insurance Law Passed 58–? 359.8 CPI All Items — NYC Metro · 2026-04
S114 2026-04-20 Banking Law Passed 36–22 1150.4 New York House Price Index · 2025-10
S2078 2026-04-20 Labor Law Passed 52–6 4.6 % New York Unemployment Rate · 2026-03
S3352 2026-04-16 Insurance Law Passed 53–? 359.8 CPI All Items — NYC Metro · 2026-04
S1673 2026-04-16 Labor Law Passed 41–12 4.6 % New York Unemployment Rate · 2026-03
S3190 2026-04-16 Real Property Tax Law Passed 53–? 1150.4 New York House Price Index · 2025-10
S1966 2026-04-15 Social Services Law Passed 54–1 86830.0 Median Household Income — New York · 2024-01
S1197 2026-04-13 Social Services Law Passed 52–? 86830.0 Median Household Income — New York · 2024-01
S2648 2026-04-01 Insurance Law Passed 54–5 359.8 CPI All Items — NYC Metro · 2026-04
S5047 2026-04-01 Insurance Law Passed 59–? 359.8 CPI All Items — NYC Metro · 2026-04
S1462 2026-04-01 Public Authorities Law Passed 38–22 2467674.0 New York GDP (nominal) · 2025-01
S1514 2026-03-30 Labor Law Passed 54–2 4.6 % New York Unemployment Rate · 2026-03
S3758 2026-03-25 General Business Law Passed 46–13 356.2 CPI All Items — NYC Metro · 2026-03
S6970 2026-03-25 Tax Law Passed 59–? 334.2 Core CPI (ex food & energy) — US · 2026-03
S70 2026-03-25 Banking Law Passed 39–20 1150.4 New York House Price Index · 2025-10
S7731 2026-03-24 Insurance Law Passed 61–? 356.2 CPI All Items — NYC Metro · 2026-03
S7681 2026-03-24 Public Authorities Law Passed 61–? 2467674.0 New York GDP (nominal) · 2025-01
S4964 2026-03-23 Insurance Law Passed 60–? 356.2 CPI All Items — NYC Metro · 2026-03
Data sources: Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (FRED) — unemployment, CPI, housing price index, income, national benchmark CPI. U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development — Fair Market Rents by county (annual). Legislative data from the NYS Open Legislation API.
Coverage note: CPI and rent indices are available for the NYC Metro area; Northeast Regional CPI is used as an upstate proxy. US Core CPI excludes food and energy and is the Federal Reserve's preferred inflation benchmark. Metro-level unemployment available for NYC, Albany, Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, and Utica-Rome.
District-level income and demographic data is shown on individual senator profiles.