September 2026 NYC Housing Lotteries: Who They're For
Quick answer
In September 2026, 28 NYC Housing Connect lotteries were active, offering 965 affordable units. Eligibility peaked at middle income: a $40,000 earner qualified for 89 units, $60,000 for 216, $80,000 for 357, and $100,000 for 456. Rents ran $30–$4,518, median $1,864.
Who could actually apply
A common perception is that the income requirements are too high. The data shows a curve, not a wall: eligibility nearly triples from $40,000 to its peak of 456 units at $100,000, and is still rising at $100,000. Higher earners were not shut out — the curve had not turned down by $100,000.
| Annual income | Units you qualified for |
|---|---|
| $40,000 | 89 |
| $60,000 | 216 |
| $80,000 | 357 |
| $100,000 | 456 |
By household size, a one-person household qualified for 547 units, two-person for 870, and three-person for 878.
What was on offer
28 lotteries were active in September, together listing 965 units. By borough:
| Bronx | 650 units |
| Manhattan | 127 units |
| Brooklyn | 122 units |
| Queens | 66 units |
Staten Island: no lotteries active this month.
Where the buildings were
All 38 buildings across September's lotteries — the month's full picture, open now and closed alike. (The live lottery map shows only what's open today; this one keeps the whole September set.)
All 38 buildings are listed at the end of this report →
The range of "affordable"
Rents ran from $30 to $4,518, with a median of $1,864. By unit size (min / median / max):
| Size | Min | Median | Max |
|---|---|---|---|
| Studio | $0 | $1,579 | $3,543 |
| 1 bedroom | $0 | $1,681 | $3,784 |
| 2 bedroom | $0 | $1,967 | $4,518 |
| 3 bedroom | $0 | $1,470 | $3,186 |
Where the units concentrate
Units are allocated to Area Median Income (AMI) bands. The largest single band was 130% AMI (187 units). Full distribution:
| AMI band | Units |
|---|---|
| 30% of AMI | 41 |
| 40% of AMI | 91 |
| 50% of AMI | 157 |
| 60% of AMI | 141 |
| 70% of AMI | 173 |
| 77% of AMI | 34 |
| 80% of AMI | 63 |
| 90% of AMI | 8 |
| 100% of AMI | 13 |
| 110% of AMI | 10 |
| 120% of AMI | 47 |
| 130% of AMI | 187 |
Income requirements spanned a wide range: minimums from $29,418 to $162,446, and maximums from $45,810 up to $252,480.
Unit sizes
| Studio | 87 |
| 1 bedroom | 460 |
| 2 bedroom | 323 |
| 3 bedroom | 95 |
| 4+ bedroom | 0 |
95 of 965 units had three or more bedrooms.
Asset caps
September's lotteries carried 12 different asset limits, from $50,880 to $220,480. These count savings and retirement balances — a detail applicants rarely see spelled out before applying.
Preferences
Of the 28 lotteries active in September:
| Mobility-disability set-aside | 9 |
| Vision- or hearing-disability set-aside | 7 |
| Community-board preference | 9 |
| Municipal-employee preference | 9 |
| NYCHA-resident preference | 0 |
| Senior preference | 0 |
How long you had to apply
Application windows ran from 20 days to 65 days, averaging 24. The lottery is a random draw among all on-time applications — the "apply in the first hour" advice applies to re-rental listings, not to these.
Frequently asked
What income do you need for a NYC affordable housing lottery?
It varies by unit. Across September 2026's lotteries, a household earning $40,000 qualified for 89 units, $60,000 for 216, $80,000 for 357, and $100,000 for 456. Eligibility peaked around $80,000; income ceilings on some units ran as high as $252,480.
How many September lottery units were open to lower-income applicants?
89 of the 965 units were open to a household earning $40,000. The single largest AMI band was 130% of Area Median Income (187 units).
What were the rents in these lotteries?
Monthly rents ran from $30 to $4,518, with a median of $1,864. Studios started at $0.
Are there asset limits for NYC housing lotteries?
Yes. September's lotteries carried 12 different asset caps, ranging from $50,880 to $220,480. Savings and retirement accounts count toward the limit.
How long do you get to apply?
Application windows ran from 20 to 65 days, averaging 24. Unlike re-rental listings, lottery applications are not first-come — every on-time application is entered into the same random draw.
Do the lotteries have accessibility or other preferences?
Of the 28 lotteries active in September, 9 had a mobility-disability set-aside and 7 a vision- or hearing-disability set-aside; 9 gave a community-board preference and 9 a municipal-employee preference.
The buildings
All 38 buildings in September's lotteries. See them on the map ↑
Closed — 1
37 not on the map. New construction whose exact address isn't in the city geocoder yet — it resolves to a neighbouring building, and a pin on the wrong building is worse than none, so these are listed but not placed: 1052 Willoughby Avenue Apartments (1052 Willoughby Ave, Brooklyn, NY); 125 Chrystie Street Apartments (125 Chrystie Street, Manhattan, NY); 132 Brown Place Apartments (496 East 134 Street, Bronx, NY); 1349 Commonwealth Avenue Apartments (1349 Commonwealth Ave, Bronx, NY); 1718 Crotona Park East Apartments (1718 Crotona Park E, Bronx, NY); 1976 Needham Avenue (1976 Needham Ave, Bronx, NY); 2074 Honeywell Avenue (2074 Honeywell Ave, Bronx, NY); 229 Wythe Avenue Apartments (229 Wythe Avenue, Brooklyn, NY); 23-57 31st Street Apartments (23-57 31st St, Queens, NY); 2905 West 17th Street Apartments (2905 W 17th St, Brooklyn, NY); 293 East 207th Street Apartments (293 E 207th St, Bronx, NY); 34-38 30th Street Apartments (34-38 30 Street, Queens, NY); 505 West 134th Street Cluster (505 West 134 Street, Manhattan, NY); 505 West 134th Street Cluster (523 West 134 Street, Manhattan, NY); 505 West 134th Street Cluster (527 West 134 Street, Manhattan, NY); 624 Metropolitan Avenue Apartments - Units Still Available (624 Metropolitan Avenue, Brooklyn, NY); 640 Riverside Drive HDFC (640 Riverside Drive, Manhattan, NY); 664-672 Beck Street (664 Beck Street, Bronx, NY); 664-672 Beck Street (672 Beck Street, Bronx, NY); 815 Kings Highway Apartments- Units Still Available (815 Kings Hwy, Brooklyn, NY); 917 Home Street Apartments (917 Home St, Bronx, NY); 936 College Avenue Apartments (936 College Avenue, Bronx, NY); BLONDELL COMMONS (1340 Blondell Ave, Bronx, NY); Dix Avenue Apartments (22-37 Dix Avenue, Queens, NY); Dix Avenue Apartments (22-51 Dix Avenue, Queens, NY); Dix Avenue Apartments (22-45 Dix Avenue, Queens, NY); Dix Avenue Apartments (22-29 Dix Avenue, Queens, NY); Dix Avenue Apartments (22-59 Dix Avenue, Queens, NY); Longfellow Marmion Apartments (1968 Marmion Avenue, Bronx, NY); Longfellow Marmion Apartments (1900 Longfellow Avenue, Bronx, NY); SOLACE (74 St Marks Pl, Brooklyn, NY); South Bushwick Neighborhood Homes (676 Central Avenue, Brooklyn, NY); South Bushwick Neighborhood Homes (1143 Hancock Street, Brooklyn, NY); South Bushwick Neighborhood Homes - Cooperatives (1262 Bushwick Avenue, Brooklyn, NY); South Bushwick Neighborhood Homes - Cooperatives (635 Chauncey St, Brooklyn, NY); STARHILL PHASE II (51 Featherbed Ln, Bronx, NY); The Lirio (364 W 54th St, Manhattan, NY).
Where to go from here
September's lotteries have all closed. See the lotteries open now →
Every lottery open today, plotted by location: the lottery map →. The map above shows September's full set.
Methodology
Data is collected from NYC Housing Connect and has been gathered since 29 May 2026. 28 lotteries were active in September 2026 — meaning their application window overlapped the month — of which 13 opened during September. Figures describe lotteries active in the month, not only those that opened. Unit counts are the advertised affordable units (total_units, corroborated by the size and rent breakdowns). Area Median Income (AMI) bands are taken directly from each Housing Connect listing — the advertised “N% Area Median Income” label — not calculated from HUD income limits; analyses that derive the band (needed where a listing omits it) may report different figures. Listings that publish no band are excluded from the AMI distribution here rather than back-filled. We do not have data on the number of applications submitted, who received apartments, or how quickly the waitlist moved by log number, and make no claims about them.