October 2026 NYC Housing Lotteries: Who They're For
Quick answer
In October 2026, 10 NYC Housing Connect lotteries were active, offering 457 affordable units. Eligibility peaked at middle income: a $40,000 earner qualified for 21 units, $60,000 for 58, $80,000 for 159, and $100,000 for 247. Rents ran $30–$3,985, median $1,684.
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 247 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 | 21 |
| $60,000 | 58 |
| $80,000 | 159 |
| $100,000 | 247 |
By household size, a one-person household qualified for 280 units, two-person for 431, and three-person for 417.
What was on offer
10 lotteries were active in October, together listing 457 units. By borough:
| Bronx | 324 units |
| Queens | 62 units |
| Manhattan | 44 units |
| Brooklyn | 27 units |
Staten Island: no lotteries active this month.
Where the buildings were
All 16 buildings across October'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 October set.)
All 16 buildings are listed at the end of this report →
The range of "affordable"
Rents ran from $30 to $3,985, with a median of $1,684. By unit size (min / median / max):
| Size | Min | Median | Max |
|---|---|---|---|
| Studio | $950 | $1,579 | $2,500 |
| 1 bedroom | $30 | $1,574 | $2,600 |
| 2 bedroom | $863 | $2,010 | $3,985 |
| 3 bedroom | $30 | $1,588 | $3,186 |
Where the units concentrate
Units are allocated to Area Median Income (AMI) bands. The largest single band was 130% AMI (156 units). Full distribution:
| AMI band | Units |
|---|---|
| 30% of AMI | 5 |
| 40% of AMI | 22 |
| 50% of AMI | 79 |
| 60% of AMI | 58 |
| 70% of AMI | 76 |
| 77% of AMI | 34 |
| 80% of AMI | 10 |
| 90% of AMI | 3 |
| 100% of AMI | 8 |
| 120% of AMI | 6 |
| 130% of AMI | 156 |
Income requirements spanned a wide range: minimums from $35,315 to $150,206, and maximums from $54,280 up to $238,160.
Unit sizes
| Studio | 40 |
| 1 bedroom | 240 |
| 2 bedroom | 151 |
| 3 bedroom | 26 |
| 4+ bedroom | 0 |
26 of 457 units had three or more bedrooms.
Asset caps
October's lotteries carried 11 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 10 lotteries active in October:
| Mobility-disability set-aside | 3 |
| Vision- or hearing-disability set-aside | 2 |
| Community-board preference | 3 |
| Municipal-employee preference | 3 |
| NYCHA-resident preference | 0 |
| Senior preference | 0 |
How long you had to apply
Application windows ran from 21 days to 65 days, averaging 26. 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 October 2026's lotteries, a household earning $40,000 qualified for 21 units, $60,000 for 58, $80,000 for 159, and $100,000 for 247. Eligibility peaked around $80,000; income ceilings on some units ran as high as $238,160.
How many October lottery units were open to lower-income applicants?
21 of the 457 units were open to a household earning $40,000. The single largest AMI band was 130% of Area Median Income (156 units).
What were the rents in these lotteries?
Monthly rents ran from $30 to $3,985, with a median of $1,684. Studios started at $950.
Are there asset limits for NYC housing lotteries?
Yes. October's lotteries carried 11 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 21 to 65 days, averaging 26. 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 10 lotteries active in October, 3 had a mobility-disability set-aside and 2 a vision- or hearing-disability set-aside; 3 gave a community-board preference and 3 a municipal-employee preference.
The buildings
All 16 buildings in October's lotteries. See them on the map ↑
16 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: One River Park 355 Exterior Street (355 Exterior St, Bronx, NY); 1052 Willoughby Avenue Apartments (1052 Willoughby Ave, Brooklyn, NY); 293 East 207th Street Apartments (293 E 207th St, Bronx, NY); 354 East 194th Street Apartments (354 E 194th St, Bronx, 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); 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); Sackett Apartments aka 224 3rd Avenue (224 3 Avenue, Brooklyn, NY); The Lirio (364 W 54th St, Manhattan, NY).
Where to go from here
Of the 10 lotteries active in October, 1 is still accepting applications right now. See which are open →
Every lottery open today, plotted by location: the lottery map →. The map above shows October's full set.
Methodology
Data is collected from NYC Housing Connect and has been gathered since 29 May 2026. 10 lotteries were active in October 2026 — meaning their application window overlapped the month — of which 2 opened during October. 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.