New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s popularity is rising among city voters even as rents hit a record high, spotlighting the affordability challenges facing his administration as it works to lower housing costs and add affordable units. Mamdani has a 69 percent favorable rating among New York City voters, up 9 percentage points from last month, according to a Siena Research Institute poll released Wednesday. The findings come as New York City rents hit a record high, with median asking costs reaching $3,785 in the third quarter, up 4.5 percent from a year earlier and nearly 28 percent above pre-pandemic levels, according to Realtor.com.
Newsweek has contacted Mamdani’s office for comment. Across New York state, Mamdani has a 47 percent favorable rating and 43 percent unfavorable rating among likely voters. His statewide favorability has changed little since September, when 46 percent viewed him favorably and 44 percent unfavorably.
In New York City, 28 percent of voters view Mamdani unfavorably, down from 31 percent in September. His favorable rating rose from 60 percent to 69 percent over the same period. Mamdani remains particularly popular among Democrats, with 75 percent viewing him favorably and 16 percent unfavorably, according to the Siena poll.
The Siena study surveyed 807 likely New York state voters from October 19 to 22 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.1 percentage points. The latest Realtor.com data underscores the scale of the housing affordability challenge facing Mamdani's administration. New York City’s median asking rent reached a record $3,785 in the third quarter of 2026, up 4.5 percent, or $162, year-over-year, according to the company's report.
Asking rents are now 27.5 percent higher than before the COVID-19 pandemic. Demand for smaller housing units is driving much of the increase. The median asking rent for studio to two-bedroom units rose 7.1 percent year-over-year to $3,662, up 34.1 percent since Realtor.com began tracking New York City rents in 2019.
For units with three or more bedrooms, rents increased 2.9 percent year-over-year to $5,089, a 21.9 percent increase since 2019. Rents increased across all four boroughs covered in the report. Manhattan recorded the largest annual increase, with median asking rents rising 8.3 percent to $5,375.
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