NYC Department of Buildings job filings over the trailing 30 days fell to 12,344 from 12,371 the day before — a loss of 27 applications citywide — but the dollar value attached to those filings moved in a more lopsided way than the count suggests.
Manhattan's filing count actually rose, up to 4,379 from 4,386 — essentially flat — but the total construction cost tied to those Manhattan filings dropped from roughly $1.415 billion to about $1.506 billion. Wait: that's a rise, not a fall — Manhattan's dollar total climbed by more than $90 million overnight even as its filing count held nearly steady. That's the kind of move that comes from one or two big-ticket applications landing in the rolling window, not from a citywide shift in building activity.
“A citywide net change of 27 filings looks quiet; underneath it, Manhattan's dollar value jumped by nine figures in the same 24 hours.”
The Bronx tells the opposite story in smaller numbers: its filing count fell from 1,374 to 1,335, a drop of 39 applications, while its dollar total fell too, from about $283.7 million to $268.5 million. Staten Island's count dropped from 578 to 565 even as its dollar figure barely moved, sitting just under $58.1 million both days. Brooklyn and Queens were essentially flat on both counts and dollars.
Alterations remain the dominant filing type by a wide margin — 9,036 of the 12,344 total — with new buildings a distant second at 1,382. The single biggest filing in the rolling window is still the $124.3 million Roosevelt Avenue alteration for NYC Economic Development Corp in Queens, unchanged from the prior cycle, meaning no larger single filing has displaced it in the last day.
For a contractor watching where the paperwork is piling up, the borough-level swings matter more than the citywide total. A citywide net change of -27 filings looks quiet; underneath it, Manhattan's dollar value jumped by nine figures and the Bronx lost real filing volume in the same 24 hours.
What this means for you: Watch the direction over the next few days before you change how you staff or price a bid. One day's move is a signal to check, not a trend. How we count: Figures are NYC Department of Buildings job filings, via NYC Open Data, counted by filing date over the trailing 30-day window as of November 1, 2026, compared against the same rolling window one day earlier; these are applications filed, not permits issued or construction started.