NYC Neighborhood Quality Ratings
Get livability scores for any NYC address. We run 41 checks from 15+ public data sources so you can make informed decisions about where to live.
Get Your Livability ScoreUnderstanding Your Score
Livability scores range from 0-100 based on building and neighborhood data.
90-100
Excellent conditions with minimal issues
75-89
Good conditions with minor concerns
60-74
Average conditions with notable issues
0-59
Significant concerns across multiple factors
What We Analyze
The score adds up points from 12 modules, grouped here. Each range is the most a group can add or subtract.
Building Health
0 to −67 points- Open HPD violations per unit
- Open DOB complaints
- Heat complaints
- Bedbug filings
- Elevator inspections
Safety
+8 to −34 points- NYPD crime vs. borough average
- Shooting incidents
- Arrests
Nuisance
0 to −68 points- 311 noise, rodent and trash complaints
- 311 complaints at the building and neighbors
- After-hours construction permits
Commute
+11 to −13 points- Subway entrance distance
- Citibike stations
- Airport trip times
- Planned weekend work (not scored)
- Commute estimates (not scored)
Amenities
+23 to −4 points- Park within 150m
- Grocery within 400m
- School within 400m
- Active scaffolding
Quality of Life
+15 to −11 points- Restaurant grades
- Traffic crashes
- Bus stops
- Free Wi-Fi
Environment & Risks
+8 to −17 points- Air quality
- Street-tree canopy
- Flood zone
Building Info
+8 to −3 points- Year built
- HPD registration
Wellness & Lifestyle
+31 to −7 points- Sensory environment
- Third places
- Cafés, errands and nightlife
- Street vitality and demographics (not scored)
Why DwellCheck?
Address-Level Precision
Unlike neighborhood-level ratings, we analyze data for your specific address. A few blocks can make a big difference in NYC.
15+ Data Sources
We aggregate data from HPD, DOB, NYPD, MTA, Parks, Census, and more to give you the complete picture.
Transparent Methodology
We show exactly how scores are calculated with detailed breakdowns by category. No black box algorithms.
Free
Full reports are currently free with no account required. Public data should be accessible to everyone.
How It Works
Enter an Address
Type any NYC street address. We support all five boroughs.
We Query 15+ Data Sources
DwellCheck instantly queries official city databases for violations, crime data, transit info, and more specific to your address.
Get Your Livability Report
Receive an overall livability score plus detailed breakdowns for each category. Click any section to see the underlying data and understand your score.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a livability score?
A livability score combines many quality-of-life checks into a single number from 0-100. DwellCheck runs 41 checks in 12 modules, covering building condition, safety, transit access, amenities, noise and more, for any NYC address.
How is the livability score calculated?
Scores start at 100. Each check adds points for advantages (a subway entrance under 0.1 mile, a park within 150m) or subtracts them for problems (open violations, crime above the borough average, noise complaints). Penalties all count; bonuses count up to +30 in total, however many a location earns, and the result is clamped to 0-100. There are no category weights; building-level problems count heavily because their penalties are large and uncapped — 0 to −67 points for Building Health, 0 to −68 points for Nuisance, and down to −25 for bedbug filings, scored per residential unit. See /methodology for every rule.
What data sources does DwellCheck use?
We use 15+ public data sources including: HPD violations, bedbug filings and building registrations, DOB complaints and permits, NYPD crime data, MTA subway and bus data, NYC Parks, 311 complaints, PLUTO tax-lot data, and more. Most data comes from NYC Open Data; the rest from the MTA, New York State, Citi Bike, the USDA, OpenStreetMap and the US Census Bureau.
How often is the data updated?
NYC Open Data sources refresh on their own schedules: 311, HPD and DOB data daily, NYPD crime data quarterly, and some reference files no longer update (such as the 2017–18 school locations). Reports are cached for up to 14 days, then recalculated on the next request.
Can I compare multiple addresses?
Yes - run a report for each address you are considering, then compare the scores. This is especially useful when deciding between apartments in different neighborhoods. For neighborhood-level head-to-heads, see our comparison pages at /compare.
Is DwellCheck available outside NYC?
Currently, DwellCheck only supports New York City addresses (all five boroughs). We rely on NYC-specific data sources that are not available elsewhere. We may expand to other cities in the future.
Check Any NYC Address
Free, instant livability scores powered by official city data. Know before you sign.
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