Is Carroll Gardens Safe? Brooklyn Livability, Crime & Rent
Carroll Gardens scores 6.1: a neighborhood with nearby parks and few housing violations, commute trade-offs, and moderate noise and crime you should evaluate directly.
Carroll Gardens at a glance
Is Carroll Gardens Safe?
Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn scores 6.1/10 for overall livability, ranking #13 of 28 Brooklyn neighborhoods scored from NYC Open Data. Carroll Gardens scores 6.1: a neighborhood with nearby parks and few housing violations, commute trade-offs, and moderate noise and crime you should evaluate directly.
The livability score draws on HPD housing violations, subway access, NYC Parks' tree inventory and parks, and 311 noise complaints per resident from NYC Open Data, refreshed periodically rather than live. It does not include crime; NYPD complaint and shooting figures are on the Carroll Gardens safety page. Safety varies by block — check a specific Carroll Gardens address below for a block-level breakdown.
Score Overview
Vertical line = borough median. Scale: 0-10.
Practical measures HPD housing violations per residential lot over the last 12 months (higher = fewer violations). Borough medians are computed across DwellCheck's Brooklyn neighborhood guides.
Neighborhood Character
You'll walk tree-lined streets where an average of 163 trees cluster within 200 meters, creating a 4.9/10 tree density—though Carroll Gardens isn't quiet. The neighborhood centers on a historic Italian-American commercial spine along Smith Street, lined with established restaurants and multi-generational shops. Walk-up apartment buildings sit on 43% of residential tax lots and two-family houses on 24%, with Red Hook Recreation Area, Coffey Park, and Carroll Park among the largest parks (the 3 nearest parks average 263 meters from the neighborhood's center). The F and G trains hit Smith-9 Streets and Carroll Street.
Livability & Restoration
Trees
163 trees
Expected in a 200m circle (NYC Parks tree inventory) | Density: 4.9/10 (city percentile)
In Toronto, 10 more trees on a city block went with a rise in self-rated health comparable to being 7 years younger (Kardan et al., 2015, Scientific Reports). In a cross-sectional study of London boroughs, each additional street tree per km of street went with 1.18 fewer antidepressant prescriptions per 1,000 residents (Taylor et al., 2015, Landscape and Urban Planning).
Park Access
29 parks
NYC Parks properties inside the neighborhood | largest: Red Hook Recreation Area | nearest to the center: Admiral Triangle, 207m | 3 nearest average 263m from the neighborhood's center
Acoustic Quality
3/10
Noise proxy score (higher = quieter)
Environmental noise exposure increases the occurrence of hypertension and cardiovascular disease; WHO's night-noise guidelines call average outdoor night noise above 55 dB increasingly dangerous for public health (Basner et al., 2014, The Lancet).
What is the ART Score?
ART stands for Attention Restoration Theory (Kaplan & Kaplan, 1989) — the framework environmental psychologists use to measure whether a place helps your brain recover from mental fatigue, or pushes it deeper into overload. Cities deplete directed attention (the effortful focus you use at work); exposure to restorative environments replenishes it.
DwellCheck uses the idea in two separate places, and they measure different things. The neighborhood ART score below comes from neighborhood-wide data: up to 5 points from tree density (a city percentile) and up to 5 from how few 311 noise complaints there are per resident. An address report has no ART score. It runs the Wellness checks below, and their points go into the address’s overall score.
Within a point of the Brooklyn median.
What an address report checks instead (Wellness)
- ±Sensory environment. A calm score minus a busy score, each starting at 50. Busy: a firehouse within 100m (+15) or 200m (+8), and 311 noise complaints within 200m over 6 months (15+ adds 5, 40+ adds 12, 80+ adds 20, and 3 more at 20+ complaints that include vehicle or street noise). Calm: a library (+15), community garden (+12) or public plaza or atrium (POPS; +15 indoor, +8 outdoor) within 200m, and a park within 300m (+10; +15 at 1+ acre; +20 at 5+ acres). A difference of +20 or more adds 8 points; −10 to −29 costs 2; −30 or less costs 4. Bars, museums, tourists and foot traffic are not counted.
- +Third places (Oldenburg, 1989). Public libraries, public plazas and atriums (POPS) and community gardens within 400m: 1–2 add 5 points, 3 or more add 10. Cafés and community centers are not counted. In a meta-analysis of longitudinal studies, loneliness or social isolation went with a 29% higher risk of incident coronary heart disease (Valtorta et al., 2016, Heart).
- 0Street vitality (Jacobs, 1961). Permitted block parties, farmers markets and similar community events in the borough over the past 12 months. The event data has no coordinates, so this is a borough-wide count shown for context. It doesn’t change the score.
Health mechanism. The theory holds that natural settings let directed attention recover. The evidence is mixed: a systematic review of 31 studies (Ohly et al., 2016, Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health, Part B) found that time in natural environments improved 3 of 13 pooled attention measures (Digit Span Forward, Digit Span Backward and Trail Making Test B) and showed no marked benefit on the other 10.
Theoretical foundations. Kaplan & Kaplan (1989), The Experience of Nature; Jacobs (1961), The Death and Life of Great American Cities; Oldenburg (1989), The Great Good Place.
Transit & Commute
Subway Stations
Commute Score
5.5/10
Borough median: 5.5/10
Outdoor & Green Space
Avg Tree Count
163
Trees expected in a 200m circle
Tree Density
4.9/10
1,295 trees per km² in NYC Parks' tree inventory (street and park trees); city percentile, 1 = sparsest
Largest Parks In or Near the Neighborhood
- Red Hook Recreation Area
- Coffey Park
- Van Voorhees Playground
- Thomas Greene Playground
- Carroll Park
Nearest to the neighborhood's center: Admiral Triangle, about 207m. The 3 nearest NYC Parks properties average 263m from the center (approximate park centers, not entrances).
Practical Living
Practical (HPD violations): 8/10 (Brooklyn median 7.5). It measures HPD housing violations per residential lot over the last 12 months (higher = fewer violations).
Building Mix (Residential Tax Lots)
Share of the 5,854 residential tax lots in the neighborhood by PLUTO building class (NYC Department of City Planning).
Who Carroll Gardens Is For
Families prioritizing parks
The 3 nearest parks, averaging 263 meters from the neighborhood's center, help give an outdoor score of 6.5, above the borough median of 5.9.
People comfortable with urban noise and activity
5,578 noise complaints (moderate) and 3,893 crimes over 12 months signal this isn't a quiet or low-crime refuge; it's dense and active.
Food-focused, neighborhood-oriented renters or buyers
Smith Street dining scene and Italian heritage create a specific cultural identity.
Pros & Cons
Strengths
Direct F/G train access at two nearby stations
Smith-9 Sts and Carroll St stations provide frequent service; commute score of 5.5 reflects acceptable but not exceptional connectivity.
Few housing violations
Practical score of 8 (versus borough median 7.5) reflects a low rate of HPD housing violations per residential building.
Multiple parks within walking distance
Largest parks: Red Hook Recreation Area, Coffey Park, Van Voorhees Playground, Thomas Greene Playground, and Carroll Park; the 3 nearest average 263m from the neighborhood's center.
Trade-offs
Moderate noise and activity levels
5,578 noise complaints (moderate) reflect a busy, dense neighborhood rather than a peaceful enclave.
Higher-than-average crime
3,893 total crimes recorded over the past 12 months, a lower crime rate per resident than 33% of Brooklyn neighborhoods.
Below-median ART/Livability score
ART/Livability score of 3.5 versus borough median 4.4.
Score Any Address in Carroll Gardens
Get detailed livability scores based on building health, transit access, safety, noise levels, and 15+ NYC data sources.
Search an Address in Carroll GardensFrequently Asked Questions about Carroll Gardens
1Is Carroll Gardens safe?
By NYPD data, Carroll Gardens is rated "Higher Than Average", with a lower crime rate per resident than 33% of Brooklyn neighborhoods. 3,893 crime incidents and 5 shooting incidents over the past 12 months. See the safety page for the full breakdown.
2What is the average rent in Carroll Gardens?
Rents in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn vary significantly by building and apartment type. Market pricing isn't aggregated for this neighborhood yet; use DwellCheck to research specific addresses for HPD registration, HPD violations, and other building-level records. DwellCheck doesn't show rent-stabilization status; request the apartment's rent history from DHCR for that.
3How is transit access in Carroll Gardens?
Carroll Gardens has a commute score of 5.5/10. 2 subway stations serve the area: Smith-9 Sts, Carroll St.
4What are the best streets in Carroll Gardens?
The best streets depend on your priorities. Use DwellCheck to compare specific addresses across livability, safety, transit, and environmental factors.
5What is Carroll Gardens known for?
Carroll Gardens sits in Brooklyn and ranks #13 of 28 Brooklyn neighborhoods scored from NYC Open Data on DwellCheck's livability score (6.1/10). It's served by 2 subway stations (Smith-9 Sts, Carroll St). Carroll Gardens scores 6.1: a neighborhood with nearby parks and few housing violations, commute trade-offs, and moderate noise and crime you should evaluate directly.
6What is it like to live in Carroll Gardens?
DwellCheck scores Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn from NYC Open Data on practical (HPD housing violations per residential lot over the last 12 months (higher = fewer violations)), commute (subway stations and lines in the neighborhood), ART (tree density and 311 noise complaints per resident), outdoor (trees and park proximity). Carroll Gardens's composite is 6.1/10. Carroll Gardens scores 6.1: a neighborhood with nearby parks and few housing violations, commute trade-offs, and moderate noise and crime you should evaluate directly. For the block-by-block view, run any specific Carroll Gardens address through DwellCheck.
7Where is Carroll Gardens?
Carroll Gardens is in Brooklyn, New York City. DwellCheck maps it to the Carroll Gardens-Cobble Hill-Gowanus-Red Hook Neighborhood Tabulation Area (BK0601), which falls in the Census tabulation area that approximates Brooklyn Community District 6 (Park Slope-Carroll Gardens). Its main ZIP codes are 11231, 11217, 11215 and 11201. Subway stations in the neighborhood include Smith-9 Sts and Carroll St.
8What ZIP code is Carroll Gardens in?
Carroll Gardens spans ZIP codes 11231 (57% of residential units), 11217 (18%), 11215 (15%) and 11201 (10%). Shares are of the 36,334 residential units in the Carroll Gardens-Cobble Hill-Gowanus-Red Hook Neighborhood Tabulation Area (BK0601), from NYC PLUTO 26v2 tax-lot records.
9Can you walk around Carroll Gardens at night?
Carroll Gardens is classified as "Higher Than Average" by NYPD complaint data. Over the past 12 months it recorded 5 shooting incidents and 3,893 total crime incidents. Walking at night carries the same risk profile as anywhere in NYC: stay on commercial corridors with foot traffic, avoid empty side streets after midnight, and prefer subway lines that run 24/7.
10Is Carroll Gardens dangerous?
By NYPD data, Carroll Gardens is rated "Higher Than Average", with a lower crime rate per resident than 33% of Brooklyn neighborhoods. 3,893 crime incidents over 12 months. Block-level risk varies; check the address-level safety score for any specific street or building.
11What parts of Carroll Gardens should I avoid?
NYPD complaint records carry approximate incident coordinates, but a neighborhood total can't tell you which blocks drive it, so we don't publish an "avoid this street" list. For a specific block, use DwellCheck's address-level safety score, which counts NYPD crime complaints within a 300m radius of the building over the latest 12 months of published data and compares that count with the borough average.
12Is Carroll Gardens a good place to live?
Carroll Gardens scores 6.1/10 for overall livability and has a lower crime rate per resident than 33% of Brooklyn neighborhoods. Carroll Gardens scores 6.1: a neighborhood with nearby parks and few housing violations, commute trade-offs, and moderate noise and crime you should evaluate directly. Whether it's a good fit depends on what you weight: families, solo renters, and remote workers each prioritize different factors (noise, transit access, parks, building quality).
13What is the average DwellScore in Carroll Gardens?
The composite score is 6.1. Practical (8.0) drives the score up; weaker ART/Livability (3.5) and commute (5.5) components pull it down.
14How safe is Carroll Gardens?
Carroll Gardens has a lower crime rate per resident than 33% of Brooklyn neighborhoods. Total crimes in the past 12 months were 3,893, and the trend is stable (+1% over the period). Noise complaints are moderate at 5,578.
15What's the public transit situation?
You'll find F and G train access at Smith-9 Streets and Carroll Street stations. Commute score is 5.5 (equal to the borough median), reflecting acceptable but not exceptional regional connectivity.
16What about green space and trees?
Carroll Gardens has an average of 163 trees within 200 meters and a tree density of 4.9/10. The largest parks are Red Hook Recreation Area, Coffey Park, Van Voorhees Playground, Thomas Greene Playground and Carroll Park; the 3 nearest parks average 263 meters from the neighborhood's center.
17What type of buildings are in Carroll Gardens?
Walk-up apartment buildings are the largest group, on 43% of residential tax lots. No elevators; you'll climb stairs in all tracked buildings in the neighborhood.
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