Is Ocean Hill Safe? Brooklyn Livability, Crime & Rent
Ocean Hill scores 6.4 composite: excellent transit and trees, set against a high-activity crime record.
Ocean Hill at a glance
- Borough
- Brooklyn
- Livability score
- 6.4/10
- Borough rank (NYC Open Data guides)
- #11 of 28
- Safety verdict
- High Activity Area
- Crimes (12 mo)
- 4,506
- ZIP codes
- 11233 (96%)Share of residential units, NYC PLUTO 26v2
- Subway stations
- 4 (Chauncey St, Halsey St, Rockaway Av)
- Data updated
- 2026-09-26
Is Ocean Hill Safe?
Ocean Hill, Brooklyn scores 6.4/10 for overall livability, ranking #11 of 28 Brooklyn neighborhoods scored from NYC Open Data. Ocean Hill scores 6.4 composite: excellent transit and trees, set against a high-activity crime record.
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 Ocean Hill safety page. Safety varies by block — check a specific Ocean Hill 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 find a walk-up and two-family neighborhood: walk-up apartments are 46% of residential tax lots and two-family houses 42%. Tree cover is dense for Brooklyn, with about 228 NYC Parks-inventoried trees in a typical 200m circle and a tree density of 8.6/10. There are 23 NYC Parks properties inside the neighborhood, mostly small playgrounds such as Callahan-Kelly Playground, South Pacific Playground and Ocean Hill Playground, plus the Eastern Parkway Extension. The nearest to the center is Phoenix Community Garden, 153m away.
Broadway Junction gives Ocean Hill the A, C, J, L and Z at one station, and Chauncey St (J, Z), Halsey St (J) and Rockaway Av (C) add more stops; commute scores 8/10.
The trade-offs are crime and complaints. DwellCheck's verdict is a high-activity area, with a lower crime rate per resident than 3% of Brooklyn neighborhoods, 4,506 crimes and 10 shootings in 12 months, and a worsening trend (+6.3%). Rodent complaints are labelled Very High and noise High.
Livability & Restoration
Trees
228 trees
Expected in a 200m circle (NYC Parks tree inventory) | Density: 8.6/10 (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
23 parks
NYC Parks properties inside the neighborhood | largest: Callahan-Kelly Playground | nearest to the center: Phoenix Community Garden, 153m | 3 nearest average 213m from the neighborhood's center
Acoustic Quality
2/10
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
8/10
Borough median: 5.5/10
Outdoor & Green Space
Avg Tree Count
228
Trees expected in a 200m circle
Tree Density
8.6/10
1,815 trees per km² in NYC Parks' tree inventory (street and park trees); city percentile, 1 = sparsest
Largest Parks In or Near the Neighborhood
- Callahan-Kelly Playground
- South Pacific Playground
- Eastern Parkway Extension
- Ocean Hill Playground
- Marion Hopkinson Playground
Nearest to the neighborhood's center: Phoenix Community Garden, about 153m. The 3 nearest NYC Parks properties average 213m from the center (approximate park centers, not entrances).
Practical Living
Practical (HPD violations): 6/10 (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 3,379 residential tax lots in the neighborhood by PLUTO building class (NYC Department of City Planning).
Who Ocean Hill Is For
Commuters who need many lines
Commute scores 8/10 (borough median 5.5); Broadway Junction alone serves the A, C, J, L and Z.
People who want tree-lined blocks
Tree density is 8.6/10, with about 228 trees in a typical 200m circle.
Residents who know the area
A high-activity safety verdict and a worsening crime trend (+6.3%) weigh most on newcomers.
Pros & Cons
Strengths
Broadway Junction transit hub
Four stations inside the neighborhood, including Broadway Junction (A, C, J, L, Z); commute 8/10.
Dense tree cover
Tree density 8.6/10 and about 228 trees in a 200m circle.
Outdoor access above the borough
Outdoor scores 7.4/10 against a Brooklyn median of 5.9, with 23 NYC Parks properties inside the neighborhood.
Trade-offs
High crime, rising
A lower crime rate per resident than 3% of Brooklyn neighborhoods; 4,506 crimes and 10 shootings in 12 months; trend worsening (+6.3%).
Rodent and noise complaints
257 rodent complaints (6.8 per 1,000 residents, Very High) and 4,556 noise complaints (120 per 1,000 residents, High) in 12 months.
More housing violations than the borough
Practical scores 6/10 against a borough median of 7.5.
Score Any Address in Ocean Hill
Get detailed livability scores based on building health, transit access, safety, noise levels, and 15+ NYC data sources.
Search an Address in Ocean HillFrequently Asked Questions about Ocean Hill
1Is Ocean Hill safe?
By NYPD data, Ocean Hill is rated "High Activity Area", with a lower crime rate per resident than 3% of Brooklyn neighborhoods. 4,506 crime incidents and 10 shooting incidents over the past 12 months. See the safety page for the full breakdown.
2What is the average rent in Ocean Hill?
Rents in Ocean Hill, 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 Ocean Hill?
Ocean Hill has a commute score of 8/10. 4 subway stations serve the area: Chauncey St, Halsey St, Rockaway Av.
4What are the best streets in Ocean Hill?
The best streets depend on your priorities. Use DwellCheck to compare specific addresses across livability, safety, transit, and environmental factors.
5What is Ocean Hill known for?
Ocean Hill sits in Brooklyn and ranks #11 of 28 Brooklyn neighborhoods scored from NYC Open Data on DwellCheck's livability score (6.4/10). It's served by 4 subway stations (Chauncey St, Halsey St, Rockaway Av). Ocean Hill scores 6.4 composite: excellent transit and trees, set against a high-activity crime record.
6What is it like to live in Ocean Hill?
DwellCheck scores Ocean Hill, 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). Ocean Hill's composite is 6.4/10. Ocean Hill scores 6.4 composite: excellent transit and trees, set against a high-activity crime record. For the block-by-block view, run any specific Ocean Hill address through DwellCheck.
7Where is Ocean Hill?
Ocean Hill is in Brooklyn, New York City. DwellCheck maps it to the Ocean Hill Neighborhood Tabulation Area (BK1601), which falls in the Census tabulation area that approximates Brooklyn Community District 16 (Ocean Hill-Brownsville). Its main ZIP code is 11233. Subway stations in the neighborhood include Chauncey St, Halsey St and Rockaway Av.
8What ZIP code is Ocean Hill in?
Ocean Hill is in ZIP code 11233 (96% of residential units). Shares are of the 16,312 residential units in the Ocean Hill Neighborhood Tabulation Area (BK1601), from NYC PLUTO 26v2 tax-lot records. 3 other ZIP codes each hold under 5%.
9Can you walk around Ocean Hill at night?
Ocean Hill is classified as "High Activity Area" by NYPD complaint data. Over the past 12 months it recorded 10 shooting incidents and 4,506 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 Ocean Hill dangerous?
By NYPD data, Ocean Hill is rated "High Activity Area", with a lower crime rate per resident than 3% of Brooklyn neighborhoods. 4,506 crime incidents over 12 months. Block-level risk varies; check the address-level safety score for any specific street or building.
11What parts of Ocean Hill 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 Ocean Hill a good place to live?
Ocean Hill scores 6.4/10 for overall livability and has a lower crime rate per resident than 3% of Brooklyn neighborhoods. Ocean Hill scores 6.4 composite: excellent transit and trees, set against a high-activity crime record. 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 Ocean Hill?
The composite score is 6.4. Commute (8), Outdoor (7.4) and ART/Livability (4.8) are above the Brooklyn medians of 5.5, 5.9 and 4.4; Practical (6) is below the median of 7.5.
14Is Ocean Hill safe?
DwellCheck rates it a high-activity area: it has a lower crime rate per resident than 3% of Brooklyn neighborhoods, with 4,506 crimes and 10 shootings in 12 months, and the trend is worsening (+6.3%).
15Which subway stations are in Ocean Hill?
Broadway Junction (A, C, J, L, Z), Chauncey St (J, Z), Halsey St (J) and Rockaway Av (C).
16What kind of housing is in Ocean Hill?
By residential tax lot (PLUTO): walk-up apartments 46%, two-family houses 42%, mixed residential/commercial 8% and one-family houses 2%.
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