Is Jamaica Safe? Queens Livability, Crime & Rent
Jamaica offers a distinctive living experience in Queens.
Jamaica at a glance
- Borough
- Queens
- Livability score
- 5.9/10
- Borough rank (NYC Open Data guides)
- #11 of 27
- Safety verdict
- High Activity Area
- Crimes (12 mo)
- 12,034
- ZIP codes
- 11432 (34%), 11435 (32%), 11433 (30%)Share of residential units, NYC PLUTO 26v2
- Subway stations
- 3 (Parsons Blvd, Jamaica Center-Parsons/Archer, Sutphin Blvd-Archer Av-JFK Airport)
- Data updated
- 2026-09-14
Is Jamaica Safe?
Jamaica, Queens scores 5.9/10 for overall livability, ranking #11 of 27 Queens neighborhoods scored from NYC Open Data. Jamaica offers a distinctive living experience in Queens.
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 Jamaica safety page. Safety varies by block — check a specific Jamaica 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 Queens neighborhood guides.
Neighborhood Character
Jamaica is a neighborhood in Queens with its own distinct character and community.
Livability & Restoration
Trees
148 trees
Expected in a 200m circle (NYC Parks tree inventory) | Density: 3.7/10 (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
19 parks
NYC Parks properties inside the neighborhood | largest: Rufus King Park | nearest to the center: Discovery Garden, 431m | 3 nearest average 489m 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.
More than a point below the Queens median: sparser trees, more noise complaints per resident, or both.
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
6/10
Borough median: 3.5/10
Outdoor & Green Space
Avg Tree Count
148
Trees expected in a 200m circle
Tree Density
3.7/10
1,174 trees per km² in NYC Parks' tree inventory (street and park trees); city percentile, 1 = sparsest
Largest Parks In or Near the Neighborhood
- Rufus King Park
- Detective Keith L Williams Park
- Marconi Park
- Prospect Cemetery
- Jamaica Playground
Nearest to the neighborhood's center: Discovery Garden, about 431m. The 3 nearest NYC Parks properties average 489m from the center (approximate park centers, not entrances).
Practical Living
Practical (HPD violations): 8/10 (Queens median 8). It measures HPD housing violations per residential lot over the last 12 months (higher = fewer violations).
Building Mix (Residential Tax Lots)
Share of the 10,499 residential tax lots in the neighborhood by PLUTO building class (NYC Department of City Planning).
Who Jamaica Is For
NYC newcomers
A neighborhood worth exploring for its unique qualities.
Pros & Cons
Strengths
Jamaica Station hub
Based on neighborhood data
Trade-offs
Competitive market
High demand across NYC
Score Any Address in Jamaica
Get detailed livability scores based on building health, transit access, safety, noise levels, and 15+ NYC data sources.
Search an Address in JamaicaFrequently Asked Questions about Jamaica
1Is Jamaica safe?
By NYPD data, Jamaica is rated "High Activity Area", with the highest crime rate per resident of the 27 Queens neighborhoods we track. 12,034 crime incidents and 13 shooting incidents over the past 12 months. See the safety page for the full breakdown.
2What is the average rent in Jamaica?
Rents in Jamaica, Queens 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 Jamaica?
Jamaica has a commute score of 6/10. 3 subway stations serve the area: Parsons Blvd, Jamaica Center-Parsons/Archer, Sutphin Blvd-Archer Av-JFK Airport.
4What are the best streets in Jamaica?
The best streets depend on your priorities. Use DwellCheck to compare specific addresses across livability, safety, transit, and environmental factors.
5What is Jamaica known for?
Jamaica sits in Queens and ranks #11 of 27 Queens neighborhoods scored from NYC Open Data on DwellCheck's livability score (5.9/10). It's served by 3 subway stations (Parsons Blvd, Jamaica Center-Parsons/Archer, Sutphin Blvd-Archer Av-JFK Airport). Jamaica offers a distinctive living experience in Queens.
6What is it like to live in Jamaica?
DwellCheck scores Jamaica, Queens 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). Jamaica's composite is 5.9/10. Jamaica offers a distinctive living experience in Queens. For the block-by-block view, run any specific Jamaica address through DwellCheck.
7Where is Jamaica?
Jamaica is in Queens, New York City. DwellCheck maps it to the Jamaica and South Jamaica Neighborhood Tabulation Areas (QN1201, QN1202), which fall in the Census tabulation area that approximates Queens Community District 12 (Jamaica-St. Albans-Hollis). Its main ZIP codes are 11432, 11435 and 11433. Subway stations in the neighborhood include Parsons Blvd, Jamaica Center-Parsons/Archer and Sutphin Blvd-Archer Av-JFK Airport.
8What ZIP code is Jamaica in?
Jamaica spans ZIP codes 11432 (34% of residential units), 11435 (32%) and 11433 (30%). Shares are of the 36,701 residential units in the Jamaica and South Jamaica Neighborhood Tabulation Areas (QN1201, QN1202), from NYC PLUTO 26v2 tax-lot records. 3 other ZIP codes each hold under 5%.
9Can you walk around Jamaica at night?
Jamaica is classified as "High Activity Area" by NYPD complaint data. Over the past 12 months it recorded 13 shooting incidents and 12,034 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 Jamaica dangerous?
By NYPD data, Jamaica is rated "High Activity Area", with the highest crime rate per resident of the 27 Queens neighborhoods we track. 12,034 crime incidents over 12 months. Block-level risk varies; check the address-level safety score for any specific street or building.
11What parts of Jamaica 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 Jamaica a good place to live?
Jamaica scores 5.9/10 for overall livability and has the highest crime rate per resident of the 27 Queens neighborhoods we track. Jamaica offers a distinctive living experience in Queens. 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).
13Is Jamaica a good place to live?
Jamaica is a popular Queens neighborhood. Explore the data to decide if it fits your needs.
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