Is Kew Gardens Safe? Queens Livability, Crime & Rent
Kew Gardens scores 5.3 composite—a tree-rich neighborhood with notable commute friction.
Kew Gardens at a glance
- Borough
- Queens
- Livability score
- 5.3/10
- Borough rank (NYC Open Data guides)
- #24 of 27
- Safety verdict
- Much Safer Than Average
- Crimes (12 mo)
- 846
- ZIP codes
- 11415 (80%), 11418 (21%)Share of residential units, NYC PLUTO 26v2
- Subway stations
- 1 (Briarwood)
- Data updated
- 2026-09-14
Is Kew Gardens Safe?
Kew Gardens, Queens scores 5.3/10 for overall livability, ranking #24 of 27 Queens neighborhoods scored from NYC Open Data. Kew Gardens scores 5.3 composite—a tree-rich neighborhood with notable commute friction.
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 Kew Gardens safety page. Safety varies by block — check a specific Kew 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 Queens neighborhood guides.
Neighborhood Character
Kew Gardens reads as an architecturally distinct neighborhood anchored by its village center and proximity to Forest Park. You'll find an average of 159 trees within 200 meters of any address, with a tree density of 4.7/10. One-family houses sit on 50% of residential tax lots and two-family houses on 23%, and characterized by Tudor Revival and period homes that give the neighborhood visual consistency. Three parks anchor the area: Maple Grove Park, Eight Oaks Triangle, and Metro Triangle; the 3 nearest average 472 meters from the neighborhood's center. The E and F trains serve the neighborhood via Briarwood station, and the commute score (3.5) equals the borough median.
Livability & Restoration
Trees
159 trees
Expected in a 200m circle (NYC Parks tree inventory) | Density: 4.7/10 (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
3 parks
NYC Parks properties inside the neighborhood | largest: Maple Grove Park | nearest to the center: Eight Oaks Triangle, 270m | 3 nearest average 472m from the neighborhood's center
Acoustic Quality
4/10
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 Queens 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
3.5/10
Borough median: 3.5/10
Outdoor & Green Space
Avg Tree Count
159
Trees expected in a 200m circle
Tree Density
4.7/10
1,262 trees per km² in NYC Parks' tree inventory (street and park trees); city percentile, 1 = sparsest
Largest Parks In or Near the Neighborhood
- Maple Grove Park
- Eight Oaks Triangle
- Metro Triangle
Nearest to the neighborhood's center: Eight Oaks Triangle, about 270m. The 3 nearest NYC Parks properties average 472m from the center (approximate park centers, not entrances).
Practical Living
Practical (HPD violations): 7/10 (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 1,519 residential tax lots in the neighborhood by PLUTO building class (NYC Department of City Planning).
Who Kew Gardens Is For
Green-space prioritizers
Tree density of 4.7/10, 159 average trees per 200m radius and Forest Park nearby; ART/Livability score of 3.9 is just below the borough median of 4.1.
Transit-dependent professionals
E/F service via Briarwood provides reliable subway access, though a commute score of 3.5, equal to the borough median, indicates long travel times to major job centers.
Neighborhood stability seekers
A practical score of 7/10 (borough median 8.0) reflects the rate of HPD housing violations; Tudor architecture and village center create cohesive streetscape appeal.
Pros & Cons
Strengths
Architectural character and visual cohesion
Tudor-style building stock and established neighborhood identity differentiate Kew Gardens from surrounding areas
Forest Park adjacency
Direct access to one of Queens's largest green spaces and recreational anchors
Trade-offs
Significantly longer commute times
Commute score of 3.5 vs. borough median of 3.5; E/F service is the primary transit option
Moderate noise complaints
1,475 noise complaints recorded—flagged as 'Moderate' and suggesting traffic, construction, or quality-of-life friction
Limited transit redundancy
Reliance on single E/F line creates vulnerability; no alternative subway routes serve the neighborhood directly
Score Any Address in Kew Gardens
Get detailed livability scores based on building health, transit access, safety, noise levels, and 15+ NYC data sources.
Search an Address in Kew GardensFrequently Asked Questions about Kew Gardens
1Is Kew Gardens safe?
By NYPD data, Kew Gardens is rated "Much Safer Than Average", with a lower crime rate per resident than 81% of Queens neighborhoods. 846 crime incidents and 1 shooting incident over the past 12 months. See the safety page for the full breakdown.
2What is the average rent in Kew Gardens?
Rents in Kew Gardens, 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 Kew Gardens?
Kew Gardens has a commute score of 3.5/10. 1 subway stations serve the area: Briarwood.
4What are the best streets in Kew Gardens?
The best streets depend on your priorities. Use DwellCheck to compare specific addresses across livability, safety, transit, and environmental factors.
5What is Kew Gardens known for?
Kew Gardens sits in Queens and ranks #24 of 27 Queens neighborhoods scored from NYC Open Data on DwellCheck's livability score (5.3/10). It's served by 1 subway station (Briarwood). Kew Gardens scores 5.3 composite—a tree-rich neighborhood with notable commute friction.
6What is it like to live in Kew Gardens?
DwellCheck scores Kew Gardens, 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). Kew Gardens's composite is 5.3/10. Kew Gardens scores 5.3 composite—a tree-rich neighborhood with notable commute friction. For the block-by-block view, run any specific Kew Gardens address through DwellCheck.
7Where is Kew Gardens?
Kew Gardens is in Queens, New York City. DwellCheck maps it to the Kew Gardens Neighborhood Tabulation Area (QN0901), which falls in the Census tabulation area that approximates Queens Community District 9 (Kew Gardens-Richmond Hill-Woodhaven). Its main ZIP codes are 11415 and 11418. Subway stations in the neighborhood include Briarwood.
8What ZIP code is Kew Gardens in?
Kew Gardens spans ZIP codes 11415 (80% of residential units) and 11418 (21%). Shares are of the 11,122 residential units in the Kew Gardens Neighborhood Tabulation Area (QN0901), from NYC PLUTO 26v2 tax-lot records.
9Can you walk around Kew Gardens at night?
Kew Gardens is classified as "Much Safer Than Average" by NYPD complaint data. Over the past 12 months it recorded 1 shooting incident and 846 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 Kew Gardens dangerous?
By NYPD data, Kew Gardens is rated "Much Safer Than Average", with a lower crime rate per resident than 81% of Queens neighborhoods. 846 crime incidents over 12 months. Block-level risk varies; check the address-level safety score for any specific street or building.
11What parts of Kew 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 Kew Gardens a good place to live?
Kew Gardens scores 5.3/10 for overall livability and has a lower crime rate per resident than 81% of Queens neighborhoods. Kew Gardens scores 5.3 composite—a tree-rich neighborhood with notable commute friction. 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 Kew Gardens?
The composite score is 5.3. Livability (3.9) sits just below the borough median, practical (7.0) below it, and commute (3.5) at it.
14How safe is Kew Gardens?
Kew Gardens is rated much safer than average, with a lower crime rate per resident than 81% of Queens neighborhoods. Total crimes over 12 months reached 846, down 7% year-over-year, though 1 shooting incident lowers the rating.
15Is Kew Gardens good for commuting?
No—the commute score of 3.5 only equals the borough median. E/F service via Briarwood is the primary option; travel times to major job centers are longer than neighboring areas.
16What makes Kew Gardens livable day-to-day?
A practical score of 7/10, just below the borough median, reflects the rate of HPD housing violations per residential lot. Mid-range tree density (159 trees per 200m, 4.7/10) and three nearby parks support outdoor living. Architectural cohesion around Tudor-style homes adds visual consistency.
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