Is Ridgewood Safe? Queens Livability, Crime & Rent
Ridgewood is a practical, transit-rich neighborhood with strong outdoor access, but safety concerns and noise activity temper it, with a composite score of 6.8.
Ridgewood at a glance
- Borough
- Queens
- Livability score
- 6.8/10
- Borough rank (NYC Open Data guides)
- #3 of 27
- Safety verdict
- Higher Than Average
- Crimes (12 mo)
- 2,841
- ZIP codes
- 11385 (98%)Share of residential units, NYC PLUTO 26v2
- Subway stations
- 5 (Middle Village-Metropolitan Av, Fresh Pond Rd, Forest Av)
- Data updated
- 2026-09-14
Is Ridgewood Safe?
Ridgewood, Queens scores 6.8/10 for overall livability, ranking #3 of 27 Queens neighborhoods scored from NYC Open Data. Ridgewood is a practical, transit-rich neighborhood with strong outdoor access, but safety concerns and noise activity temper it, with a composite score of 6.8.
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 Ridgewood safety page. Safety varies by block — check a specific Ridgewood 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
You'll find Ridgewood anchored by its trees—193 trees average within a 200-meter radius and 7.1/10 tree density—that softens the industrial Queens streetscape. Walk-up apartment buildings (43% of residential tax lots) and two-family houses (38%) create a human-scaled feel, with access to parks including Mafera Park and Grover Cleveland Playground; the 3 nearest parks average 280 meters from the neighborhood's center. The M train stops at Seneca Avenue, Forest Avenue, Fresh Pond Road, and Middle Village-Metropolitan Avenue, with the L joining at Myrtle-Wyckoff Avenues. What you'll also notice: the area has a lower crime rate per resident than 38% of Queens neighborhoods and carries moderate noise complaints (5,668 over 12 months), reflecting a neighborhood still in flux rather than settled.
Livability & Restoration
Trees
193 trees
Expected in a 200m circle (NYC Parks tree inventory) | Density: 7.1/10 (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
8 parks
NYC Parks properties inside the neighborhood | largest: Mafera Park | nearest to the center: Rosemary's Playground, 194m | 3 nearest average 280m 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 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
7/10
Borough median: 3.5/10
Outdoor & Green Space
Avg Tree Count
193
Trees expected in a 200m circle
Tree Density
7.1/10
1,533 trees per km² in NYC Parks' tree inventory (street and park trees); city percentile, 1 = sparsest
Largest Parks In or Near the Neighborhood
- Mafera Park
- Grover Cleveland Playground
- Evergreen Park
- Rosemary's Playground
- Starr Playground
Nearest to the neighborhood's center: Rosemary's Playground, about 194m. The 3 nearest NYC Parks properties average 280m 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 7,403 residential tax lots in the neighborhood by PLUTO building class (NYC Department of City Planning).
Who Ridgewood Is For
Transit-dependent professionals
Commute score of 7 (borough median 3.5) and two subway lines at five stations make this practical for those prioritizing rapid access to Manhattan or other job centers
Outdoor-focused renters
Outdoor score of 6.9 (borough median 6.0) paired with exceptional tree coverage (193 avg/200m) and five accessible parks appeal to people who want green space without leaving Queens
Pros & Cons
Strengths
Strong transit access
Commute score of 7; five subway stations on the M and L lines within the neighborhood
Tree density and parks
193 trees within 200m average and 7.1/10 tree density; the 3 nearest parks average 280m from the neighborhood's center
Balanced building types
Residential tax lots mix walk-up apartment buildings (43%), two-family houses (38%) and mixed residential/commercial buildings (11%)
Trade-offs
High crime activity
A lower crime rate per resident than 38% of Queens neighborhoods; 2,841 crimes over 12 months; stable trend (+4.7%)
Moderate noise complaints
5,668 noise complaints recorded over 12 months
Score Any Address in Ridgewood
Get detailed livability scores based on building health, transit access, safety, noise levels, and 15+ NYC data sources.
Search an Address in RidgewoodFrequently Asked Questions about Ridgewood
1Is Ridgewood safe?
By NYPD data, Ridgewood is rated "Higher Than Average", with a lower crime rate per resident than 38% of Queens neighborhoods. 2,841 crime incidents and 3 shooting incidents over the past 12 months. See the safety page for the full breakdown.
2What is the average rent in Ridgewood?
Rents in Ridgewood, 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 Ridgewood?
Ridgewood has a commute score of 7/10. 5 subway stations serve the area: Middle Village-Metropolitan Av, Fresh Pond Rd, Forest Av.
4What are the best streets in Ridgewood?
The best streets depend on your priorities. Use DwellCheck to compare specific addresses across livability, safety, transit, and environmental factors.
5What is Ridgewood known for?
Ridgewood sits in Queens and ranks #3 of 27 Queens neighborhoods scored from NYC Open Data on DwellCheck's livability score (6.8/10). It's served by 5 subway stations (Middle Village-Metropolitan Av, Fresh Pond Rd, Forest Av). Ridgewood is a practical, transit-rich neighborhood with strong outdoor access, but safety concerns and noise activity temper it, with a composite score of 6.8.
6What is it like to live in Ridgewood?
DwellCheck scores Ridgewood, 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). Ridgewood's composite is 6.8/10. Ridgewood is a practical, transit-rich neighborhood with strong outdoor access, but safety concerns and noise activity temper it, with a composite score of 6.8. For the block-by-block view, run any specific Ridgewood address through DwellCheck.
7Where is Ridgewood?
Ridgewood is in Queens, New York City. DwellCheck maps it to the Ridgewood Neighborhood Tabulation Area (QN0502), which falls in the Census tabulation area that approximates Queens Community District 5 (Ridgewood-Maspeth-Middle Village). Its main ZIP code is 11385. Subway stations in the neighborhood include Middle Village-Metropolitan Av, Fresh Pond Rd and Forest Av.
8What ZIP code is Ridgewood in?
Ridgewood is in ZIP code 11385 (98% of residential units). Shares are of the 25,382 residential units in the Ridgewood Neighborhood Tabulation Area (QN0502), from NYC PLUTO 26v2 tax-lot records. 1 other ZIP code holds under 5%.
9Can you walk around Ridgewood at night?
Ridgewood is classified as "Higher Than Average" by NYPD complaint data. Over the past 12 months it recorded 3 shooting incidents and 2,841 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 Ridgewood dangerous?
By NYPD data, Ridgewood is rated "Higher Than Average", with a lower crime rate per resident than 38% of Queens neighborhoods. 2,841 crime incidents over 12 months. Block-level risk varies; check the address-level safety score for any specific street or building.
11What parts of Ridgewood 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 Ridgewood a good place to live?
Ridgewood scores 6.8/10 for overall livability and has a lower crime rate per resident than 38% of Queens neighborhoods. Ridgewood is a practical, transit-rich neighborhood with strong outdoor access, but safety concerns and noise activity temper it, with a composite score of 6.8. 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 Ridgewood?
The composite score is 6.8. Strength comes from Practical (8) and Commute (7) scores; weakness from ART/Livability (4.6), only slightly above the borough median
14How safe is Ridgewood?
Ridgewood is rated higher than average, with a lower crime rate per resident than 38% of Queens neighborhoods. 2,841 crimes recorded over 12 months, a stable trend (+4.7%). This is a material consideration
15Is Ridgewood good for commuting?
Yes. Commute score of 7 reflects two subway lines (M, L) at five stations within walking distance, well above the borough median of 3.5
16What is the tree and park situation?
You'll find 193 trees within 200 meters on average and 7.1/10 tree density—excellent for Queens. Parks include Mafera, Grover Cleveland, Evergreen, Rosemary's and Starr; the 3 nearest parks average 280 meters from the neighborhood's center
17What types of buildings are in Ridgewood?
Of 7,403 residential tax lots, 43% are walk-up apartment buildings, 38% two-family houses and 11% mixed residential/commercial. The mix creates a walkable, mid-scaled streetscape typical of inner-Queens neighborhoods
18Why is there no price or investment score?
Price and investment data are not available in NYC Open Data, so DwellCheck does not score them for this neighborhood. Focus instead on the Practical (8) and Commute (7) scores, which reflect measured neighborhood conditions
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