Is Jamaica Safe? Queens Livability, Crime & Rent
Jamaica offers a distinctive living experience in Queens.
Jamaica at a glance
- Borough
- Queens
- Livability score
- 5.4/10
- Borough rank
- #17 of 27
- Safety verdict
- High Activity Area
- Crimes (12 mo)
- 11,940
- Subway stations
- 3 (Parsons Blvd, Jamaica Center-Parsons/Archer, Sutphin Blvd-Archer Av-JFK Airport)
- Active listings
- 1
- Data updated
- 2026-04-18
Is Jamaica Safe?
Jamaica, Queens scores 5.4/10 for overall livability, ranking #17 of 27 Queens neighborhoods. Jamaica offers a distinctive living experience in Queens.
This score aggregates live NYPD crime data, 311 safety complaints, shooting incidents, and building health signals within walking distance. Safety varies by block — check a specific Jamaica address below for a block-level breakdown.
Score Overview
Vertical line = borough median. Scale: 0-10.
Neighborhood Character
Jamaica is a neighborhood in Queens with its own distinct character and community.
Analysis based on 1 properties scored across 30+ data points
Livability & Restoration
Tree Canopy
96 trees
Avg within 200m | Density: 9.5/10
10 additional trees per block correlates with health benefits equivalent to being 7 years younger (Kardan et al., 2015)
Park Access
Rufus King Park
Avg 489m away | Score: 2.9/10
Living within 300m of green space associated with 30% fewer antidepressant prescriptions (Taylor et al., 2015)
Acoustic Quality
9/10
Noise proxy score (higher = quieter)
Chronic noise above 55 dB at night associated with 8% cardiovascular mortality increase (Basner et al., 2014)
Street Character
0/10
Enclosure: 0/10
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.
We compute an ART score for every block by combining four signals: access to restorative zones (parks, museums, libraries), sensory load (nightlife and tourist density), street vitality (Jane Jacobs’ “eyes on the street”), and third places (Oldenburg’s informal community spaces).
In line with the Queens median — typical city stimulus with typical restorative access.
What drives the score
- +Restorative zones. Museums, libraries, community gardens, and parks within walking distance. “Soft fascination” stimuli (clouds, tree branches, water) let directed attention recover without effort — the Kaplans’ core mechanism.
- −Sensory load. Bar and nightclub density (5+ within 150m), firehouse siren corridors, tourist chokepoints, and very high foot traffic push the score down by up to 8 points.
- +Street vitality (Jacobs, 1961). Permitted block parties, farmers markets, and community festivals over the past 12 months — a proxy for “eyes on the street” and the informal surveillance that makes blocks feel safe and maintained.
- +Third places (Oldenburg, 1989). Cafés, public plazas (POPS), community centers — the “anchors of community life” that buffer against social isolation. Loneliness has been linked to 29% higher incident coronary heart disease risk (Valtorta et al., 2016).
Health mechanism. Directed-attention fatigue (DAF) is linked to impaired decision-making, irritability, and elevated cortisol. A meta-analysis of 60+ studies (Ohly et al., 2016) found restorative environment exposure significantly improves attention-task performance (Hedges’ g ≈ 0.32) and reduces negative affect.
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: 5.5/10
Walk Score Proxy
0/10
Based on street geometry analysis
Investment Indicators
Multi-Family Stock
0%
2-4 family buildings
Multi-family owner-occupants build 2.4x wealth vs single-family (Herbert, 2013)
Outdoor & Green Space
Avg Tree Count
96
Within 200m radius
Canopy Density
9.5/10
Normalized canopy coverage
Park Network
- Rufus King Park
- Detective Keith L Williams Park
- Marconi Park
- Prospect Cemetery
- Jamaica Playground
Avg distance: 489m
Practical Living
Building Types
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" — safer than 0% of Queens neighborhoods. 11,940 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 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 rent-stabilization status, HPD violations, and building-level signals that affect what you'll actually pay.
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 #17 of 27 Queens neighborhoods on DwellCheck's livability score (5.4/10). 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?
Living in Jamaica, Queens weights against six livability dimensions: practical (HPD-violation density), commute (subway proximity), arts/culture (venue density), outdoor (parks + trees), financial (price level), investment (price trend). Jamaica's composite is 5.4/10. Jamaica offers a distinctive living experience in Queens. For the block-by-block view, run any specific Jamaica address through DwellCheck.
7Can you walk around Jamaica at night?
Jamaica is classified as "High Activity Area" by NYPD CompStat data. Over the past 12 months it recorded 10 shooting incidents and 11,940 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.
8Is Jamaica dangerous?
By NYPD data, Jamaica is rated "High Activity Area" — safer than 0% of Queens neighborhoods. 11,940 crime incidents over 12 months. Block-level risk varies; check the address-level safety score for any specific street or building.
9What parts of Jamaica should I avoid?
NYPD CompStat reports incidents at the precinct level, not block-by-block, so a granular "avoid this street" answer isn't possible from public data alone. The most reliable signal at the block level is DwellCheck's address-level safety score, which weights NYPD incidents within a 250m radius of a specific building. As a general rule across NYC: industrial blocks with no foot traffic are higher-risk than residential blocks; subway-station-adjacent commercial corridors are lowest-risk.
10Is Jamaica a good place to live?
Jamaica scores 5.4/10 for overall livability and ranks in the 0th percentile for safety in Queens. 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).
11Is 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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