Is Ridgewood Safe? Queens Livability, Crime & Rent
Ridgewood is a practical, transit-rich neighborhood with strong outdoor access, but safety concerns and noise activity keep it solidly middle-of-the-road with a composite score of 6.9.
Ridgewood at a glance
- Borough
- Queens
- Livability score
- 6.9/10
- Borough rank
- #3 of 27
- Safety verdict
- Higher Than Average
- Crimes (12 mo)
- 2,735
- Median listing
- $0
- Subway stations
- 5 (Woodhaven Blvd, Grand Av-Newtown, Elmhurst Av)
- Active listings
- 392
- Data updated
- 2026-04-05
Is Ridgewood Safe?
Ridgewood, Queens scores 6.9/10 for overall livability, ranking #3 of 27 Queens neighborhoods. Ridgewood is a practical, transit-rich neighborhood with strong outdoor access, but safety concerns and noise activity keep it solidly middle-of-the-road with a composite score of 6.9.
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 Ridgewood address below for a block-level breakdown.
Score Overview
Vertical line = borough median. Scale: 0-10.
Neighborhood Character
You'll find Ridgewood anchored by dense tree canopy—116 trees average within a 200-meter radius and 9.5/10 canopy density—that softens the industrial Queens streetscape. The neighborhood's mid-rise and walk-up building stock (54% and 37% respectively) creates a human-scaled feel, with access to five parks including Elmhurst Park and Moore Homestead Playground, all within roughly 500 meters of most addresses. The M and R trains cut through on Woodhaven Boulevard and Grand Avenue, with the 7, E, and F lines nearby at Jackson Heights-Roosevelt Avenue, giving you connectivity that punches well above typical outer-borough standards. What you'll also notice: the area registers as high-activity for crime (percentile 2% in the borough) and carries very high noise complaints (5,733 over 12 months), reflecting a neighborhood still in flux rather than settled.
Analysis based on 392 properties scored across 30+ data points
Livability & Restoration
Tree Canopy
116 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
Elmhurst Park
Avg 479m away | Score: 3/10
Living within 300m of green space associated with 30% fewer antidepressant prescriptions (Taylor et al., 2015)
Acoustic Quality
10/10
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
8/10
Borough median: 5.5/10
Walk Score Proxy
0/10
Based on street geometry analysis
Financial Landscape
Median Price
$0
Price per Sq Ft
$0
Price Distribution
Price by Building Type
Investment Indicators
Avg Unused FAR
0 sqft
Development rights potential
Unused development rights valued at $30-$80/sqft in Brooklyn (Glaeser, 2011)
Avg Days on Market
0
Market velocity signal
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
116
Within 200m radius
Canopy Density
9.5/10
Normalized canopy coverage
Park Network
- Elmhurst Park
- Hoffman Park
- Moore Homestead Playground
- Crowley Playground
- Frank D. O'Connor Playground
Avg distance: 479m
Practical Living
Building Types
Who Ridgewood Is For
Transit-dependent professionals
Commute score of 8 (borough median 5.5) and five subway lines within walking distance make this practical for those prioritizing rapid access to Manhattan or other job centers
Outdoor-focused renters
Outdoor score of 6 (borough median 5) paired with exceptional tree coverage (116 avg/200m) and five accessible parks appeal to people who want green space without leaving Queens
Practical, budget-conscious residents
Practical score of 9 (borough median 5.3)—highest in your dataset—reflects reliable transit, walkable blocks, and straightforward neighborhood infrastructure without premium amenities
Pros & Cons
Strengths
Exceptional transit access
Commute score of 8; five subway lines (M, R, 7, E, F) within the neighborhood
Dense tree canopy and parks
116 trees within 200m average and 9.5/10 canopy density; five parks within ~500m
Highly walkable, practical neighborhood
Practical score of 9 (borough median 5.3); 392 tracked buildings create consistent street-level density
Balanced building types
Mix of mid-rise (54%), walk-ups (37%), and high-rise (9%) offers varied housing stock
Trade-offs
High crime activity and worsening trend
Crime percentile 2% in borough; 4,695 crimes over 12 months; +185.2% upward trend
Very high noise complaints
5,733 noise complaints recorded over 12 months
Below-median financial and investment scores
Financial score of 5 (borough median 6); Investment score of 5 (borough median 5.5) suggest limited economic growth signals
Modest livability amenities
ART/Livability score of 4.8 (at borough median) indicates fewer cultural institutions and experiential draws
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" — safer than 43% of Queens neighborhoods. 2,735 crime incidents and 2 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. The median listing price is $0. Use DwellCheck to research specific addresses.
3How is transit access in Ridgewood?
Ridgewood has a commute score of 8/10. 5 subway stations serve the area: Woodhaven Blvd, Grand Av-Newtown, Elmhurst 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 on DwellCheck's livability score (6.9/10). It's served by 5 subway stations (Woodhaven Blvd, Grand Av-Newtown, Elmhurst Av), with a median listing price of $0. Ridgewood is a practical, transit-rich neighborhood with strong outdoor access, but safety concerns and noise activity keep it solidly middle-of-the-road with a composite score of 6.9.
6What is it like to live in Ridgewood?
Living in Ridgewood, 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). Ridgewood's composite is 6.9/10. Ridgewood is a practical, transit-rich neighborhood with strong outdoor access, but safety concerns and noise activity keep it solidly middle-of-the-road with a composite score of 6.9. For the block-by-block view, run any specific Ridgewood address through DwellCheck.
7Is Ridgewood expensive?
Median listing price in Ridgewood, Queens is $0 based on 392 active listings as of 2026-04-05. Whether that reads "expensive" depends on the comparison: it's lower than Manhattan averages and varies considerably by building. Rent-stabilized units in Ridgewood can run 20-40% below the median; check DHCR rent history for any specific address to verify.
8Can you walk around Ridgewood at night?
Ridgewood is classified as "Higher Than Average" by NYPD CompStat data. Over the past 12 months it recorded 2 shooting incidents and 2,735 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.
9Is Ridgewood dangerous?
By NYPD data, Ridgewood is rated "Higher Than Average" — safer than 43% of Queens neighborhoods. 2,735 crime incidents over 12 months. Block-level risk varies; check the address-level safety score for any specific street or building.
10What parts of Ridgewood 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.
11Is Ridgewood a good place to live?
Ridgewood scores 6.9/10 for overall livability and ranks in the 43th percentile for safety in Queens. Ridgewood is a practical, transit-rich neighborhood with strong outdoor access, but safety concerns and noise activity keep it solidly middle-of-the-road with a composite score of 6.9. 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).
12What is the average DwellScore in Ridgewood?
The median composite score is 6.9 (interquartile range 6.5–7.3). Strength comes from Practical (9) and Commute (8) scores; weakness from Financial (5) and ART/Livability (4.8)
13How safe is Ridgewood?
Safety ranks in the 2nd percentile borough-wide, the highest crime concentration in Queens. 4,695 crimes recorded over 12 months with a +185.2% upward trend. This is a material consideration
14Is Ridgewood good for commuting?
Yes. Commute score of 8 reflects five subway lines (M, R, 7, E, F) within walking distance, well above the borough median of 5.5
15What is the tree and park situation?
You'll find 116 trees within 200 meters on average and 9.5/10 canopy density—excellent for Queens. Five parks (Elmhurst, Hoffman, Moore Homestead, Crowley, Frank D. O'Connor) are typically 479 meters away
16What types of buildings are in Ridgewood?
54% mid-rise, 37% walk-ups, 9% high-rise across 392 tracked buildings. The mix creates a walkable, mid-scaled streetscape typical of inner-Queens neighborhoods
17Why are Financial and Investment scores both 5?
Price data is not available from NYC Open Data sources, so these scores default to neutral (5.0). Focus instead on the Practical (9) and Commute (8) scores, which reflect actual neighborhood conditions
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