New York/Compare
Brooklyn Heights vs Lower East Side
Brooklyn Heights and Lower East Side are two official neighborhoods in New York. Brooklyn Heights is the calmer Part I map (81 vs 10). Lower East Side wins the errand count. Lower East Side has the lower ACS median ($1,780).
Data vintage. ACS 2024 5-year · NYPD Oct 2025 – Jun 2026 · OSM Sep 2026 · updated Sep 2026
Scores
Fit axes among official New York neighborhoods.
| Axis | Brooklyn Heights | Lower East Side |
|---|---|---|
| Safety | 81 | 10 |
| Schools | 83 | 7 |
| Walk | 4 | 31 |
| Cost fit | 79 | 100 |
| Vibe | 15 | 43 |
| Median rent | $3,146 | $1,780 |
| Median home | $1,160,148 | $890,452 |
| Population | 26,031 | 32,164 |
| Commute to Midtown | 33 min | 18 min |
| Commute to FiDi | 22 min | 15 min |
| Commute to Downtown Brooklyn | 13 min | 18 min |
Living numbers
Who rents, how old, how much crime, how many shops — beside the scores.
| Fact | Brooklyn Heights | Lower East Side |
|---|---|---|
| Renters | 52% | 75% |
| Median age | 38.2 | 39.6 |
| Median income | $181K | $79K |
| Part I per 1k | 9.7 | 31.4 |
| Groceries / 800m | 26 | 67 |
| Transit stops / 800m | 78 | 91 |
| Parks / 800m | 120 | 120 |
| 311 last 14 days | 367 | 765 |
Rent
Rent since 2014
ACS 5-year median gross rent for New York city. Up 48% since 2014. Bk Hts is 73% above the 2024 city median. LES is 2% below the 2024 city median.
Overlapping 5-year ACS windows (B25064), not asking rent. Census does not publish a rent series for each official neighborhood, so the line is the city place. Dashed marks are each area’s ACS 2024 median.
Which to pick
The same numbers as the table, in sentences. Nobody wins the city.
Pick Brooklyn Heights if the school rating nearby is the point and the quieter map matters more than the scene. Schools score 83 vs 7. Safety is 81 vs 10. Brooklyn Heights is tagged family on this map; Lower East Side is not. Read both pages before you decide.
Pick Lower East Side if you want the cafes and the night and the rent gap is the point. Vibe is 43 vs 15. ACS median rent is $1,780 vs $3,146. Walk is 31 vs 4. Read both pages before you decide.
Brooklyn Heights
The promenade, the court district, and the first suburb the ferry invented. Quiet money, stoops, and a skyline you do not own.
$3,146 median rent · safety 81 · walk 4
Lower East Side
Orchard Street, public housing, and new condos sharing the same blocks. Night-out density with daytime fruit stands.
$1,780 median rent · safety 10 · walk 31
Common questions
Same pair, said in questions. The numbers are in the tables.
Which is cheaper, Brooklyn Heights or Lower East Side?
Lower East Side is the lower ACS median: $3,146 vs $1,780. About 75% rent in Lower East Side vs 52% in Brooklyn Heights. Survey medians, not a listing you can message tonight.
Is Brooklyn Heights more walkable than Lower East Side?
Lower East Side wins the errand count (walk 4 vs 31). Groceries inside 800 meters: 26 vs 67. Not a Walk Score license.
Which is safer on this map, Brooklyn Heights or Lower East Side?
Brooklyn Heights is the calmer Part I read (81 vs 10). Combined rate 9.7 vs 31.4 per 1,000. Visitors count in those numbers.
Which scores higher for families, Brooklyn Heights or Lower East Side?
Brooklyn Heights leads the school axis (83 vs 7). Nearby rating is 8.3 / 10 vs 6.0 / 10. Median age 38.2 vs 39.6. Lower East Side has more of the night. Neither number is a school assignment.
Which has the shorter commute to Midtown?
33 minutes from Brooklyn Heights to Midtown, 18 from Lower East Side. Lower East Side is the shorter weekday. Not this hour's traffic.
If you drop both
Closest official neighborhood that is not Brooklyn Heights or Lower East Side: DUMBO. Cobblestones under the bridges, tech offices, and a park that photographs well. Downtown Brooklyn is in the same official unit.
Scores are relative among official New York neighborhoods with the same editorial weights. Read the method.