New York/Compare
Carroll Gardens vs Upper West Side
Carroll Gardens and Upper West Side are two official neighborhoods in New York. Carroll Gardens is the calmer Part I map (86 vs 52). Upper West Side wins the errand count. Carroll Gardens has the lower ACS median ($2,329).
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 | Carroll Gardens | Upper West Side |
|---|---|---|
| Safety | 86 | 52 |
| Schools | 77 | 87 |
| Walk | 23 | 74 |
| Cost fit | 100 | 94 |
| Vibe | 21 | 59 |
| Median rent | $2,329 | $2,660 |
| Median home | $1,626,285 | $1,352,804 |
| Population | 58,384 | 198,830 |
| Commute to Midtown | 35 min | 12 min |
| Commute to FiDi | 28 min | 30 min |
| Commute to Downtown Brooklyn | 12 min | 32 min |
Living numbers
Who rents, how old, how much crime, how many shops — beside the scores.
| Fact | Carroll Gardens | Upper West Side |
|---|---|---|
| Renters | 69% | 65% |
| Median age | 38.1 | 43.5 |
| Median income | $148K | $153K |
| Part I per 1k | 9.6 | 13.5 |
| Groceries / 800m | 73 | 99 |
| Transit stops / 800m | 66 | 265 |
| Parks / 800m | 80 | 120 |
| 311 last 14 days | 1,360 | 2,166 |
Rent
Rent since 2014
ACS 5-year median gross rent for New York city. Up 48% since 2014. Carroll is 28% above the 2024 city median. UWS is 46% above 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 Carroll Gardens if the quieter map matters more than the scene and the rent gap is the point. Safety is 86 vs 52. ACS median rent is $2,329 vs $2,660. Vibe is 21 vs 59. Read both pages before you decide.
Pick Upper West Side if you want the errands on foot and you want the cafes and the night. Walk is 74 vs 23. Vibe is 59 vs 21. 12 vs 35 minutes to Midtown. Read both pages before you decide.
Carroll Gardens
Court Street, Italian leftovers, and Gowanus condos at the edge. Cobble Hill and Red Hook share the official polygon.
$2,329 median rent · safety 86 · walk 23
Upper West Side
Pre-war co-ops, the park, and a grocery on every other corner. Family default for people who still want a subway.
$2,660 median rent · safety 52 · walk 74
Common questions
Same pair, said in questions. The numbers are in the tables.
Which is cheaper, Carroll Gardens or Upper West Side?
Carroll Gardens is the lower ACS median: $2,329 vs $2,660. About 69% rent in Carroll Gardens vs 65% in Upper West Side. Survey medians, not a listing you can message tonight.
Is Carroll Gardens more walkable than Upper West Side?
Upper West Side wins the errand count (walk 23 vs 74). Groceries inside 800 meters: 73 vs 99. Not a Walk Score license.
Which is safer on this map, Carroll Gardens or Upper West Side?
Carroll Gardens is the calmer Part I read (86 vs 52). Combined rate 9.6 vs 13.5 per 1,000. Visitors count in those numbers.
Which scores higher for families, Carroll Gardens or Upper West Side?
Upper West Side leads the school axis (87 vs 77). Nearby rating is 8.4 / 10 vs 8.1 / 10. Median age 43.5 vs 38.1. Carroll Gardens has more of the night. Neither number is a school assignment.
Which has the shorter commute to Midtown?
35 minutes from Carroll Gardens to Midtown, 12 from Upper West Side. Upper West Side is the shorter weekday. Not this hour's traffic.
If you drop both
Closest official neighborhood that is not Carroll Gardens or Upper West 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.