New York/Compare
Chelsea vs Hell's Kitchen
Chelsea and Hell's Kitchen are two official neighborhoods in New York. Hell's Kitchen is the calmer Part I map (29 vs 19). Chelsea wins the errand count. Hell's Kitchen has the lower ACS median ($2,529).
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 | Chelsea | Hell's Kitchen |
|---|---|---|
| Safety | 19 | 29 |
| Schools | 47 | 20 |
| Walk | 30 | 5 |
| Cost fit | 94 | 99 |
| Vibe | 44 | 23 |
| Median rent | $2,659 | $2,529 |
| Median home | $983,541 | $974,363 |
| Population | 52,113 | 48,870 |
| Commute to Midtown | 11 min | 6 min |
| Commute to FiDi | 20 min | 24 min |
| Commute to Downtown Brooklyn | 26 min | 29 min |
Living numbers
Who rents, how old, how much crime, how many shops — beside the scores.
| Fact | Chelsea | Hell's Kitchen |
|---|---|---|
| Renters | 69% | 82% |
| Median age | 41.9 | 38.7 |
| Median income | $128K | $111K |
| Part I per 1k | 27.9 | 22.8 |
| Groceries / 800m | 44 | 38 |
| Transit stops / 800m | 138 | 82 |
| Parks / 800m | 120 | 35 |
| 311 last 14 days | 995 | 977 |
Rent
Rent since 2014
ACS 5-year median gross rent for New York city. Up 48% since 2014. Chelsea is 46% above the 2024 city median. HK is 39% 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 Chelsea if the school rating nearby is the point and you want the errands on foot. Schools score 47 vs 20. Walk is 30 vs 5. Vibe is 44 vs 23. Read both pages before you decide.
Pick Hell's Kitchen if the quieter map matters more than the scene and the rent gap is the point. Safety is 29 vs 19. ACS median rent is $2,529 vs $2,659. Read both pages before you decide.
Chelsea
Galleries, the High Line, and a waterfront that turned into towers. The gayborhood label stuck; the warehouses did not.
$2,659 median rent · safety 19 · walk 30
Hell's Kitchen
Ninth Avenue restaurants, Port Authority in earshot, and Hudson Yards glass at the south edge. Nightlife that still has walk-ups.
$2,529 median rent · safety 29 · walk 5
Common questions
Same pair, said in questions. The numbers are in the tables.
Which is cheaper, Chelsea or Hell's Kitchen?
Hell's Kitchen is the lower ACS median: $2,659 vs $2,529. About 82% rent in Hell's Kitchen vs 69% in Chelsea. Survey medians, not a listing you can message tonight.
Is Chelsea more walkable than Hell's Kitchen?
Chelsea wins the errand count (walk 30 vs 5). Groceries inside 800 meters: 44 vs 38. Not a Walk Score license.
Which is safer on this map, Chelsea or Hell's Kitchen?
Hell's Kitchen is the calmer Part I read (29 vs 19). Combined rate 22.8 vs 27.9 per 1,000. Visitors count in those numbers.
Which scores higher for families, Chelsea or Hell's Kitchen?
Chelsea leads the school axis (47 vs 20). Nearby rating is 7.2 / 10 vs 6.4 / 10. Median age 41.9 vs 38.7. Hell's Kitchen has more of the night. Neither number is a school assignment.
Which has the shorter commute to Midtown?
11 minutes from Chelsea to Midtown, 6 from Hell's Kitchen. Hell's Kitchen is the shorter weekday. Not this hour's traffic.
If you drop both
Closest official neighborhood that is not Chelsea or Hell's Kitchen: West Village. West 4th, brownstone streets that ignore the grid, and rents that assume you already live here. The postcard is the product.
Scores are relative among official New York neighborhoods with the same editorial weights. Read the method.