New York/Compare
Chelsea vs Lower East Side
Chelsea and Lower East Side are two official neighborhoods in New York. Chelsea is the calmer Part I map (19 vs 10). Walk is a wash (30 vs 31). 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 | Chelsea | Lower East Side |
|---|---|---|
| Safety | 19 | 10 |
| Schools | 47 | 7 |
| Walk | 30 | 31 |
| Cost fit | 94 | 100 |
| Vibe | 44 | 43 |
| Median rent | $2,659 | $1,780 |
| Median home | $983,541 | $890,452 |
| Population | 52,113 | 32,164 |
| Commute to Midtown | 11 min | 18 min |
| Commute to FiDi | 20 min | 15 min |
| Commute to Downtown Brooklyn | 26 min | 18 min |
Living numbers
Who rents, how old, how much crime, how many shops — beside the scores.
| Fact | Chelsea | Lower East Side |
|---|---|---|
| Renters | 69% | 75% |
| Median age | 41.9 | 39.6 |
| Median income | $128K | $79K |
| Part I per 1k | 27.9 | 31.4 |
| Groceries / 800m | 44 | 67 |
| Transit stops / 800m | 138 | 91 |
| Parks / 800m | 120 | 120 |
| 311 last 14 days | 995 | 765 |
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. 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 Chelsea if the school rating nearby is the point and the quieter map matters more than the scene. Schools score 47 vs 7. Safety is 19 vs 10. 11 vs 18 minutes to Midtown. Read both pages before you decide.
Pick Lower East Side if the rent gap is the point and you want the cafes and the night. ACS median rent is $1,780 vs $2,659. Vibe is 43 vs 44. 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
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, Chelsea or Lower East Side?
Lower East Side is the lower ACS median: $2,659 vs $1,780. About 75% rent in Lower East Side vs 69% in Chelsea. Survey medians, not a listing you can message tonight.
Is Chelsea more walkable than Lower East Side?
Walk is basically a tie (30 vs 31). Count groceries if you care: 44 in Chelsea vs 67 in Lower East Side, inside 800 meters.
Which is safer on this map, Chelsea or Lower East Side?
Chelsea is the calmer Part I read (19 vs 10). Combined rate 27.9 vs 31.4 per 1,000. Visitors count in those numbers.
Which scores higher for families, Chelsea or Lower East Side?
Chelsea leads the school axis (47 vs 7). Nearby rating is 7.2 / 10 vs 6.0 / 10. Median age 41.9 vs 39.6. Lower East Side has more of the night. Neither number is a school assignment.
Which has the shorter commute to Midtown?
11 minutes from Chelsea to Midtown, 18 from Lower East Side. Chelsea is the shorter weekday. Not this hour's traffic.
If you drop both
Closest official neighborhood that is not Chelsea or Lower East Side: 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.