New York/Compare
Fort Greene vs Upper East Side
Fort Greene and Upper East Side are two official neighborhoods in New York. Upper East Side is the calmer Part I map (67 vs 57). Upper East Side wins the errand count. Fort Greene has the lower ACS median ($2,487).
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 | Fort Greene | Upper East Side |
|---|---|---|
| Safety | 57 | 67 |
| Schools | 60 | 97 |
| Walk | 33 | 73 |
| Cost fit | 100 | 89 |
| Vibe | 24 | 59 |
| Median rent | $2,487 | $2,817 |
| Median home | $1,009,644 | $1,416,654 |
| Population | 62,385 | 193,914 |
| Commute to Midtown | 28 min | 15 min |
| Commute to FiDi | 27 min | 30 min |
| Commute to Downtown Brooklyn | 8 min | 29 min |
Living numbers
Who rents, how old, how much crime, how many shops — beside the scores.
| Fact | Fort Greene | Upper East Side |
|---|---|---|
| Renters | 71% | 62% |
| Median age | 36.1 | 43.2 |
| Median income | $125K | $162K |
| Part I per 1k | 13.2 | 11.4 |
| Groceries / 800m | 74 | 101 |
| Transit stops / 800m | 132 | 251 |
| Parks / 800m | 120 | 96 |
| 311 last 14 days | 1,243 | 1,659 |
Rent
Rent since 2014
ACS 5-year median gross rent for New York city. Up 48% since 2014. Ft Grn is 37% above the 2024 city median. UES is 55% 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 Fort Greene if the rent gap is the point. ACS median rent is $2,487 vs $2,817. Read both pages before you decide.
Pick Upper East Side if you want the errands on foot and the school rating nearby is the point. Walk is 73 vs 33. Schools score 97 vs 60. Vibe is 59 vs 24. Read both pages before you decide.
Fort Greene
The park, BAM, and brownstones that held value through every cycle. Clinton Hill is the next street over.
$2,487 median rent · safety 57 · walk 33
Upper East Side
Doorman buildings, school-district hunting, and a museum wall along the park. The east 80s are quieter than the listings imply.
$2,817 median rent · safety 67 · walk 73
Common questions
Same pair, said in questions. The numbers are in the tables.
Which is cheaper, Fort Greene or Upper East Side?
Fort Greene is the lower ACS median: $2,487 vs $2,817. About 71% rent in Fort Greene vs 62% in Upper East Side. Survey medians, not a listing you can message tonight.
Is Fort Greene more walkable than Upper East Side?
Upper East Side wins the errand count (walk 33 vs 73). Groceries inside 800 meters: 74 vs 101. Not a Walk Score license.
Which is safer on this map, Fort Greene or Upper East Side?
Upper East Side is the calmer Part I read (67 vs 57). Combined rate 11.4 vs 13.2 per 1,000. Visitors count in those numbers.
Which scores higher for families, Fort Greene or Upper East Side?
Upper East Side leads the school axis (97 vs 60). Nearby rating is 8.7 / 10 vs 7.6 / 10. Median age 43.2 vs 36.1. Fort Greene has more of the night. Neither number is a school assignment.
Which has the shorter commute to Midtown?
28 minutes from Fort Greene to Midtown, 15 from Upper East Side. Upper East Side is the shorter weekday. Not this hour's traffic.
If you drop both
Closest official neighborhood that is not Fort Greene or Upper East Side: Williamsburg. The Bedford stop, the waterfront towers, and a weekend that starts on Thursday. Still the default Brooklyn landing.
Scores are relative among official New York neighborhoods with the same editorial weights. Read the method.