73fit
Upper East Side
$3K median rent
Doorman buildings, school-district hunting, and a museum wall along the park. The east 80s are quieter than the listings imply.
Family streetsWalk 73Safety 67
New York/Harlem
38fit
Harlem
Official neighborhood: Harlem (South / North)
Data vintage. ACS 2024 5-year · NYPD Oct 2025 – Jun 2026 · OSM Sep 2026 · updated Sep 2026
Brownstones, the Apollo, and a park at the north end of the island. Not a starter-kit neighborhood — the original one.
central harlem125th
Best in New York for familiesWalkable New YorkUnder $2,500 rent
Why this score
Safety
38
525 violent · 1700 property · 16.5 per 1k (Oct 2025 – Jun 2026)-12 vs city set
Schools
0
Rating 5.8 / 10 nearby-47 vs city set
Walk
28
OSM: 58 groceries · 24 cafes · 204 transit · 91 parks-12 vs city set
Cost
100
$1,516 ACS median vs your rent budget+14 vs city set
Vibe
7
OSM: 24 cafes · 128 restaurants · 8 bars · 91 parks-30 vs city set
Commute to work
From Harlem, a typical weekday is 18 min to Midtown, 35 min to FiDi, 35 min to Downtown Brooklyn. Not live traffic.
Midtown is the fastest of these three job centers from here.
Midtown
18 min
Times Square, Hudson Yards · -9 min vs the city-set median · fastest of these three
FiDi
35 min
Wall Street, ferries · +6 min vs the city-set median
Downtown Brooklyn
35 min
BAM, Dumbo, Borough Hall · +13 min vs the city-set median
Minutes are baked from neighborhood geography to three job centers — not Google, not this hour’s traffic.
Cost of living
ACS median gross rent is $1,516 across all occupied rental units — studios through large apartments mixed together, not a live 1-bed or 2-bed quote.
That is 30% of median household income — on the 30% HUD cost-burden line. A household at this area’s median income ($60K) could “afford” about $1,492 a month at 30% of gross pay.
84% of households rent. Median home value is $1,055,447.
ACS median rent
$1,516
30% income budget
$1,492
Rent / income
30%
Median home
$1,055,447
Rent since 2014
ACS 5-year median gross rent for New York city. Up 48% since 2014. Harlem is 17% 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. The dashed mark is this area’s ACS 2024 median.
HUD treats 30% of gross household income as the cost-burden line. We do not split ACS median rent into 1-bed vs 2-bed — that table is all occupied rental units. Method.
Within a walk
Inside the official neighborhood or within 800 meters of its centroid, OpenStreetMap maps 58 groceries, 24 cafes, 91 parks, and 204 transit stops.
Daily errands and coffee are realistic on foot. Parks are close — 91 mapped parks in that radius. Transit is dense (204 stops or stations).
24 cafes and 128 restaurants make this one of the busier food pockets in the New York set.
Counts from OpenStreetMap, 800 m. Not a Walk Score license. Groceries here beat 8 of 21 other areas in this city set.
Population
135,011
Median age
38.7
Median income
$60K
Renters
84%
Bachelor+
43%
Violent / 1k
3.9
Property / 1k
12.6
ACS 2024 5-year (2020-2024) · 25 census tracts · NYPD Oct 2025 – Jun 2026 · OSM 2026-09-01
Family streets
Crime is NYPD Part I reports per 1,000 ACS residents — not a judgment of who lives here. Home and rent figures are ACS medians, not live MLS. Read the method.
On the ground
What it is like to live here, beyond the scores.
Harlem is brownstones, the Apollo, and a park at the north end of the island — not a starter-kit neighborhood, the original one. 125th Street is a job center; the side streets are stoops. Redditors still put it on the “I could actually live here” list next to Bed-Stuy, with a 2/3 train that makes Midtown a ride, not a myth.
Central Park North is a different product from west of St. Nicholas. Tour both. Weight cost relative to the UWS, culture as the amenity, safety as blockwise. This is not an “emerging” caption. It is Harlem.
Compiled from Zillow neighborhood guides, 5280 Magazine, Chicago and San Francisco resident guides, Mpls With Love, Eastside LA reporting, and local coverage, 2025–2026. Editorial — not part of the fit score.
Common questions
Answers from the same ACS, crime, and OSM figures on this page.
Is Harlem safe?
On this map Harlem has a higher Part I rate than most New York neighborhoods in the set (safety 38 vs city 50). NYPD logged 3.9 violent and 12.6 property incidents per 1,000 ACS residents — 16.5 combined. Rates mix residents and visitors. They are not a judgment of who lives here.
What is rent in Harlem?
ACS median rent is $1,516. Median home value is $1,055,447. About 84% of households rent. These are survey medians, not this week's listings.
Is Harlem walkable?
Walk scores 28 here vs 40 for the New York set — you will likely drive or ride for daily errands. OpenStreetMap counts within 800 meters: 58 groceries, 24 cafes, 204 transit stops, 91 parks.
Is Harlem good for families?
The scores lean family-friendly relative to this city set. Nearby school rating is 5.8 / 10. Median age is 38.7.
How long is the commute from Harlem?
Typical weekday minutes to Midtown: 18. Not live traffic. Open the neighborhood page for the other job centers in New York.
How many people live in Harlem?
About 135,011 residents, median income $60K, 43% with a bachelor's or higher. ACS 2024 5-year (2020-2024) · NYPD Oct 2025 – Jun 2026 · OSM.
What neighborhoods are next to Harlem?
Closest on this map: Upper East Side, Upper West Side, Hell's Kitchen. Compare Harlem vs Upper East Side if you are deciding between two official neighborhoods.
Next door
Adjacent on the neighborhood map, ranked with your weights.
Harlem vs Upper East SideHarlem vs Upper West SideHarlem vs Hell's Kitchen
72fit
Upper West Side
$3K median rent
Pre-war co-ops, the park, and a grocery on every other corner. Family default for people who still want a subway.
Family streetsWaterfrontWalk 74Safety 52
47fit
Greenpoint
$3K median rent
Polish bakeries, a waterfront that finally opened, and the overflow from Williamsburg without the L-train crush.
NightlifeWaterfrontWalk 20Safety 95
36fit
Long Island City
$3K median rent
Waterfront towers, the 7 train, and a skyline that faces Manhattan. New-build default for people priced out of the island.
PlannedWaterfrontWalk 22Safety 33
29fit
Hell's Kitchen
$3K median rent
Ninth Avenue restaurants, Port Authority in earshot, and Hudson Yards glass at the south edge. Nightlife that still has walk-ups.
NightlifeWalk 5Safety 29