New York/Compare
Hell's Kitchen vs West Village
Hell's Kitchen and West Village are two official neighborhoods in New York. Hell's Kitchen is the calmer Part I map (29 vs 24). West Village 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 | Hell's Kitchen | West Village |
|---|---|---|
| Safety | 29 | 24 |
| Schools | 20 | 67 |
| Walk | 5 | 68 |
| Cost fit | 99 | 82 |
| Vibe | 23 | 100 |
| Median rent | $2,529 | $3,044 |
| Median home | $974,363 | $1,411,889 |
| Population | 48,870 | 55,185 |
| Commute to Midtown | 6 min | 15 min |
| Commute to FiDi | 24 min | 15 min |
| Commute to Downtown Brooklyn | 29 min | 25 min |
Living numbers
Who rents, how old, how much crime, how many shops — beside the scores.
| Fact | Hell's Kitchen | West Village |
|---|---|---|
| Renters | 82% | 66% |
| Median age | 38.7 | 36.7 |
| Median income | $111K | $178K |
| Part I per 1k | 22.8 | 25.2 |
| Groceries / 800m | 38 | 62 |
| Transit stops / 800m | 82 | 199 |
| Parks / 800m | 35 | 120 |
| 311 last 14 days | 977 | 996 |
Rent
Rent since 2014
ACS 5-year median gross rent for New York city. Up 48% since 2014. HK is 39% above the 2024 city median. W Vill is 67% 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 Hell's Kitchen if the rent gap is the point and the shorter ride to Midtown is the point. ACS median rent is $2,529 vs $3,044. 6 vs 15 minutes to Midtown. Read both pages before you decide.
Pick West Village if you want the cafes and the night and you want the errands on foot. Vibe is 100 vs 23. Walk is 68 vs 5. Schools score 67 vs 20. Read both pages before you decide.
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
West Village
West 4th, brownstone streets that ignore the grid, and rents that assume you already live here. The postcard is the product.
$3,044 median rent · safety 24 · walk 68
Common questions
Same pair, said in questions. The numbers are in the tables.
Which is cheaper, Hell's Kitchen or West Village?
Hell's Kitchen is the lower ACS median: $2,529 vs $3,044. About 82% rent in Hell's Kitchen vs 66% in West Village. Survey medians, not a listing you can message tonight.
Is Hell's Kitchen more walkable than West Village?
West Village wins the errand count (walk 5 vs 68). Groceries inside 800 meters: 38 vs 62. Not a Walk Score license.
Which is safer on this map, Hell's Kitchen or West Village?
Hell's Kitchen is the calmer Part I read (29 vs 24). Combined rate 22.8 vs 25.2 per 1,000. Visitors count in those numbers.
Which scores higher for families, Hell's Kitchen or West Village?
West Village leads the school axis (67 vs 20). Nearby rating is 7.8 / 10 vs 6.4 / 10. Median age 36.7 vs 38.7. Hell's Kitchen has more of the night. Neither number is a school assignment.
Which has the shorter commute to Midtown?
6 minutes from Hell's Kitchen to Midtown, 15 from West Village. Hell's Kitchen is the shorter weekday. Not this hour's traffic.
If you drop both
Closest official neighborhood that is not Hell's Kitchen or West Village: Chelsea. Galleries, the High Line, and a waterfront that turned into towers. The gayborhood label stuck; the warehouses did not.
Scores are relative among official New York neighborhoods with the same editorial weights. Read the method.