New York/Compare
Long Island City vs Williamsburg
Long Island City and Williamsburg are two official neighborhoods in New York. Williamsburg is the calmer Part I map (48 vs 33). Williamsburg wins the errand count. Williamsburg has the lower ACS median ($2,549).
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 | Long Island City | Williamsburg |
|---|---|---|
| Safety | 33 | 48 |
| Schools | 37 | 40 |
| Walk | 22 | 72 |
| Cost fit | 98 | 98 |
| Vibe | 12 | 61 |
| Median rent | $2,560 | $2,549 |
| Median home | $810,536 | $1,284,729 |
| Population | 59,515 | 117,387 |
| Commute to Midtown | 28 min | 27 min |
| Commute to FiDi | 39 min | 31 min |
| Commute to Downtown Brooklyn | 22 min | 13 min |
Living numbers
Who rents, how old, how much crime, how many shops — beside the scores.
| Fact | Long Island City | Williamsburg |
|---|---|---|
| Renters | 82% | 85% |
| Median age | 34.8 | 32.9 |
| Median income | $127K | $129K |
| Part I per 1k | 19.1 | 13.9 |
| Groceries / 800m | 45 | 100 |
| Transit stops / 800m | 180 | 221 |
| Parks / 800m | 80 | 120 |
| 311 last 14 days | 1,559 | 2,487 |
Rent
Rent since 2014
ACS 5-year median gross rent for New York city. Up 48% since 2014. LIC is 41% above the 2024 city median. Wburg is 40% 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 Long Island City if you already want this pocket more than the table. Williamsburg leads the numbered axes on this page.
Pick Williamsburg if you want the cafes and the night and you want the errands on foot. Vibe is 61 vs 12. Walk is 72 vs 22. Safety is 48 vs 33. Read both pages before you decide.
Long Island City
Waterfront towers, the 7 train, and a skyline that faces Manhattan. New-build default for people priced out of the island.
$2,560 median rent · safety 33 · walk 22
Williamsburg
The Bedford stop, the waterfront towers, and a weekend that starts on Thursday. Still the default Brooklyn landing.
$2,549 median rent · safety 48 · walk 72
Common questions
Same pair, said in questions. The numbers are in the tables.
Which is cheaper, Long Island City or Williamsburg?
Williamsburg is the lower ACS median: $2,560 vs $2,549. About 85% rent in Williamsburg vs 82% in Long Island City. Survey medians, not a listing you can message tonight.
Is Long Island City more walkable than Williamsburg?
Williamsburg wins the errand count (walk 22 vs 72). Groceries inside 800 meters: 45 vs 100. Not a Walk Score license.
Which is safer on this map, Long Island City or Williamsburg?
Williamsburg is the calmer Part I read (48 vs 33). Combined rate 13.9 vs 19.1 per 1,000. Visitors count in those numbers.
Which scores higher for families, Long Island City or Williamsburg?
Williamsburg leads the school axis (40 vs 37). Nearby rating is 7.0 / 10 vs 6.9 / 10. Median age 32.9 vs 34.8. Long Island City has more of the night. Neither number is a school assignment.
Which has the shorter commute to Midtown?
28 minutes from Long Island City to Midtown, 27 from Williamsburg. Williamsburg is the shorter weekday. Not this hour's traffic.
If you drop both
Closest official neighborhood that is not Long Island City or Williamsburg: Greenpoint. Polish bakeries, a waterfront that finally opened, and the overflow from Williamsburg without the L-train crush.
Scores are relative among official New York neighborhoods with the same editorial weights. Read the method.