New York/Compare
Lower East Side vs Williamsburg
Lower East Side and Williamsburg are two official neighborhoods in New York. Williamsburg is the calmer Part I map (48 vs 10). Williamsburg wins the errand count. 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 | Lower East Side | Williamsburg |
|---|---|---|
| Safety | 10 | 48 |
| Schools | 7 | 40 |
| Walk | 31 | 72 |
| Cost fit | 100 | 98 |
| Vibe | 43 | 61 |
| Median rent | $1,780 | $2,549 |
| Median home | $890,452 | $1,284,729 |
| Population | 32,164 | 117,387 |
| Commute to Midtown | 18 min | 27 min |
| Commute to FiDi | 15 min | 31 min |
| Commute to Downtown Brooklyn | 18 min | 13 min |
Living numbers
Who rents, how old, how much crime, how many shops — beside the scores.
| Fact | Lower East Side | Williamsburg |
|---|---|---|
| Renters | 75% | 85% |
| Median age | 39.6 | 32.9 |
| Median income | $79K | $129K |
| Part I per 1k | 31.4 | 13.9 |
| Groceries / 800m | 67 | 100 |
| Transit stops / 800m | 91 | 221 |
| Parks / 800m | 120 | 120 |
| 311 last 14 days | 765 | 2,487 |
Rent
Rent since 2014
ACS 5-year median gross rent for New York city. Up 48% since 2014. LES is 2% below 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 Lower East Side if the rent gap is the point and the shorter ride to Midtown is the point. ACS median rent is $1,780 vs $2,549. 18 vs 27 minutes to Midtown. Read both pages before you decide.
Pick Williamsburg if you want the errands on foot and you want the cafes and the night. Walk is 72 vs 31. Vibe is 61 vs 43. Safety is 48 vs 10. Read both pages before you decide.
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
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, Lower East Side or Williamsburg?
Lower East Side is the lower ACS median: $1,780 vs $2,549. About 75% rent in Lower East Side vs 85% in Williamsburg. Survey medians, not a listing you can message tonight.
Is Lower East Side more walkable than Williamsburg?
Williamsburg wins the errand count (walk 31 vs 72). Groceries inside 800 meters: 67 vs 100. Not a Walk Score license.
Which is safer on this map, Lower East Side or Williamsburg?
Williamsburg is the calmer Part I read (48 vs 10). Combined rate 13.9 vs 31.4 per 1,000. Visitors count in those numbers.
Which scores higher for families, Lower East Side or Williamsburg?
Williamsburg leads the school axis (40 vs 7). Nearby rating is 7.0 / 10 vs 6.0 / 10. Median age 32.9 vs 39.6. Lower East Side has more of the night. Neither number is a school assignment.
Which has the shorter commute to Midtown?
18 minutes from Lower East Side to Midtown, 27 from Williamsburg. Lower East Side is the shorter weekday. Not this hour's traffic.
If you drop both
Closest official neighborhood that is not Lower East Side or Williamsburg: DUMBO. Cobblestones under the bridges, tech offices, and a park that photographs well. Downtown Brooklyn is in the same official unit.
Scores are relative among official New York neighborhoods with the same editorial weights. Read the method.