New York/Compare
West Village vs Williamsburg
West Village and Williamsburg are two official neighborhoods in New York. Williamsburg is the calmer Part I map (48 vs 24). Walk is a wash (68 vs 72). 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 | West Village | Williamsburg |
|---|---|---|
| Safety | 24 | 48 |
| Schools | 67 | 40 |
| Walk | 68 | 72 |
| Cost fit | 82 | 98 |
| Vibe | 100 | 61 |
| Median rent | $3,044 | $2,549 |
| Median home | $1,411,889 | $1,284,729 |
| Population | 55,185 | 117,387 |
| Commute to Midtown | 15 min | 27 min |
| Commute to FiDi | 15 min | 31 min |
| Commute to Downtown Brooklyn | 25 min | 13 min |
Living numbers
Who rents, how old, how much crime, how many shops — beside the scores.
| Fact | West Village | Williamsburg |
|---|---|---|
| Renters | 66% | 85% |
| Median age | 36.7 | 32.9 |
| Median income | $178K | $129K |
| Part I per 1k | 25.2 | 13.9 |
| Groceries / 800m | 62 | 100 |
| Transit stops / 800m | 199 | 221 |
| Parks / 800m | 120 | 120 |
| 311 last 14 days | 996 | 2,487 |
Rent
Rent since 2014
ACS 5-year median gross rent for New York city. Up 48% since 2014. W Vill is 67% 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 West Village if you want the cafes and the night and the school rating nearby is the point. Vibe is 100 vs 61. Schools score 67 vs 40. 15 vs 27 minutes to Midtown. Read both pages before you decide.
Pick Williamsburg if the quieter map matters more than the scene and the rent gap is the point. Safety is 48 vs 24. ACS median rent is $2,549 vs $3,044. Read both pages before you decide.
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
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, West Village or Williamsburg?
Williamsburg is the lower ACS median: $3,044 vs $2,549. About 85% rent in Williamsburg vs 66% in West Village. Survey medians, not a listing you can message tonight.
Is West Village more walkable than Williamsburg?
Walk is basically a tie (68 vs 72). Count groceries if you care: 62 in West Village vs 100 in Williamsburg, inside 800 meters.
Which is safer on this map, West Village or Williamsburg?
Williamsburg is the calmer Part I read (48 vs 24). Combined rate 13.9 vs 25.2 per 1,000. Visitors count in those numbers.
Which scores higher for families, West Village or Williamsburg?
West Village leads the school axis (67 vs 40). Nearby rating is 7.8 / 10 vs 7.0 / 10. Median age 36.7 vs 32.9. Williamsburg has more of the night. Neither number is a school assignment.
Which has the shorter commute to Midtown?
15 minutes from West Village to Midtown, 27 from Williamsburg. West Village is the shorter weekday. Not this hour's traffic.
If you drop both
Closest official neighborhood that is not West Village or Williamsburg: Lower East Side. Orchard Street, public housing, and new condos sharing the same blocks. Night-out density with daytime fruit stands.
West Village vs Lower East SideWilliamsburg vs Lower East Side
Scores are relative among official New York neighborhoods with the same editorial weights. Read the method.