Best PlacesAstoria, Queens, NY Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Astoria, Queens, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. The coast is close, and the measures below put a number on how close. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
Astoria, Queens ranks 1,895th of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. The coast is about 18 minutes away. Its strengths are big-city access and walkability. The cost shows up in taxes, long commutes, and car insurance costs.
The best neighborhoods in Astoria, Queens
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
Astoria, Queens' strengths and weaknesses
Astoria, Queens lands in the middle because its strengths and weaknesses roughly balance. Big-city access is the standout, in the top 1% of neighborhoods. Walkability and transit follow.
The one real hole is taxes, near the bottom of the country. Long commutes and car insurance costs also cost it ground. Cost swings more from one part of Astoria, Queens to another than it does between Astoria, Queens and its neighbors, which the map below shows.
Where Astoria, Queens ranks high
- Big-city accessBetter than 99% of neighborhoods
- WalkabilityBetter than 98% of neighborhoods
- TransitBetter than 97% of neighborhoods
- Cell coverageBetter than 91% of neighborhoods
- School gradeB+, better than 90% of neighborhoods
Where Astoria, Queens ranks low
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 1% of neighborhoods
- Short commute39.7 minutes each way, better than only 3% of neighborhoods
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than only 4% of neighborhoods
- Low vacancyBetter than only 13% of neighborhoods
- Tree shadeBetter than only 13% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in Astoria, Queens
A household needs to earn about $239,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Astoria, Queens home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $101,210, so buying stretches a typical household.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses Astoria, Queens' effective rate of 0.76%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices and rents, renting stays cheaper than buying across the first 10 years here, so the case for buying rests on staying much longer or on prices rising faster than assumed. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in Astoria, Queens
Astoria, Queens runs younger than the country, and households here run smaller than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for Astoria, Queens.
Who works in Astoria, Queens, and how
Work in Astoria, Queens centers on professional & technical and health care & social. Unemployment sits above the national rate, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 17%
- Work from home 21%
- Transit, walk, or bike 62%
Life in Astoria, Queens
Astoria, Queens has more restaurants and bars per resident than 72% of neighborhoods and more late-night spots per resident than 73% of neighborhoods. The coast is about 18 minutes away. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of Astoria, Queens and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in Astoria, Queens, month by month
Astoria, Queens sees roughly 72 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 90 degrees. January highs sit near 44, with lows near 29. The comfortable stretch runs May, June, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 44° | 36° | 29° |
| April | 65° | 53° | 45° |
| July | 90° | 80° | 72° |
| October | 70° | 61° | 54° |
Flying in and out of Astoria, Queens
Laguardia sits about 3 miles away. It is a large hub and boarded 16.3 million passengers in 2025, with 118 nonstop destinations.
The best schools in and around Astoria, Queens
Schools across Astoria, Queens average a B+, better than 90% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- 30th Avenue School (the) (g & T Citywide)A+ · 95% proficient
- Brooklyn School Of InquiryA+ · 93% proficient
- Ps 85 Judge Charles ValloneA+ · 88% proficient
Top middle schools
- Is 141 Steinway (the)A+ · 74% proficient
- Albert Shanker School For Visual And Performing ArtsA · 60% proficient
- Is 10 Horace GreeleyB− · 43% proficient
Top high schools
- Energy Tech High SchoolA+ · 94% proficient
- Baccalaureate School For Global EducationA+ · 94% proficient
- Long Island City High SchoolA+ · 91% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Astoria, Queens school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Astoria, Queens measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare Astoria, Queens against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Who Astoria, Queens suits
Common questions about living in Astoria, Queens
Is Astoria, Queens a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Astoria, Queens ranks 1,895th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on big-city access, walkability, and transit, and lowest on taxes and long commutes. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Astoria, Queens expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $918,579. The overall cost of living runs about 71% above the national average. Set against a $101,210 median income, cost of living beats 23% of neighborhoods.
Is Astoria, Queens safe?
Yes, Astoria, Queens is safer than 79% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $305 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in Astoria, Queens?
July highs average about 90 degrees, and January highs near 44 with lows near 29. That works out to about 72 pleasant days a year, more than 28% of neighborhoods.
Is Astoria, Queens good for families?
Schools beat 90% of neighborhoods, crime safety beats 79%, and childcare runs $1,344 a month.
Is Astoria, Queens good for remote workers?
Cost of living against local pay beats 23% of neighborhoods, though advertised internet speeds beat only 22% of neighborhoods. About 21% of workers already work from home.
Compare Astoria, Queens with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Astoria, Queens. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Astoria, Queens represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
Astoria, Queens detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Astoria, Queens: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Astoria, Queens: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Astoria, Queens: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Astoria, Queens: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Astoria, Queens detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.