Best PlacesJackson Heights-ny, Queens, NY Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Jackson Heights-ny, 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.
Jackson Heights-ny, Queens ranks 2,712th 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 Jackson Heights-ny, 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.
Jackson Heights-ny, Queens' strengths and weaknesses
Jackson Heights-ny, 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 Jackson Heights-ny, Queens to another than it does between Jackson Heights-ny, Queens and its neighbors, which the map below shows.
Where Jackson Heights-ny, Queens ranks high
- Big-city accessBetter than 99% of neighborhoods
- WalkabilityBetter than 97% of neighborhoods
- TransitBetter than 97% of neighborhoods
- School gradeB+, better than 90% of neighborhoods
- Cell coverageBetter than 80% of neighborhoods
Where Jackson Heights-ny, Queens ranks low
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 1% of neighborhoods
- Short commute40.4 minutes each way, better than only 2% of neighborhoods
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than only 3% of neighborhoods
- Voter turnoutBetter than only 9% of neighborhoods
- Tree shadeBetter than only 11% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in Jackson Heights-ny, Queens
A household needs to earn about $184,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Jackson Heights-ny, Queens home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $82,485, 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 Jackson Heights-ny, Queens' effective rate of 0.64%, 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 Jackson Heights-ny, Queens
Jackson Heights-ny, Queens's age mix sits close to the national median, and households here run larger than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for Jackson Heights-ny, Queens.
Who works in Jackson Heights-ny, Queens, and how
Work in Jackson Heights-ny, Queens centers on health care & social and hospitality & food. Unemployment sits above the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 28%
- Work from home 12%
- Transit, walk, or bike 60%
Life in Jackson Heights-ny, Queens
Jackson Heights-ny, Queens has more restaurants and bars per resident than 67% of neighborhoods. The coast is about 18 minutes away. That concentrates in some parts of Jackson Heights-ny, Queens and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in Jackson Heights-ny, Queens, month by month
Jackson Heights-ny, Queens sees roughly 70 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 Jackson Heights-ny, Queens
Laguardia sits about 2 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 Jackson Heights-ny, Queens
Schools across Jackson Heights-ny, Queens average a B+, better than 90% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Brooklyn School Of InquiryA+ · 93% proficient
- Ps 280 Home Of The LionheartsA+ · 75% proficient
- Ps 69 Jackson HeightsA+ · 72% proficient
Top middle schools
- Is 227 Louis ArmstrongA · 66% proficient
- Is 230A− · 58% proficient
- Knowledge And Power Preparatory Academy ViC− · 28% proficient
Top high schools
- Professional Pathways High SchoolA− · 60% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Jackson Heights-ny, Queens school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Jackson Heights-ny, 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 Jackson Heights-ny, Queens against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Who Jackson Heights-ny, Queens suits
Retirees
Set weather, quiet, and health care weights on the map to test the fit.
Common questions about living in Jackson Heights-ny, Queens
Is Jackson Heights-ny, Queens a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Jackson Heights-ny, Queens ranks 2,712th 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 Jackson Heights-ny, Queens expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $718,151. The overall cost of living runs about 28% above the national average. Set against a $82,485 median income, cost of living beats 26% of neighborhoods.
Is Jackson Heights-ny, Queens safe?
Yes, Jackson Heights-ny, Queens is safer than 79% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $315 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in Jackson Heights-ny, Queens?
July highs average about 90 degrees, and January highs near 44 with lows near 29. That works out to about 70 pleasant days a year, more than 24% of neighborhoods.
Is Jackson Heights-ny, Queens good for families?
Schools beat 90% of neighborhoods, crime safety beats 79%, and childcare runs $1,344 a month.
Is Jackson Heights-ny, Queens good for remote workers?
Cost of living against local pay beats 26% of neighborhoods, though advertised internet speeds beat only 18% of neighborhoods. About 12% of workers already work from home.
Compare Jackson Heights-ny, Queens with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Jackson Heights-ny, Queens. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Jackson Heights-ny, 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.
Jackson Heights-ny, Queens detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Jackson Heights-ny, Queens: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Jackson Heights-ny, Queens: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Jackson Heights-ny, Queens: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Jackson Heights-ny, Queens: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Jackson Heights-ny, 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.