Best PlacesJamaica, Queens, NY Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Jamaica, 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.
Jamaica, Queens ranks 3,058th of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. The coast is about 15 minutes away. Its strengths are big-city access and transit. The cost shows up in long commutes, taxes, and car insurance costs.
The best neighborhoods in Jamaica, 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.
Jamaica, Queens' strengths and weaknesses
Jamaica, Queens lands in the middle because its strengths and weaknesses roughly balance. Big-city access is the standout, in the top 2% of neighborhoods. Transit and good schools follow.
The one real hole is long commutes, near the bottom of the country. Taxes and car insurance costs also cost it ground. That one depends almost entirely on which part you pick, which is what the map below settles.
Where Jamaica, Queens ranks high
- Big-city accessBetter than 98% of neighborhoods
- TransitBetter than 98% of neighborhoods
- School gradeB+, better than 89% of neighborhoods
- WalkabilityBetter than 89% of neighborhoods
- Crime safetyBetter than 81% of neighborhoods
Where Jamaica, Queens ranks low
- Short commute44.8 minutes each way, better than only 1% of neighborhoods
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 1% of neighborhoods
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than only 3% of neighborhoods
- Local economyBetter than only 7% of neighborhoods
- Voter turnoutBetter than only 12% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in Jamaica, Queens
A household needs to earn about $184,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Jamaica, Queens home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $85,283, 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 Jamaica, Queens' effective rate of 0.73%, 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 Jamaica, Queens
Jamaica, 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 Jamaica, Queens.
Who works in Jamaica, Queens, and how
Work in Jamaica, Queens centers on health care & social and retail trade. Unemployment runs well above the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 40%
- Work from home 10%
- Transit, walk, or bike 50%
Life in Jamaica, Queens
The coast is about 15 minutes away. Distance to the water changes a lot across Jamaica, Queens, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in Jamaica, Queens, month by month
Jamaica, Queens sees roughly 68 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 87 degrees. January highs sit near 44, with lows near 27. The comfortable stretch runs May, June, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 44° | 35° | 27° |
| April | 63° | 51° | 43° |
| July | 87° | 77° | 70° |
| October | 70° | 60° | 51° |
Flying in and out of Jamaica, Queens
John F Kennedy International sits about 5 miles away. It is a large hub and boarded 31.0 million passengers in 2025, with 249 nonstop destinations.
The best schools in and around Jamaica, Queens
Schools across Jamaica, Queens average a B+, better than 89% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Brooklyn School Of InquiryA+ · 93% proficient
- Ps 95 EastwoodA+ · 90% proficient
- Ps 117 J Keld/briarwood SchoolA+ · 78% proficient
Top middle schools
- Jhs 217 Robert A Van WyckA− · 56% proficient
- Ms 358C · 33% proficient
- Jhs 8 Richard S GrossleyC− · 28% proficient
Top high schools
- Queens High School For The Sciences At York CollegeA+ · 98% proficient
- High School For Community LeadershipA+ · 98% proficient
- Midwood High SchoolA+ · 97% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Jamaica, Queens school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Jamaica, 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 Jamaica, Queens against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Who Jamaica, Queens suits
Retirees
Set weather, quiet, and health care weights on the map to test the fit.
Common questions about living in Jamaica, Queens
Is Jamaica, Queens a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Jamaica, Queens ranks 3,058th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on big-city access, transit, and good schools, and lowest on long commutes and taxes. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Jamaica, Queens expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $711,707. The overall cost of living runs about 30% above the national average. Set against a $85,283 median income, cost of living beats 26% of neighborhoods.
Is Jamaica, Queens safe?
Yes, Jamaica, Queens is safer than 81% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $304 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in Jamaica, Queens?
July highs average about 87 degrees, and January highs near 44 with lows near 27. That works out to about 68 pleasant days a year, more than 21% of neighborhoods.
Is Jamaica, Queens good for families?
Schools beat 89% of neighborhoods, crime safety beats 81%, and childcare runs $1,344 a month.
Is Jamaica, Queens good for remote workers?
Cost of living against local pay beats 26% of neighborhoods, though advertised internet speeds beat only 22% of neighborhoods. About 10% of workers already work from home.
Compare Jamaica, Queens with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Jamaica, Queens. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Jamaica, 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.
Jamaica, Queens detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Jamaica, Queens: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Jamaica, Queens: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Jamaica, Queens: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Jamaica, Queens: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Jamaica, 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.