Best PlacesWashington Heights, Manhattan, NY Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Washington Heights, Manhattan, 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.
Washington Heights, Manhattan ranks 2,892nd of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. The coast is about 14 minutes away. Its strengths are walkability and transit. The cost shows up in taxes, car insurance costs, and long commutes.
The best neighborhoods in Washington Heights, Manhattan
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.
Washington Heights, Manhattan's strengths and weaknesses
Washington Heights, Manhattan lands in the middle because its strengths and weaknesses roughly balance. Walkability is the standout, in the top 2% of neighborhoods. Transit and big-city access follow.
The one real hole is taxes, near the bottom of the country. Car insurance costs and long commutes also cost it ground. Cost swings more from one part of Washington Heights, Manhattan to another than it does between Washington Heights, Manhattan and its neighbors, which the map below shows.
Where Washington Heights, Manhattan ranks high
- WalkabilityBetter than 98% of neighborhoods
- TransitBetter than 98% of neighborhoods
- Big-city accessBetter than 98% of neighborhoods
- School gradeB+, better than 93% of neighborhoods
- Cell coverageBetter than 93% of neighborhoods
Where Washington Heights, Manhattan ranks low
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 1% of neighborhoods
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than only 2% of neighborhoods
- Short commute39.2 minutes each way, better than only 3% of neighborhoods
- Local economyBetter than only 5% of neighborhoods
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than only 13% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in Washington Heights, Manhattan
A household needs to earn about $188,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Washington Heights, Manhattan home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $71,200, 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 Washington Heights, Manhattan's effective rate of 0.59%, 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 Washington Heights, Manhattan
Washington Heights, Manhattan's age mix sits close to the national median.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for Washington Heights, Manhattan.
Who works in Washington Heights, Manhattan, and how
Work in Washington Heights, Manhattan centers on health care & social and education. Unemployment runs well above the national rate, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 13%
- Work from home 17%
- Transit, walk, or bike 71%
Life in Washington Heights, Manhattan
Washington Heights, Manhattan has more parkland per resident than 68% of neighborhoods. The coast is about 14 minutes away. That concentrates in some parts of Washington Heights, Manhattan and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in Washington Heights, Manhattan, month by month
Washington Heights, Manhattan sees roughly 76 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 88 degrees. January highs sit near 43, with lows near 28. The comfortable stretch runs May, June, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 43° | 35° | 28° |
| April | 65° | 53° | 44° |
| July | 88° | 78° | 70° |
| October | 69° | 60° | 52° |
Flying in and out of Washington Heights, Manhattan
Laguardia sits about 6 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 Washington Heights, Manhattan
Schools across Washington Heights, Manhattan average a B+, better than 93% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Active Learning Elementary School (the)A+ · 80% proficient
- Ps 173A+ · 75% proficient
- Castle Bridge SchoolA+ · 75% proficient
Top middle schools
- Mott Hall School (the)A− · 55% proficient
- Middle School 322D+ · 25% proficient
- Community Math And Science PrepD · 21% proficient
Top high schools
- Brooklyn College AcademyA+ · 98% proficient
- Midwood High SchoolA+ · 97% proficient
- Community Health Academy Of The HeightsA+ · 88% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Washington Heights, Manhattan school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Washington Heights, Manhattan 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 Washington Heights, Manhattan against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Who Washington Heights, Manhattan suits
Retirees
Set weather, quiet, and health care weights on the map to test the fit.
Common questions about living in Washington Heights, Manhattan
Is Washington Heights, Manhattan a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Washington Heights, Manhattan ranks 2,892nd of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on walkability, transit, and big-city access, and lowest on taxes and car insurance costs. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Washington Heights, Manhattan expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $738,487. The overall cost of living runs about 40% above the national average. Set against a $71,200 median income, cost of living beats 13% of neighborhoods.
Is Washington Heights, Manhattan safe?
Yes, Washington Heights, Manhattan is safer than 78% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $321 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in Washington Heights, Manhattan?
July highs average about 88 degrees, and January highs near 43 with lows near 28. That works out to about 76 pleasant days a year, more than 36% of neighborhoods.
Is Washington Heights, Manhattan good for families?
Schools beat 93% of neighborhoods, crime safety beats 78%, and childcare runs $1,344 a month.
Is Washington Heights, Manhattan good for remote workers?
Cost of living against local pay beats 13% of neighborhoods, though advertised internet speeds beat only 14% of neighborhoods. About 17% of workers already work from home.
Compare Washington Heights, Manhattan with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Washington Heights, Manhattan. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Washington Heights, Manhattan 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.
Washington Heights, Manhattan detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Washington Heights, Manhattan: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Washington Heights, Manhattan: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Washington Heights, Manhattan: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Washington Heights, Manhattan: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Washington Heights, Manhattan 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.