Living in Briarwood: rent, commute and grades

Queens · Updated October 2026

A paved path curves beside Goose Pond under tall green trees in summer.
A paved path with a railing runs through leafy green woods in the park.
A green pond with lawn and trees under a soft sky.
Evening lights reflect on the pond while people walk the shore.
Two-family brick houses with front lawns sit on a quiet corner with young street trees.
Photo credits

Rent in Briarwood

$1,325 a month

Type of homeA room in a 2-bedroom, shared by two

Briarwood is cheaper with roommates

Find people looking in Briarwood
C+Overall

Briarwood graded

Grades compare NYC neighborhoods with each other. How the grades work.

Everyday life

  • CWalkability

    The average home has 4.1 of 5 everyday needs within a 10-minute walk (grocery store, restaurant, cafe, subway station, park) and about 103 places to eat or shop.

    Residents: A car may be needed, depending on which direction you travel. Resident of 4 years, May 2025

  • CFood and shopping

    Within a 10-minute walk of the average home: about 29 places to eat, 14 kinds of cuisine, 1.4 large grocery stores and 57 open storefronts.

    Residents: The neighborhood has its own family-owned restaurants, discount stores and pharmacies. Resident of 4 years, May 2025

  • BParks and green space

    100% of residents live within a 10-minute walk of a park of an acre or more, with about 168 acres of parkland within 1 km and about 372 street trees within 300 m of the average home.

People

  • CCommunity

    19% of households moved in since 2018, 5% are roommates sharing a home, 19% of residents are 22 to 34, and there are about 6 cafes and bars within a 10-minute walk of the average home.

  • C-Nightlife

    About 5 bars, clubs and restaurants licensed to serve alcohol on site within a 10-minute walk of the average home.

    Residents: There is little nightlife; the closest is in Forest Hills. Resident of 4 years, May 2025

Home and safety

  • BSafety

    4.2 murders, robberies, felony assaults and burglaries were reported per 1,000 residents in 2025 (154 in all).

    Residents: The neighborhood feels very safe. Former resident, Jun 2024

    City data and 4 resident threads on Reddit agree on this grade.

  • A-Quiet

    24 noise complaints to 311 per 1,000 residents in 2025, not counting helicopter complaints, and counting each address at most 12 days a year. That measures how often people complain, not how loud it is.

    Residents: A suburban feel that offers an escape from the bustle of the city. Resident of 4 years, May 2025

  • CBuilding upkeep

    17.8 serious housing code violations (class B or C) were issued in 2025 per 100 rented homes, and there were 9.7 heat or hot water complaints per 100 rented homes.

Who lives there

  • Older residents

What residents say

Residents like

Residents don’t like

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Safety

Nightlife

Walkability

Quiet

Getting around from Briarwood

Map of New York City neighborhoods shaded by travel time by subway or bus from Briarwood
By subway or bus, arriving by 9:00 on a weekday:Under 30 min30 to 45 min45 to 60 minOver an hourBriarwood

Residents: Transit is decent, with the Q60 and Q44 buses and the E and F trains. Resident of 4 years, May 2025

Residents: On many weekends the F train skips the Briarwood station or does not run. Former resident of 15 years, Aug 2024

What to know about Briarwood

  • Briarwood is a mainly residential neighborhood in central Queens, between Jamaica to the southeast and the Queens Borough Hall civic campus to the northwest. Source
  • Briarwood takes its name from the Briarwood Land Company, which began building housing there in 1905. Source
  • Briarwood mixes building types, including many detached one- and two-family houses and elevator apartment buildings along Hoover Avenue. Source
  • Jamaica Hill, next to Briarwood, is home to the 9.16-acre Captain Tilly Park on Gothic Drive, a quiet spot of woods and walkways around a large pond known as Goose Pond. Source
  • Hillside Avenue, which runs through Briarwood, got nearly eight miles of new bus lanes in 2025, serving more than 215,000 daily riders on 22 bus routes. Source

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Sources

Facts about Briarwood:

Data behind the grades: