Grade Distribution

Queens is the city's most suburban borough — and it shows in the data. A huge share of its buildings are single-family houses in neighborhoods like Bayside, Douglaston, Fresh Meadows, and Howard Beach. These areas score among the healthiest in the city. The denser western neighborhoods (Jackson Heights, Elmhurst, Corona) carry moderate scores, while Jamaica has pockets of higher distress. Queens' building stock is predominantly postwar, built during the mid-century suburban expansion. The borough's cooperative housing — Jackson Heights' garden apartments, Forest Hills Gardens — remains remarkably well-maintained decades after construction.

Zip Codes by Distress

Sorted by average health score, lowest first.