NYC incorporated its inner suburbs around 1900. So it is physically much much larger than San Fransico. It also means that there is a great variety of neigborhoods of all economic types -- from extremely wealthy (Upper East Side) to quite poor (Melrose section of the Bronx) -- inside city limits.

All of which is to say that limiting your statement to "NYC proper" doesn't mean much because that covers a lot of ground. If you had made your orginal statement about "Manhattan south of 96th street", it would have meant what I think you were going for. Within in those parameters the East Village is middle of the pack.

Also in reference to your comment above the subways run 24/7 in NYC (albeit on a reduced schedule).