The 10 Safest Cities In New York For 2024

The safest cities in New York are Highlands and Sleepy Hollow for 2024 using Saturday Night Science.

New York State often overshadowed by the bustling metropolis of New York City, features tranquil Adirondack mountains, the agricultural richness of Finger Lakes, and some super safe towns.

Today, we will focus on the ten safest places in New York that match the resilience of the iconic Statue of Liberty.

You might wonder how New York ranks in crime on the national scene. We ranked New York as the 14th safest state in America, but that's not the whole story. Certain towns in the Empire State are clearly safer than others.

Diving into the latest FBI Crime data, we've assessed both property crimes and violent crimes per capita to determine the safest locales. In total, we analyzed 211 cities in New York with more than 5,000 people.

Join us as we navigate the safest places in New York, each with unique appeal and charm.


Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Table

Here are the 10 safest cities to live in New York for 2024:

  1. Highlands (Homes For Sale)
  2. Sleepy Hollow (Homes For Sale)
  3. Lewisboro (Homes For Sale)
  4. Kirkland (Homes For Sale)
  5. Bedford (Homes For Sale)
  6. Chester (Homes For Sale)
  7. Rye (Homes For Sale)
  8. Malverne (Homes For Sale)
  9. Whitestown (Homes For Sale)
  10. Cairo (Homes For Sale)
Safest Cities In New York Map

What's the safest place to call home in new york? The safest place in New York is Highlands. If you want a friendly and safe small town to raise your children in, Highlands would be a top choice in New York.

Are you curious to see how your city ranked on our list? Read on to learn more about how we crunched the numbers and how your city stacked up in New York.

For more reading on safe places to live in and around New York, check out:

The 10 Safest Cities In New York For 2024

1. Highlands
Highlands, NY
Source: Wikipedia User ScubaBear68; color-correcting and cropping done 2009-02-04 by Daniel Case | CC BY 2.0

Population: 8,412
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 0 (seventh safest)
Property Crimes Per 100k: 0 (safest)
Murders: 0
Murders Per 100k: 0
More on Highlands: Real Estate

The first, what I would call statistically typical, city on the list is Highlands -- what with it actually having some violent crime unlike the angelic cities above it.

Another city in Orange County, Highlands actually improved a couple of spots from its spot last year.

But don't be worried -- you can still get a view of the safety of the land from this vantage point, even if you aren't so high up.

Sleepy Hollow, NY
Source: Public domain

Population: 12,088
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 0 (seventh safest)
Property Crimes Per 100k: 8 (second safest)
Murders: 0
Murders Per 100k: 0
More on Sleepy Hollow: Data | Crime | Real Estate

Overall SnackAbility
6
/10

You may know Sleepy Hollow as the haunted home of the headless horseman, but don't let those old ghost stories scare you away from this safe little town. Apparently, the horseman has been on sabbatical or something, because there wasn't a single violent crime committed in Sleepy Hollow in 2022. And only ONE property crime happened during that time.

So really, it doesn't matter if you go to Sleepy Hollow Cemetery with a tour group at high noon or alone on a moonless midnight -- your chances of something spooky happening are about zilch regardless.

3. Lewisboro
Lewisboro, NY
Source: Wikipedia User Doug Kerr | CC BY-SA 2.0

Population: 11,912
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 0 (seventh safest)
Property Crimes Per 100k: 16 (third safest)
Murders: 0
Murders Per 100k: 0
More on Lewisboro: Real Estate

Lewisboro is all kinds of safe -- the safest place in New York to be exact.

Even more so, it's incredibly safe even on a national basis for a city of its size. There were a grand total of zero violent crimes here in the last reporting year, good for a tie for the best in the state and the overall best property crime rate.

Based on our research, the reason for this could be due to a lack of a downtown -- it's hard to rob a liquor store when there's no main street in town. Or, more to the point, there's not an abundance of easy targets walking around.

4. Kirkland
Kirkland, NY
Source: Flickr User Dougtone | CC BY-SA 2.0

Population: 8,329
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 0 (seventh safest)
Property Crimes Per 100k: 48 (fifth safest)
Murders: 0
Murders Per 100k: 0
More on Kirkland: Real Estate

Not be confused with the Costco brand, Kirkland, NY ranks as the fourth safest place in New York.

In what's becoming a bit of a pattern here with the first three places on this list, Kirkland had no violent crimes reported in the last reporting year, but had slightly more property crime than the first two places on the list.

Located in the Oneida County on the western side of the state, you can buy your safety here in bulk -- just like the all too familiar Costco brand.

5. Bedford
Bedford, NY
Source: Wikipedia User | CC BY 2.0

Population: 16,989
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 0 (seventh safest)
Property Crimes Per 100k: 94 (sixth safest)
Murders: 0
Murders Per 100k: 0
More on Bedford: Crime | Real Estate

Overall SnackAbility
4
/10

In Westchester County, New York, Bedford's stature as one of New York's safest cities is undisputed, with a 5 position in overall safety. The city's impressive total crime rate of 94/100k people per capita, which covers both violent and property offenses, underpins its secure reputation.

Bedford recorded 0 incidents of violent crime and only 16 cases of property crime, securing the #6 position in New York's property crime rankings.

Bedford is a 39.3-square-mile town characterized by a rural feel, horse farms, and diverse demographics. The town attracts a varied population, including celebrities, because of its safety record.

Population: 8,571
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 0 (seventh safest)
Property Crimes Per 100k: 105 (seventh safest)
Murders: 0
Murders Per 100k: 0
More on Chester: Data | Crime | Real Estate

Overall SnackAbility
6
/10

Chester, in Orange County, New York, stands out as the sixth safest city statewide for 2024, with a population of 8,571 fostering strong community ties. There were a remarkably low number of violent crimes, with only 0 incidents reported. The town ranks as the seventh safest against violent offenses. Property crime is equally scarce with only 9 instances, leading to a 105/100k people crime rate per person.

Chester's unique features include the historic Sugar Loaf, home to the known harness-racing horse Hambletonian 10, and diverse areas such as Camp Monroe, Glenmere Lake, and Goose Pond Mountain State Park.

Rye, NY
Source: Wikipedia User JayHeritageCenter | CC BY-SA 4.0

Population: 16,243
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 0 (seventh safest)
Property Crimes Per 100k: 153 (ninth safest)
Murders: 0
Murders Per 100k: 0
More on Rye: Data | Crime | Real Estate

Overall SnackAbility
10
/10

If you're a history buff, Rye, New York, should be a stop on your itinerary. It's the hometown of John Jay, founding father and the first Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. For the people who live there today, it also offers one of the safest areas to reside in the state.

The town is located on Long Island Sound, just north of New York City, near the border with Connecticut. It has a population of 16,243 but only 25 property crimes and 0 violent crimes during a year. That leads to a negligible crime rate of 153/100k people.

A cozy suburb of the Big Apple, Rye's residents have a median income of $207930. The median home price in the area sits at $1980582.

Malverne, NY
Source: Wikipedia User DanTD | CC BY-SA 3.0

Population: 8,477
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 0 (seventh safest)
Property Crimes Per 100k: 212 (14th safest)
Murders: 0
Murders Per 100k: 0
More on Malverne: Data | Crime | Real Estate

Overall SnackAbility
7
/10

Malverne made a big ole leap to hit this position on our list of the safest cities in the Empire State.

In what is becoming a bit repetitive, there were 0 violent crimes reported here, but slightly more property crimes than the other places on the list ahead of it.

Malverne boasts a strong economy, plenty to do as a suburb of New York City, and a high quality of life. The only downside is that it's a bit pricey with a median home price over 665895 and median incomes above 139915.

9. Whitestown
Whitestown, NY
Source: Wikipedia User Doug Kerr from Albany, NY, United States | CC BY-SA 2.0

Population: 8,948
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 0 (seventh safest)
Property Crimes Per 100k: 223 (15th safest)
Murders: 0
Murders Per 100k: 0
More on Whitestown: Real Estate

There are either some really, really friendly neighbors in Oneida County -- or the people there never leave their house -- since so many of these top places are located there.

If you hadn't gathered, Whitestown is in Oneida County and is super safe. It has a property and violent crime rate that every place in New Mexico would die for.

10. Cairo
Cairo, NY
Source: Flickr User Dougtone | CC BY-SA 2.0

Population: 6,853
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 0 (seventh safest)
Property Crimes Per 100k: 277 (18th safest)
Murders: 0
Murders Per 100k: 0
More on Cairo: Crime | Real Estate

Overall SnackAbility
5
/10

Established in 2024 from areas of adjacent towns, Cairo, located in Greene County, New York, is a small town of fewer than 6,853 residents. It boasts the tenth position among New York's safest places due to its low crime rates, with a mere 0 violent crimes and 19 property crimes. The town's per capita crime rates are recorded at 0/100k people for violent offenses and 277/100k people for property crimes.

Cairo residents sleep like pharaohs knowing their security is close to pyramid-perfect.

Methodology: How we calculated the safest cities in New York for 2024

Safest Cities in New York Graph

While there are surveys and public polls on what cities in New York are the safest, we wanted to rely on something other than speculation and opinion. Instead, we looked at the hard numbers from the FBI's most recent crime report in New York.

Specifically, we used Saturday Night Science to analyze the FBI's Uniform Crime Report, which summarizes the number of property and violent crimes in each city annually. We used two criteria:

  • Violent crimes per capita (murders, assaults, rapes, armed robberies)
  • Property crimes per capita (thefts, burglaries, motor vehicle thefts)

For example, there were 0 crimes committed in Highlands, with a reported population of 8,412. That means the number of crimes per capita is 0.0, which translates into a 1 in 12000 chance of being the victim of a crime.

We only looked at New York cities that have populations of more than 5,000. This filter left us with 211 of the biggest cities in New York to rank.

We ranked each city for each criterion from 1 to 211 where 1 in any particular category is the safest.

Next, we averaged each place's two criteria to create a Safety Index. We crowned the place with the lowest overall Safety Score, "The Safest Place In New York," with any ties going to the bigger city.

The safest city in New York, based on our criteria, is Highlands. The most dangerous city in New York? Herkimer, where residents had a 1 in 14 chance of being the victim of a crime.

This article has been update for 2024. This report marks our tenth time ranking the safest places to live in New York. All the data comes from the FBI's Crime In The USA 2022 report.

Worst Places To Live In New York State

Summary: The Safest Cities In The Empire State

Looking at the data, you can tell that Highlands is as safe as they come in New York, according to science and data.

But as most New York residents would agree, almost every place here has its safe and not safe parts. So just make sure you're informed ahead of time.

The safest places in New York are .

Here's a look at the most dangerous cities in New York according to the data:

  1. Herkimer
  2. Albany
  3. Watertown
For more reading, check out:

Where Are The 10 Safest Cities In New York For 2024?

Rank City Population Violent Crimes Per 100k Property Crimes Per 100k Murders Per 100k Murders
1 Highlands, NY 8,412 0 0 0 0
2 Sleepy Hollow, NY 12,088 0 8 0 0
3 Lewisboro, NY 11,912 0 16 0 0
4 Kirkland, NY 8,329 0 48 0 0
5 Bedford, NY 16,989 0 94 0 0
6 Chester, NY 8,571 0 105 0 0
7 Rye, NY 16,243 0 153 0 0
8 Malverne, NY 8,477 0 212 0 0
9 Whitestown, NY 8,948 0 223 0 0
10 Cairo, NY 6,853 0 277 0 0
11 Shawangunk, NY 13,680 7 182 0 0
12 Tuckahoe, NY 6,887 14 43 0 0
13 Rosendale, NY 5,813 0 395 0 0
14 Cornwall, NY 9,840 20 172 0 0
15 New Castle, NY 17,777 5 427 0 0
16 Plattekill, NY 10,534 18 237 0 0
17 Briarcliff Manor, NY 7,391 13 419 0 0
18 Woodstock, NY 6,322 0 521 0 0
19 Bronxville, NY 6,459 0 526 0 0
20 East Hampton, NY 25,765 15 372 0 0
21 Marlborough, NY 8,900 33 191 0 0
22 Irvington, NY 6,449 15 465 0 0
23 Mount Hope, NY 6,405 31 265 0 0
24 Stillwater, NY 7,405 27 297 0 0
25 Kent, NY 12,943 30 309 0 0
26 Hastings-On-Hudson, NY 8,381 11 548 0 0
27 Brockport, NY 6,924 14 534 0 0
28 Warwick, NY 19,419 36 329 0 0
29 East Fishkill, NY 29,769 23 507 0 0
30 Canton, NY 7,046 14 610 0 0
31 Scarsdale, NY 17,847 22 537 0 0
32 Washingtonville, NY 5,804 17 603 0 0
33 Crawford, NY 9,179 43 315 0 0
34 Deerpark, NY 7,531 39 438 0 0
35 Pleasantville, NY 7,324 13 696 0 0
36 Mamaroneck, NY 12,479 0 833 0 0
37 Hyde Park, NY 21,071 42 446 0 0
38 Eastchester, NY 20,277 19 665 0 0
39 Goshen, NY 8,679 11 760 0 0
40 Eden, NY 7,504 39 466 0 0
41 Lloyd, NY 11,372 26 650 0 0
42 Rye Brook, NY 9,863 10 831 0 0
43 Northport, NY 7,352 13 816 0 0
44 New Paltz and, NY 14,732 33 597 0 0
45 Harrison, NY 28,928 17 757 0 0
46 Tarrytown, NY 11,587 43 517 0 0
47 Waterford and, NY 8,228 48 473 0 0
48 Port Washington, NY 20,071 29 687 0 0
49 Lewiston and, NY 15,781 25 735 6 1
50 Amityville, NY 9,542 31 670 0 0
51 Stony Point, NY 14,749 61 345 13 2
52 Montgomery, NY 9,563 62 313 0 0
53 Yorktown, NY 35,529 33 700 0 0
54 Fairport, NY 5,378 74 278 0 0
55 Rockville Centre, NY 25,703 58 509 0 0
56 Long Beach, NY 34,651 89 144 0 0
57 Carmel, NY 33,868 64 442 0 0
58 Garden City, NY 22,929 26 841 0 0
59 Croton-On-Hudson, NY 8,114 36 727 0 0
60 Glen Cove, NY 28,004 49 664 0 0
61 Elmsford, NY 5,114 97 175 0 0
62 Kings Point, NY 5,530 36 831 0 0
63 Wappingers Falls, NY 6,077 16 1,118 0 0
64 Ramapo, NY 95,165 76 504 0 0
65 Schodack, NY 11,424 78 498 0 0
66 Larchmont, NY 6,448 15 1,240 0 0
67 Orangetown, NY 39,317 55 735 0 0
68 Fishkill, NY 21,307 37 915 0 0
69 North Castle, NY 12,124 57 750 0 0
70 Hudson Falls, NY 7,370 122 284 0 0
71 Webster and, NY 45,230 55 780 0 0
72 Potsdam, NY 8,279 48 845 0 0
73 Ossining, NY 26,980 66 678 0 0
74 Monroe, NY 9,552 73 670 0 0
75 Haverstraw, NY 37,034 78 607 5 2
76 Lynbrook, NY 20,200 79 599 0 0
77 Dobbs Ferry, NY 11,361 44 941 0 0
78 Coeymans, NY 7,161 111 446 0 0
79 Southampton, NY 59,691 46 934 0 0
80 Pelham, NY 7,115 84 562 0 0
81 Saranac Lake, NY 5,221 76 670 0 0
82 New Rochelle, NY 82,628 76 692 0 0
83 Lancaster, NY 39,305 40 1,081 0 0
84 Baldwinsville, NY 7,712 90 557 0 0
85 Cicero, NY 29,252 34 1,254 0 0
86 Walden, NY 6,819 43 1,129 0 0
87 Floral Park, NY 16,000 62 850 0 0
88 Ballston Spa, NY 5,088 137 491 0 0
89 Evans, NY 15,117 72 846 0 0
90 Bethlehem, NY 34,872 57 1,104 0 0
91 Ogden, NY 20,293 88 758 0 0
92 Port Chester, NY 30,804 61 1,068 0 0
93 Orchard Park, NY 29,775 50 1,256 0 0
94 Manlius, NY 24,139 62 1,072 0 0
95 East Aurora-Aurora, NY 13,936 78 868 0 0
96 Camillus and, NY 25,268 59 1,191 0 0
97 Ulster, NY 12,803 62 1,132 0 0
98 Geneseo, NY 8,123 73 1,058 0 0
99 Saugerties, NY 19,323 103 791 0 0
100 Oneonta City, NY 12,447 80 931 0 0

Breaking Down Crime In The Safest And Most Dangerous Cities In New York

Safest Cities in New York Breakdown

Chris Kolmar has been in the real estate business for almost ten years now. He originally worked for Movoto Real Estate as the director of marketing before founding HomeSnacks.

He believes the key to finding the right place to live comes down to looking at the data, reading about things to do, and, most importantly, checking it out yourself before you move.

If you've been looking for a place to live in the past several years, you've probably stumbled upon his writing already.

You can find out more about him on LinkedIn.

Safest Cities By State

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