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.
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:
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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
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
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.
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
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.
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
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.
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.
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
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.
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:
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.
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:
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 |
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.
We founded HomeSnacks to provide insights your real estate agent would neglect to mention.
By presenting data from presentable sources and utlizing Saturday Night Science, we provide detailed insights into cities and neighborhoods.
Learn more about Nick and Chris.
HomeSnacks is based in Durham, NC.
We aim to deliver bite-sized pieces of infotainment about where you live.
We use data, analytics, and a sense of humor to determine quality of life for places across the nation.