New York’s Safest Cities of 2024

See crime rates for the safest cities.

According to our most recent State of Safety report, New York is more worried about safety and crime than most states. Six in 10 respondents to our survey told us they have high levels of concern every day—the third-highest in the nation. Alternatively, survey participants noted a dip in personal experiences with crime compared to the previous reporting year.

We didn't have enough viable data to calculate statewide crime rates for New York this year or last. But if the safest cities are any indication, it looks like crime rates may be on the decline statewide.

The collective property crime rate of New York's safest cities is 6.6 incidents per 1,000 people—a huge decline from 18.0 last year. The collective violent crime rate of the state's safest cities is 0.5 incidents per 1,000 people, compared to 3.4 last year. 

Crime rates shared below reflect New York's statewide crime rates from our 2022 report, the last year the FBI received enough data to assess the state's crime rates.

While New Yorkers worry more about property crime than the average American, it doesn't concern them as much as violent crime and gun violence.

• Worry about property crime held steady year over year, with 53% of survey respondents worrying about it every day (US 52%).
• Fewer New Yorkers (20%) reported personal experiences with property crime this survey year as they did in the last survey (25%).
• New York respondents' experience with property crime is the fifth-lowest in the US.
• 65% of New York residents use some form of property protection (US 75%) with security cameras on top at 36%.
• 31% of New Yorkers said they added or increased security measures in the 12 months prior to the survey (US 35%). That's the fifth-lowest level of increased security measures in the country.

• 32% of survey respondents in New York reported experiencing package theft in the 12 months prior to the survey (US 35%)—that represents a 27% decline year over year.
• 50% of participants expressed a high level of concern about package theft (US 53%).
• The preferred methods of package protection in New York are video doorbells (33%) and verified delivery (29%).

Reports of personal experience with violent crime in The Empire State fell from 24% to 16% year over year. New York residents also had fewer experiences with gun violence this survey year.

• 68% of survey respondents reported a high level of concern about violent crime—the second-highest percentage in the country behind Louisiana.
• Just 3 in 10 New York residents (31%) reported feeling safe in their home state (US 45%)—this is the eighth-lowest level of confidence in the US.
• 28% of survey participants use some kind of personal protection like a stun gun or pepper spray, compared to 36% nationally.
• The most popular types of personal protection used by New York respondents this survey year were pepper spray (46%) and pocket knives (32%).

• 7 in 10 respondents said gun violence is the safety concern they worry about most on a daily basis (US 53%). This is the second highest in the nation behind Louisiana.
• The number of respondents with a personal gun violence experience (13%) dropped by 19% since the previous survey year (US 12%).
• There were 16 mass shooting incidents in New York in 2023, a 48% decrease from 31 incidents in 2022.
• Concealed firearms are the least-used form of personal protection in The Empire State, with just 7% using them, versus 41% nationwide. 
• Just 10% of respondents use a firearm to protect their property, compared to 28% nationwide.

For the purposes of this report, the terms “dangerous” and “safest” refer explicitly to crime rates as calculated from FBI crime data—no other characterization of any community is implied or intended.

• We couldn’t rank the safest cities in New York last year due to limited information reported to the FBI, so we don't have any year over year comparisons.
• 44 cities met criteria for ranking.
• Bedford Town is the safest city in New York—there were zero violent crimes reported and just 16 property crimes.
• 3 cities reported zero robberies: Bedford Town, East Fishkill, and Lewiston Town and Village.
• Every safest city reported less than 1 violent crime per 1,000 people. 
• 3 cities reported 6 or fewer burglaries: East Fishkill, the Town of Carmel, and Lewiston Town and Village.
• Every safest city reported fewer than 9 property crime incidents per 1,000 people.

• Best Home Security Systems
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• Burglary Stats & Facts
• Over 50% Of All Burglaries Are Residential—How To Protect Your Family
• The Best Personal Safety Devices for Every Situation

Find all endnotes and sources in our full methodology.

FBI Crime Data Explorer, "Documents & Downloads." Accessed March 18, 2024.

• 2022 and 2021 Crime in the United States Annual Reports
  • Offenses Known to Law Enforcement
• 2022 NIBRS Estimation Tables

Bureau of Justice Statistics, "National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS)." Accessed March 18, 2024.

Gun Violence Archive, "Mass Shootings." Accessed March 18, 2023.