Safest Cities in New York

Using reported crime data provided by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, AdvisorSmith conducted a study of the safest cities in the state of New York. This study examined the reported crime levels in cities across the state and assigned each city a crime score based upon the per capita levels of reported crimes in each city. The composition of crimes also influenced the crime score, with more severe crimes such as murder and rape receiving a higher weight compared with property crimes. The average crime score for cities in New York was 28, and scores ranged from as low as 2 to as high as 405.

Our study examined a total of 373 small, midsize, and large cities in the state of New York. Cities in the state were labeled based upon their population. Cities with under 10,000 residents were labeled small cities. Midsize cities were those with between 10,000 and 50,000 residents, and large cities were those with over 50,000 residents. In total, there were 234 small cities, 119 midsize cities, and 20 large cities included in our study.

The Cost of Crime

For consumers and businesses alike, crime and a lack of safety in a neighborhood can exact a significant toll on daily lives. For the consumer, this can equate to decreases in home values, increases in insurance costs, and more. For businesses, crimes such as shoplifting, robbery, vandalism, theft, and fraud, end up costing U.S. businesses billions of dollars each year. As crime rates increase, so do costs for insurance coverage, including commercial property, commercial crime, and cyber insurance. Studies have shown that the average annual cost of crime prevention for small businesses is over $12,000, while the annual average crime loss is over $14,000.

Safest Large Cities in New York

Among large cities in New York, the average crime score was 55. For cities with over 50,000 residents, crime scores ranged from as low as 12 to as high at 112. 

The safest large city in New York was Ramapo, located in Rockland County near the New York-New Jersey border, about 28 miles northwest of New York City. Ramapo is a diverse, dense suburban area, and it was originally developed as a stop on the stagecoach route from New York City to Albany. 

Buffalo was the large city in New York State with the highest levels of reported crime. Buffalo is located on the eastern shore of Lake Erie, on the international border of the United States and Canada. Buffalo is the second-largest city in the state and was one of the first cities to widely adopt electric lighting. Historically, the city’s economy was dependent upon manufacturing and trade, and the city has experienced declines in population since the 1950s.

Rank	City	Violent Crimes per 1,000 Residents	Property Crimes per 1,000 Residents	Crime Score
1	Ramapo	3.3	4.6	12.2
2	Southampton	5.7	9.3	20.1
3	New Rochelle	4.1	9.7	20.4
4	Clarkstown	5.8	12.2	22.1
5	White Plains	4.8	14.3	26.5
6	Amherst	5.6	15.2	27.1
7	Tonawanda	7.5	12.8	28.3
8	Colonie	5.1	23.5	33.0
9	Yonkers	6.8	9.1	34.6
10	Greece	10.2	19.3	39.3
11	Hempstead	10.2	10.5	48.8
12	New York	5.7	14.6	50.3
13	Cheektowaga	10.4	28.0	51.5
14	Mount Vernon	16.5	12.5	58.4
15	Albany	24.4	30.0	94.9
16	Utica	30.4	33.2	97.3
17	Schenectady	33.1	27.0	104.0
18	Syracuse	29.7	31.3	104.1
19	Rochester	31.5	34.7	106.3
20	Buffalo	28.3	32.5	112.9

Safest Midsize Cities in New York

Sleepy Hollow is the safest midsize city in New York, with a crime score of 2. The city is located on the east bank of the Hudson River, about 30 miles north of New York City. The city is known due to The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, a short story written by Washington Irving. 

The average crime score for midsize cities in New York State was 33. Crime scores for midsize cities ranged from 2 up to 117. Cities with populations between 10,000 and 50,000 residents were considered midsize cities in this study.

Rank	City	Violent Crimes per 1,000 Residents	Property Crimes per 1,000 Residents	Crime Score
1	Sleepy Hollow	2.0	0.0	2.0
2	Rye	0.7	1.4	2.6
3	Bedford	0.3	3.2	3.8
4	Carmel	0.7	2.2	4.1
5	New Castle	0.9	3.2	4.4
6	Plattekill	1.2	2.4	4.6
7	Eastchester	0.5	3.3	4.6
8	Suffern	1.4	2.5	4.6
9	Floral Park	0.7	1.6	4.8
10	Glen Cove	0.9	3.1	4.9
11	Shawangunk	1.0	3.0	5.0
12	Kent	0.6	2.2	6.2
13	Harrison	1.3	5.3	6.6
14	Hyde Park	1.8	4.0	6.8
15	Long Beach	2.2	2.0	7.0
16	Port Washington	1.3	4.7	7.6
17	Mamaroneck	0.7	6.5	8.1
18	Dobbs Ferry	2.5	4.0	8.3
19	Mount Pleasant	1.9	5.0	8.4
20	East Fishkill	2.2	4.4	8.6
21	Scarsdale	0.8	6.5	9.0
22	East Aurora-Aurora	3.5	4.9	9.1
23	Stony Point	1.9	3.3	9.5
24	Yorktown	2.6	5.9	9.7
25	Tarrytown	1.5	5.1	9.9
26	Blooming Grove	2.5	4.6	9.9
27	Rockville Centre	1.5	7.1	10.6
28	Cicero	3.9	6.1	11.0
29	North Castle	3.3	6.1	11.0
30	Lynbrook	2.1	5.3	11.5
31	Lewiston	4.4	5.5	11.7
32	Fishkill	1.0	8.9	11.8
33	Port Chester	1.5	6.8	12.3
34	Webster	2.5	6.9	12.9
35	Ossining	2.4	6.3	13.0
36	Schodack	2.6	6.9	14.4
37	Garden City	0.6	11.9	14.5
38	Warwick	6.9	4.7	16.0
39	Ogden	6.3	7.0	16.0
40	Mamaroneck	4.1	8.2	16.6
41	Orangetown	4.7	7.1	16.9
42	Lancaster	3.7	10.6	17.6
43	Lloyd	4.6	9.5	18.2
44	Greenburgh	3.0	9.7	18.2
45	East Hampton	5.0	8.2	18.3
46	Peekskill	3.4	8.6	18.4
47	Fallsburg	6.1	8.2	18.6
48	North Greenbush	5.0	12.8	20.0
49	Niskayuna	3.6	13.7	20.0
50	Vestal	4.7	13.1	20.5
51	Kenmore	3.8	12.7	20.5
52	Southold	5.9	10.5	21.0
53	Orchard Park	4.4	11.7	21.3
54	Manlius	6.5	10.5	21.8
55	Camillus	5.9	11.5	22.0
56	Glenville	4.1	14.3	22.1
57	Freeport	3.8	9.9	22.2
58	Geddes	4.5	16.1	22.6
59	Riverhead	1.1	16.9	23.4
60	Bethlehem	6.2	12.4	23.9
61	New Windsor	8.6	9.7	24.0
62	Evans	6.6	10.6	24.9
63	Fredonia	4.7	19.0	25.4
64	Fulton	4.8	19.3	25.5
65	Depew	6.8	12.9	26.0
66	Hamburg	5.4	16.0	26.2
67	Brighton	5.6	17.0	26.6
68	Beacon	7.7	10.3	27.7
69	Saugerties	10.5	8.6	27.9
70	Glens Falls	7.5	7.6	28.2
71	Ulster	4.6	16.5	29.0
72	North Tonawanda	10.0	11.6	30.4
73	Irondequoit	6.6	16.7	31.0
74	West Seneca	9.3	13.2	31.4
75	Geneva	2.6	18.4	31.4
76	Guilderland	3.8	24.6	32.4
77	Wallkill	7.8	19.1	33.5
78	East Greenbush	5.8	24.5	33.6
79	Cohoes	11.9	9.2	33.8
80	Plattsburgh	10.2	12.5	34.7
81	Oneonta	9.4	10.4	34.9
82	Amsterdam	11.5	12.4	36.1
83	Tonawanda	8.5	12.7	37.1
84	New Hartford	2.3	30.4	37.3
85	Dunkirk	11.1	17.9	38.3
86	Rome	12.6	16.4	38.5
87	Dewitt	6.6	24.3	38.6
88	Newburgh	7.2	29.3	40.2
89	Saratoga Springs	11.2	15.9	41.2
90	Middletown	11.8	11.1	41.3
91	Rotterdam	11.4	25.3	42.5
92	Poughkeepsie	8.6	25.5	44.6
93	Spring Valley	12.1	13.1	45.0
94	Woodbury	2.0	41.8	45.2
95	Ithaca	11.6	27.0	45.9
96	Massena	18.4	24.2	48.0
97	Gates	14.3	27.4	52.9
98	Elmira	8.1	30.8	54.5
99	Kingston	17.6	21.8	56.9
100	Olean	18.2	23.0	60.5
101	Corning	10.8	16.2	61.2
102	Ogdensburg	19.6	28.2	66.2
103	Lackawanna	19.4	21.3	66.2
104	Auburn	23.0	29.6	67.6
105	Batavia	21.8	24.2	69.6
106	Oswego	23.5	33.8	76.0
107	Canandaigua	28.4	17.4	76.4
108	Poughkeepsie	18.6	16.9	77.9
109	Endicott	15.4	28.1	78.2
110	Cortland	41.1	17.4	79.1
111	Oneida	25.1	34.2	83.8
112	Troy	27.9	27.7	87.9
113	Gloversville	39.3	27.2	95.4
114	Johnson	23.4	53.9	104.4
115	Jamestown	36.7	29.7	104.8
116	Binghamton	25.7	42.9	112.4
117	Watertown	39.0	35.3	114.1
118	Niagara Falls	30.7	38.6	117.1
119	Newburgh	34.7	22.8	117.1

Safest Small Cities in New York

The safest small city in New York was Kirkland. Located in Oneida County, Kirkland is host to Hamilton College, a private liberal arts college. The city is located just to the west of the larger city of Utica.

In the table below, rankings and crime scores are listed for 234 small cities with under 10,000 residents in the state of New York. Additionally, the level of violent and property crimes per 1,000 residents is also listed for each city. For small cities in New York, crime scores ranged from 2 to 404, and their average was 24.

Rank	City	Violent Crimes per 1,000 Residents	Property Crimes per 1,000 Residents	Crime Score
1	Kirkland	0.9	1.2	2.0
2	Highlands	1.1	1.2	2.3
3	Elmira	2.1	0.7	2.9
4	Northport	1.4	1.9	3.3
5	Hamilton	1.8	1.8	3.5
6	Mount Hope	1.1	1.4	3.6
7	Malverne	0.4	1.8	3.9
8	Whitestown	0.5	3.7	4.2
9	Briarcliff Manor	0.1	4.4	4.5
10	Durham	0.0	4.5	4.5
11	Cornwall	1.3	1.3	5.1
12	Cayuga Heights	0.7	4.6	5.2
13	Stillwater	1.2	2.6	5.3
14	Shandaken	1.6	3.7	5.3
15	Waterford	1.2	3.1	5.5
16	Tuxedo	4.1	1.4	5.5
17	Montgomery	1.3	4.2	5.5
18	Coxsackie	5.2	0.6	5.8
19	Irvington	0.3	5.5	5.9
20	Somerset	5.9	0.0	5.9
21	Phelps	0.0	6.3	6.3
22	Florida	1.1	5.3	6.3
23	Youngstown	0.0	6.4	6.4
24	Tuckahoe	0.8	5.7	6.5
25	Piermont	4.1	2.7	6.8
26	Norfolk	2.7	1.8	6.9
27	Marcellus	0.0	7.0	7.0
28	Sodus	1.4	5.6	7.0
29	Great Neck Estates	0.0	7.1	7.1
30	Altamont	2.4	4.8	7.1
31	Cairo	1.7	4.7	7.2
32	Bronxville	0.2	7.0	7.2
33	Oyster Bay Cove	0.6	3.9	7.3
34	Sherrill	3.3	4.0	7.4
35	Rye Brook	0.2	7.2	7.5
36	Caledonia	7.6	0.0	7.6
37	Elmsford	1.8	2.5	7.7
38	Goshen	3.9	3.1	8.1
39	Ardsley	0.5	5.6	8.5
40	Carroll	2.3	6.2	8.5
41	Kings Point	0.9	5.4	8.6
42	Canton	2.8	2.8	8.6
43	Nissequogue	0.0	8.7	8.7
44	Chittenango	2.7	4.7	8.7
45	Brewster	2.6	6.4	9.0
46	Croton-On-Hudson	1.5	5.3	9.0
47	Liverpool	3.6	5.4	9.1
48	Akron	2.1	3.5	9.1
49	Chester	2.5	6.7	9.2
50	Moriah	1.3	1.3	9.2
51	Chester	2.3	0.9	9.2
52	Highland Falls	2.1	2.1	9.4
53	Rosendale	4.1	4.5	9.4
54	Hunter	1.4	5.9	9.6
55	Friendship	1.1	8.6	9.6
56	Brant	4.9	4.9	9.7
57	Huntington Bay	0.0	9.8	9.8
58	Maybrook	4.5	3.2	9.9
59	Cornwall-On-Hudson	3.1	5.1	10.0
60	Westfield	5.6	4.4	10.1
61	Lloyd Harbor	1.2	2.9	10.2
62	Homer	1.3	2.6	10.3
63	Millerton	2.4	8.1	10.5
64	Lake Success	3.8	6.8	10.6
65	Eden	4.1	4.7	10.6
66	Fairport	3.7	4.9	10.6
67	Alfred	3.0	6.3	10.7
68	Hastings-On-Hudson	2.3	7.3	10.9
69	Washingtonville	5.6	4.2	10.9
70	Weedsport	0.0	10.9	10.9
71	Chatham	0.0	11.1	11.1
72	Marlborough	3.6	5.7	11.2
73	Pound Ridge	2.1	7.2	11.2
74	Pulaski	1.3	9.9	11.2
75	Baldwinsville	5.5	5.8	11.3
76	Crawford	3.9	7.0	11.4
77	Potsdam	2.9	7.5	11.6
78	West Carthage	4.8	6.8	11.6
79	Franklinville	7.4	4.9	12.3
80	Painted Post	0.9	7.0	12.3
81	Woodstock	4.3	5.5	12.5
82	Pelham	3.2	6.5	12.6
83	Kensington	0.0	12.6	12.6
84	Waverly	5.6	2.4	12.6
85	Old Westbury	1.7	9.9	12.6
86	Pleasantville	1.7	5.2	12.7
87	Oxford	4.4	8.7	13.1
88	Camden	1.0	12.1	13.1
89	Attica	0.0	13.1	13.1
90	Sherburne	0.0	13.3	13.3
91	Bolton	0.0	13.3	13.3
92	Hamburg	4.5	7.8	13.4
93	Sands Point	0.3	10.0	13.4
94	New York Mills	0.3	13.2	13.6
95	Bainbridge	0.0	13.9	13.9
96	Clayton	4.1	9.8	13.9
97	Greenwood Lake	7.4	2.7	14.1
98	Cazenovia	2.8	6.3	14.1
99	Rhinebeck	0.5	11.0	14.1
100	Greenport	1.2	13.1	14.2
101	Geneseo	0.9	10.2	14.3
102	Black River	1.6	12.8	14.4
103	Amityville	5.2	7.2	14.4
104	Webb	5.6	3.4	14.5
105	Montgomery	7.2	5.9	14.7
106	Lowville	6.3	4.2	15.1
107	Frankfort	4.7	5.5	15.5
108	Cuba	3.1	10.5	15.6
109	Hornell	1.6	14.1	15.7
110	Philmont	6.3	9.5	15.9
111	Buchanan	2.7	4.0	16.0
112	Cold Spring	2.0	4.1	16.4
113	Ballston Spa	8.0	5.9	16.5
114	Arcade	5.5	4.1	16.6
115	Whitesboro	3.3	5.0	16.6
116	Macedon	4.8	8.1	16.7
117	Cambridge	6.1	10.6	16.7
118	Southampton	0.9	14.4	16.8
119	Ellicottville	0.0	17.1	17.1
120	Waterloo	7.0	10.4	17.4
121	Skaneateles	1.2	16.2	17.5
122	New Berlin	5.6	11.9	17.5
123	Walden	10.8	5.4	17.7
124	Belmont	4.4	13.3	17.7
125	Nassau	8.2	9.5	17.7
126	Larchmont	1.8	13.8	17.9
127	Oriskany	0.0	18.1	18.1
128	Palmyra	4.0	2.8	18.1
129	Dolgeville	7.2	6.2	18.5
130	Addison	4.9	3.5	18.7
131	Allegany	2.3	10.5	18.7
132	Groton	3.1	15.8	18.9
133	Boonville	1.7	9.5	18.9
134	Granville	6.8	5.4	18.9
135	Fishkill	4.6	11.6	19.1
136	Canajoharie	8.0	7.0	19.2
137	Holley	6.4	6.4	19.3
138	Greenwich	7.0	12.5	19.5
139	Moravia	1.7	18.3	20.0
140	Mohawk	3.2	9.5	20.1
141	Goshen	12.9	5.4	20.2
142	Fort Edward	9.0	2.1	20.6
143	Hoosick Falls	7.1	6.3	20.8
144	South Nyack	6.2	6.5	20.9
145	Tupper Lake	3.0	8.9	21.3
146	Windham	3.6	6.0	21.5
147	Greene	0.9	20.7	21.7
148	South Glens Falls	6.8	9.5	21.8
149	Yorkville	4.7	9.3	21.8
150	Norwood	4.4	6.6	22.1
151	East Rochester	6.9	10.6	22.1
152	Brockport	8.0	7.2	22.7
153	Middleport	11.5	7.6	22.9
154	Vernon	7.8	15.6	23.4
155	Red Hook	1.5	19.4	23.5
156	Westhampton Beach	9.4	14.4	23.7
157	Frankfort	4.9	4.9	23.8
158	Old Brookville	1.4	20.4	24.1
159	Horseheads	4.5	15.8	24.1
160	Mechanicville	8.3	7.6	24.1
161	Saranac Lake	7.5	9.4	24.5
162	Watkins Glen	4.2	16.8	24.5
163	Harriman	5.4	12.5	24.6
164	Phoenix	8.3	7.3	25.3
165	Dansville	13.0	11.8	26.0
166	Carthage	9.9	13.5	26.1
167	Delhi	4.8	7.1	26.2
168	Deerpark	11.7	6.4	26.2
169	Ticonderoga	9.8	6.3	26.5
170	Rensselaer	9.0	9.4	27.8
171	Trumansburg	3.1	19.2	27.9
172	Elmira Heights	4.2	19.1	28.5
173	Monroe	10.9	13.8	28.9
174	Hammondsport	0.0	29.0	29.0
175	Dryden	2.6	12.3	29.3
176	Warsaw	6.5	13.2	29.8
177	Coeymans	7.4	9.7	29.9
178	Perry	10.2	10.5	29.9
179	Lake Placid	12.2	8.0	30.0
180	Le Roy	6.6	14.1	30.2
181	Hudson Falls	12.1	6.4	30.8
182	Penn Yan	12.4	10.4	31.2
183	Canastota	13.5	7.3	31.2
184	Colchester	9.7	7.1	31.6
185	St. Johnsville	15.5	13.1	31.6
186	Wellsville	9.2	7.3	32.3
187	Clyde	9.3	14.2	32.8
188	North Syracuse	11.9	10.5	33.0
189	Green Island	12.4	13.0	33.2
190	Independence	8.8	7.0	33.4
191	Solvay	12.2	10.4	34.4
192	Blasdell	10.5	14.6	34.5
193	Scotia	8.1	14.5	34.6
194	Canisteo	5.6	2.8	34.7
195	Wolcott	13.1	3.7	35.6
196	Menands	6.9	23.7	35.8
197	Bath	10.3	13.4	36.2
198	Niagara	7.2	26.6	36.3
199	Central Square	0.6	36.0	36.6
200	Catskill	11.6	18.7	38.2
201	Ellenville	14.3	12.6	38.2
202	Deposit	4.5	22.5	38.2
203	Medina	11.4	16.0	39.4
204	Pelham Manor	6.5	26.8	39.5
205	Inlet	19.9	19.9	39.7
206	Quogue	1.2	34.3	41.4
207	East Hampton	5.3	36.1	41.5
208	Little Falls	15.9	8.4	42.2
209	Wappingers Falls	34.7	8.7	43.3
210	Cobleskill	12.5	11.8	43.4
211	Seneca Falls	13.1	23.7	43.4
212	Gowanda	18.3	14.5	43.9
213	Johnstown	20.2	16.8	48.9
214	Salamanca	18.8	9.9	50.7
215	Malone	15.9	20.1	51.1
216	Monticello	16.6	17.7	55.1
217	Lakewood-Busti	4.4	46.2	55.2
218	Watervliet	12.6	19.9	56.6
219	Hancock	22.0	9.2	56.9
220	Mount Morris	13.7	21.9	57.8
221	Albion	22.8	25.3	64.1
222	Ilion	12.5	21.2	65.7
223	Newark	25.8	25.9	68.5
224	Port Jervis	27.3	16.1	68.9
225	Woodridge	6.9	29.2	70.4
226	Herkimer	9.1	27.6	70.8
227	Ellicott	12.4	48.1	75.0
228	Fort Plain	26.1	23.8	77.3
229	Owego	21.6	29.3	81.0
230	Sidney	23.5	33.3	85.9
231	Hudson	29.6	17.5	94.0
232	Liberty	23.8	29.1	95.3
233	Norwich	42.1	28.3	100.7
234	Ocean Beach	144.6	260.2	404.8

Methodology

AdvisorSmith determined the safest cities in New York by analyzing data from the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting Statistics dataset for 2019, which is the most recent data available. This dataset provides reporting on crimes reported to law enforcement agencies in cities across the state of New York. Some of the crimes in the report include rape, robbery, murder, assault, larceny, motor vehicle theft, and burglary. 

In this study, we assigned a weight to each type of crime to reflect the severity of the crime. For example, murder receives a higher weight than larceny. We used the number of reported crimes on a weighted basis to calculate the weighted crime rate in each city. We then adjusted the weighted crime rate by the population of each city to find a crime score for each city in New York.

To complete the analysis, we segmented New York cities into three groups based upon their population. Cities with under 10,000 residents were compared as small cities. Cities with between 10,000 and 50,000 residents were considered midsize cities, and large cities were those with over 50,000 residents. We ranked the cities based upon their crime scores within their city size designations to find the safest small, midsize, and large cities in the state of New York.

Sources

1. Federal Bureau of Investigation, Uniform Crime Reporting, Return A, 2019