Worst Neighborhood in New York City

This entirely depends on whether you're a tourist, recurring visitor, former local, new local, etc.

Basic guidelines are generally the same, however:
The "worst neighborhood" in the great city of New York can not be defined in one name. One can assume you're referring to danger. Or perhaps interest, or attractions, or housing prices...

Let me start with this.
99.999% of tourists stay in an around Manhattan. Let's face it- Manhattan's got it all, from a tourist's point of view. Attractions, hotels, "real New Yorkers all over Times Square" (as if...). However, there are some intriguing areas (surprise) around Manhattan.

I don't want to get too far off track. But I will state that if you're a tourist, in terms of interest and avoiding suburban areas, I'd stay within the following boundaries:
The First Hump of Queens (east of Middle Village), Northern Brooklyn (don't go further than Prospect Park), and the South Bronx (stay close to Manhattan).

In terms of safety, which I'm sure is what you're asking, I recommend AVOIDING the following (if you're knew:)

Brownsville-East New York (my mother's side hails from here, so clearly I'm not biased)
Bedford-Stuyvesent-Clinton Hill (though it's getting better, it's not QUITE there yet)
Long Island City (it also lacks things to do)
Mott Haven (simply boring, but nice residentially in some places)
and Washington Heights (not much to do there either, but some nice parks in the area so good for resedence)

By all means, visit Harlem. It's very nice.
The Lower East Side is (when you find the right knish deli) my favorite neighborhood.
Brooklyn Heights is gorgeous.
Chelsea is hip.
The Upper East Side is chi-chi (you're almost guaranteed an elderly woman in a fur coat)

But ask a New Yorker when you're there

I think anyplace you live in the world, it can be unsafe. Especially if your in the wrong place at the wrong time, pretty much sums it up.

In Manhattan:

You basically want to avoid the entire south eastern portion edge of the island. Good general rule to follow is to not go east of Avenue B, and not to go south of Delancy St. There are some exceptions, but you can find yourself in some bad areas.

North of around 100th st (Harlem) is hit or miss...in general Harlem is getting better, and large swaths are very safe, the west side is much safer than the east, particularly the area around Columbia...but in general, you should expect a higher degree of crime than in southern areas. Some areas are still very bad.

Basically the entire west side of Manhattan west of 9th avenue to the Hudson anywhere between 42nd street until you hit Chelsea is a wasteland. There are huge stretches of area where that are very industrial. and it can get very desolate at night. Not unsafe per se...but one of the few places you can walk around NY without too many other people.

On the subject of Chelsea, you should avoid the projects between 28th and 24th between 8th and 9th.

You will generally find unsavory characters mulling about the area around Penn Station, The Port Authority Bus Terminal, Union Square, and the Intersection of Canal/Broadway. These are high traffic areas, and nothing is going to happen to you...but if you dont want to deal with that...than you can avoid it.

In general, you should avoid walking around in Central Park at night.

The subway is generally safe in Manhattan, at all hours. The biggest risk is late at night, getting caught in the middle of some drunk/drugged out people getting into a fight with one another. If you are on the subway late at night a rowdy group gets on the train...switch cars. Other than that you are probably good.

I've lived in NYC for 32 years, including during the worst crime year on record, 1989. While crime has drastically decreased since then, it's still a major city and people need to be smart about safety. I was attacked 10 years ago on West 74th Street in broad daylight, after being followed into a building. Obviously there are neighborhoods like Brownsville that have a high-crime reputation, but you really do need to pay attention to your surroundings anywhere you go, even if it seems safe.

The worst areas in Manhattan (small areas of Harlem, Alphabet City and Washington Heights) do not compare to the worst in Brooklyn (areas of Bed-Stuy, Brownsville and East New York). Its not really even close.

I may have said this before ,over the years. But I reckon the 5 points area in the 50s was a tough place. You had the Dead Rabbits and the Bowery Boys, you could not go out for your 6-pack after 9am. It was that bad. The trouble is these days, I can get my 6-pack easily enough......but I can't open the darn things .

If you want to know high crime or low crime neighborhoods. You better check current crime rate in NYC. You can check crime rate here at

http://www.crimeteller.com/crimetel/crime/us-ny-new_york-new_york.html

or

https://maps.nyc.gov/crime/

as for lack of safety, I would say South Bronx, although there seems to be a strong sense of community there. The neighborhood I am leaving, (Glen Oaks), however is much safer but the sense of community is completely lacking and people are more worried about keeping up with the Joneses and the police precinct is a joke.
Everyone thinks running to the suburbs is the answer, but let's face it, this is 2013 and crime is everywhere.

I don't think anyone is saying that Harlem is worse than the Bronx? And you're right, @elysium, Harlem is much safer these days.

I'm surprised most people are saying Harlem, I heard the Bronx was much worse. I haven't been to the Bronx, but I know that Harlem is now a lot safer with all the gentrification going on.

My job as dog catcher has taken me to many sketchy parts of the USA I have lived in Flint Michigan, the old Cabrini-Greene in Chiraq , Pruitt-Igoe in St. Louis, Liberty City in Miami , Crenshaw in SCLA , E.St. Louis IIlinois ,Gary Indiana ,Houston’s third ward , among others. I would not have survived my time in Baltimore if not for my friends Stringer Bell and Omar Little. There is not a hood in NYC that is even close in malfeasance and skullduggery to those places. That being said. Some very mean Korean hitters in Little Neck Queens surrounded me and made me eat clams

I too was accosted by the dead rabbits gang as a strolled along Mulberry Bend with my fiancée , but the Plug Uglies were downright sinister . They knocked me down and my shoes fell off. I got up and yelled “go make your dreams in this concrete jungle “. I would still rent an apartment there I even lived in Fort Apache in da Bronx and found it quite safe as long as you gave the locals trinkets and foodstuffs upon moving in .

I would say to look at Sutton place in Manhattan ,Brooklyn heights, Malba or Douglaston Queens ; and Riverdale in the Bronx you get get an apartment for about 300 per month in these hoods and houses around 125,000 You should avoid queens around 126 st and northern blvd as I heard there is a gang called the metropolitans that carry baseball bats. East NY in Brooklyn is bad I was walking past the former Pabst brewery on Sheffield ave and I was knocked to the ground and tickled really hard. I did spend Christmas time at a friends house in Queens and it was lovely as his mother made chicken and collard greens.

Manhattan as a whole especially in 2018 in my opinion as a Real Estate Broker here for the past 30 years Has No Horrible Neighborhoods...
Now in the 70 and 80's for those of you living in the East Village currently, believe me , you would not have been living there..:)
Harlem is not what it was when it was drug infested...
Washington Heights is in the process of gentrifying...
There is good and bad to say about gentrifying...but thats a post in and of itself...If you need any help at all getting settled or have
questions, feel free to connect with me!!

The author is obviously clueless and must have never ventured out of his Park Avenue hotel. You need to stop watching re-runs of the Warriors and Death Wish; those scenes took place in the 70's and on a Hollywood set. Fast forward a few decades into modern day NYC for a reality check and take a stroll through Long Island City Queens or Washington heights in Manhattan. Also, stop pretending you're from NYC, obviously you're a transplant. Just because you've been to Stage Deli a few times and know where the Empire State building is doesn't make you a New Yorker. Some of these neighborhoods have tree lined streets, are family friendly and have great restaurants and schools.

The author is obviously clueless and must have never ventured out of his Park Avenue hotel. You need to stop watching re-runs of the Warriors and Death Wish; those scenes took place in the 70's and on a Hollywood set. Fast forward a few decades into modern day NYC for a reality check and take a stroll through Long Island City Queens or Washington heights in Manhattan. Also, stop pretending you're from NYC, obviously you're a transplant. Just because you've been to Stage Deli a few times and know where the Empire State building is doesn't make you a New Yorker. Some of these neighborhoods have tree lined streets, are family friendly and have great restaurants and schools.

Hi all! I am a single mom and I am treating my son to week in NYC for a week in August for our summer v-vay! Anyone know of any safe but affordable hotels that is easy to public transportation in the city? Manhattan seems to be crazy, ridiculous on prices. I was looking at Queens, Brooklyn, and possible lower Bronx/Harlem? Those places seem the most reasonable. Any suggestions or advice is most helpful!! :) Thanks in advance!

There is no neighborhood that is the worst. Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan all have their bad neighborhoods. If you are a tourist you really would'nt find your self in these areas. If you plan on living here, do your research. To that person from England that said America sounds tough, I can say the same thing about England because I know nothing of England. It's all about what you're used to. I was born and raised in Queens NY and have since moved to the burbs for better schools and much needed quiet time. Haven't lost the accent though. lol.

Im moving to america and all of these people saying its unsafe to walk around on your own etc etc.. Its making me think twice? Is it really that bad?? I dont want to move somewhere where im am not safe 90% of the time...

I have to say that this conversation has been most amusing! If you imagine the voice of each character in the blog and read their message its hilarious!! I would have to say that AussieTraveller, Refinedgold, NYorBust, TeamArsenal, OliviaJ and montecillo my favorites!! Brilliant!! :)

In 2010, 39 murders were reported in Harlem. Its way safer compared to 2005. In 2005 it was reported to have somewhere around 75 murders. In 2012 im guessing the murder rate should be 35? And were 3/4 into the year which means about 9 murders are still to be commited.

The Lower East Side is pretty bad, there are A LOT of housing projects but its also pretty Quiet. There are some streets you want to avoid like E Houston st E Delancy st E Bway and E Montgomoery sr

Soho is fine at night! a friend and i walked around at 2 am after a concert and felt totally safe.
I would avoid Harlem/ Washington heights.... especially the east side of Broadway in the heights (Audubon street... a lot of dug trafficking.) and maybe some of those projects areas (like Amsterdam between 60th and 66 behind lincoln center, there are projects there, and actually a famous russian ballerina was mugged there after a performance at the met a few years ago...) Like everyone has been saying, if it looks shady, best to avoid it than dive right in.

I wish I could say tht sounds bad compared too the city where I live but flints way worse. Rs 100 hunnit

Aint nobody answer my question. Wats the cheapest place to live in new York?

Thanks for the update AussieTravller. While I've never been to Brooklyn, I've heard it is a beautiful place. I have however spent a lot of time in Manhattan since I created this post a while back and I can safely say (and agree with you) that most neighbourhoods in Manhattan are safe and sound. Great to hear another aussie's opinion though!

Hi I'm an Australian who visited New York late last year and visited Harlem, Stayed in East Harlem and visited the Bronx. Compared to Australia it was pretty dodgy but i didn't find any areas unsafe lower and Mid Manhattan was very safe day/night and had no problems. However when went to visited friends we got directions wrong and accidently ended up in two places that me and my two friends actually feared for our safety. The First was Queensbridge, Brooklyn around 40th Avenue and 10th Street (we were supposed to be in manhattan on 10th Avenue and 40th Street) we were there on a Friday night and it was real sketchy for us. The Second was Jamacia, Brooklyn this was also quite sketchy for us 3 and didn't last long there.

Please keep in mind were where there only a week however we felt safe in Manhattan even in Harlem but some areas in Brooklyn weren't Great.

thanks for the in by the way my kids & i love waiting for supermar we cryed
thanks once again

i want to live in NY im from LA CA grew up south side places like watts compton south central all can be dangerous but people do live there lived a little while in east LA and some time in woodland hills CA where its nice and safe i just moved from hollywood blvd where i was paying 1300 for a one bedroom in a gentrifyd area my kids went to hollywood high i moved to iowa by mistake call it tempory insanity im moving back LA because i have no choice i want NY so bad it hurts but i got kids & no job or place to stay in NY can anyone help me get started i would be ur personal slave for a year LOL i a man rising 2 kids & 1 friendly pitbull help PLZ
i worked in award show gift lounges did all the labor for them it was cool have meet lots of cool celebs & and a few not so cool i want to work in movies carrying equipment & such dose anyone know any companys or temp agency i should try i can be contacted by ph at 213-344-7551 or by email at joshuavasquez2000@yahoo
also looking for a good perfoming arts public highschool for my kids

@RefinedGold
It's fine for you to give your opinion. But telling others what their commentary should and should not be is small-minded. Their opinion is just as valid as yours.

I think this is the most absurd, racially motivated, and revolting commentary on the City of New York! I would not be surprised one bit if everyone who is leaving a vituperative comment has even spent 'quality' time (at least one week or more) in any of the neighborhoods of which they take issue and umbrage.

I'm from New York (born and raised) and I would not be surprised if any of you are actually from New York. I have visited a multitude of cities in the United States and I can assure you that Harlem and The Bronx have nowhere near the amount of crime and poverty of other urban and suburban areas in this country.

You speak of the homeless problem, but when was the last time you volunteered in a soup kitchen (as I did). You talk of staying away from various neighborhoods. Well, for some strange reason Harlem appears to be good enough for an Ivy League school such as Columbia University. And The Bronx has been and always will be the home of the New York Yankees for 27 World Series wins, mind you. When was the last time you actually sat down in a restaurant in Harlem, such as Sylvia's, and really examined the culinary delights of 40 years of cooking experience? When was the last time you visited the Schomburg Center for more than 10 minutes?

If you really want things to change, try re-educating the persons that you are egregiously trying to subjugate.

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE stop perpetuating a completely outdated, uninformed, morally sick series of behaviors, attitudes, and statements that border on propaganda! This is the 21st Century; ACT LIKE IT!

@hhusted So much going on right now? Terrorist attacks? Bomb threats? Wasn't it just one failed subway attempt that didn't make it out of Pakistan? Not to lessen the implications of this, but come on.

@hhusted I have a camera with me at all times, I love taking random photos which I often use for my various blog postings and such.

@Everybody: With so much going on right now with terrorist attacks and bomb threats, any time someone does something suspicious or uses a camera to take pictures of something that is normally not taken, people will get scared. It is called paranoia. I agree with Uptowngirl. Canal St is loaded with counterfeiters. That is why I hate going down there. I was told by a cop that if anyone buys anything counterfeit, whether knowingly or unknowingly, will get arrested for possession of counterfeit goods. So stay away from that area.

@uptowngirl That made me laugh, now remembering last summer when I was in a tiny German town in the mountains, and like a good tourist was snapping pictures of the pretzels and baked goods in a shop window. The bakery lady got all bent out of shape and told me not to take pictures of her product. I thought, "Lighten up lady! They're just baked goods! We're in the middle of nowhere!"

@Uraniumfish maybe that guy was a counterfeiter? Canal Street seems to be crawling with vendors of fake bags and the like who are now being raided by the authorities so maybe he thought you were taking a pic to show the cops. I experienced a similair situation when I tried to take a pic of a streetside food vendor . He became paranoid and asked if I was from the inspection department , apparently someone had taken a pic of him once and submitted it to the authorities who then came out and slapped fines on him for various violations. Poor guy , he was petrified that I was going to do the same.

Friend of mine was taking pictures at Canal Street some time ago and a guy came up to him and ripped the film out of his camera, and made him understand under no uncertain terms that he was not to be taking any photos that day. Now, I don't know what kind of tough-guy-mafia stuff was going on to make the guy so paranoid, but I'd be a little shaken from that and move on out of there as fast as I could go. I know there are seriously dangerous neighborhoods in Brooklyn and the Bronx, but parts of Manhattan can be shady too.

Apparently I have never commented on this forum before so I don't really feel the need to stick up for myself so much but: I live in Bushwick. And I frequent Crown Heights, because of friends down there. Uhhh...not the safest places but I guess I would prefer to be in lower Manhattan in the early hours of the morning. But, duh, crime happens anywhere, and the kind-of-good thing about the Bushwick/Bed-Stuy border where I live is that there are always a bunch of people roaming around at all hours - including cops. Not so much in lower Manhattan, which can be really creepy late at night.

HAHAAH ! If yall think Manhattan is bad, you wouldn't last a day in parts of Brooklyn, the Bronx, and South Jamaica Queens. Maybe it's because you're not used to it or maybe people look at you funny cause you look like tourists . But all i know is that yall cannot survive in Crown Heights, Bedstuy, Brownsville, East New York, South Bronx, Flatbush, Bushwick, South Jamaica Queens, Parts of Harlem, Washington Heights, etc. So stop thinking your hard because you walked through Lower Manhattan at night haha .

@hhusted very true!! well said.

@Uptowngirl;That is the difference between people. You grew up in a city and I grew up in the country and suburbia. So what I can tolerate you can't and vice versa. That is also what makes us unique.

@hhusted I grew up in a big, bustling city and really cant imagine living in the wilderness however pretty it is. I would go stark raving mad.. though I must admit I do like living near the water.

@JVS: I have to disagree with you. I went to San Fran for a week and felt such a loving vibe there. If I had a chance I would move to the place. It is 100 times better and safer than NYC in my book. At least that is from observation and the vibes i felt. I actually talked to many people in San Fran who moved there from NYC and said the move was the best thing they could have done.

I always feel really safe in crowded NYC. I remember visiting a friend in the country, in a "safe" suburb. It was so quiet and deserted that I felt for sure a mugger was around the corner - my instinctive NY-er response is "noise = people = safe," "quiet = dark street = bad" But no mugger - just bucolic New England

I must say I don't think Soho is dangerous. I've been out a few times at 3am and felt safe. And I must say NYC neighborhoods feel safer than parts of San Francisco, one night I strayed one block from Union Square and felt for sure we would be mugged. But that's a whole new topic!

I hear you, @JenMac. I like Alphabet City during the day, and it's certainly gentrified since the Rent days, but it's still much less gentrified than other neighboring areas

uraniumfish: Noooo! I don't think Soho's dangerous . . .I just can't stand it :) I was saying that I think Alphabet City is super shady at night. It really scares me more than any other neighborhood when it's late.

@uptowngirl But I think the park is harmless in the daytime when the elderly women are there. I found it uncomfortable to walk there at night, though.

@JenMac Wait, am I reading this right? You think Soho's dangerous? What? I agree right around Canal street at night is a little shady, but...

@JVS Yeah, I wouldn't be surprised about Columbus Park. The neighboring streets are full of tiny, dark, narrow alleyways, and I remember walking quickly by one night alone and kind of regretting my decision.

Said it before . . . I'll say it again -- even though it's getting annoying :) . . . Soho! Yuck. Although, the area formerly known as Alphabet City is the creepiest at night. It looks like Carprini Green from Candyman.

Wow, creepy, @hhusted! Thanks for the tip. I've been around there once or twice before, and felt a few skeezy vibes, but never had any information to substantiate my gut reaction.

Actually Hamilton Heights which is located in Upper Manhattan on the West Side also often has crime issues so I think we should add that to the list as well.

What about just Manhattan? Are there any dodgy neighborhoods left or are they all 100% safe?

Great to see so many people responding! Many thanks :)

AJ

I would go with Harlem as well but there are parts of Brooklyn which are also a bit dodgy.

I wouldn't go into Harlem or the Bronx. I've been attacked while in the Bronx. And Harlem looks to scary to me.

I haven't visited Harlem since the gentrification happened, with the exception of one venture to see The Dark Knight when it came out, as the theatre there was the only one with any seats left! It seemed pretty average - not particularly scenic, and a bit crowded with too many neon signs/chain stores/etc to be really pleasant, but not unsafe.

Are you talking about NYC or just Manhattan? I would suggest not to venture too far into Harlem. That's definitely one area I always avoid. Crime is at an all time low though.

I'm going with parts of Pelham Bay, Bronx

Has to be Harlem. While they say it's improving with development it still can be very scary.