Do you know which are the worst neighborhoods in Manhattan and Brooklyn in 2018? Let’s find out together!
By watching a lot of movies about the New York City, I could easily conclude that not every neighborhood there is equally safe for living. There is always a bunch of people who are in a big hurry to get to the work, or they are rushing home. In the metro, there is always a huge mass that is either trying to desperately get into the train or once they are in, fight for the seat. On the other hand, if we take into account movies, there is magically enough space on the streets for occasional car racing and police chases. My opinion is that this is possible just on the screen, even if we take into account some of the less crowded cities. However, some people really enjoy that type of vibrant cities. It is because they like the fuss and the action, and are not much aware of the negative sides. That’s where we come in to ruin their (your) dreams about the “City That Never Sleeps” by telling you all about the neighborhoods to avoid in Brooklyn and Manhattan! Still with us?
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First of all, you must be aware of the high crime rate in NYC. For that information, it is useful to check out the NYC crime map by neighborhood that Google prepared. Second, when it comes to bad neighborhoods, the ones that are always mentioned as such are the worst neighborhoods in Bronx and Queens. And what about bad areas of Yonkers? Ok, let’s be honest, they have very high rates of crime in comparison to the other boroughs. Just, look at the Queens safety map! What’s more, the crime rate is usually connected to the fact that they are among the poorest neighborhoods in NYC. If you don’t believe me, check out the 10 Worst Poorest and Most Dangerous Neighborhoods in New York City. Besides New York ghetto areas, some of the other neighborhoods that are a bit richer, like Manhattan or Brooklyn, can also be pretty dangerous. For example, according to the Brooklyn crime rate on the Neighborhood Scout, Manhattan Beach is the safest area. But which one is the least safe?
In order to create our list of the worst neighborhoods in Manhattan and Brooklyn for this year, we first had to define what is “worst” in this case. Some would argue that it should be the noises on the streets, other lack of parking or too much of the tourists. However, one thing is for sure – I bet they would all agree that a high number of crimes is the worst thing that can happen in one borough. Therefore, we first checked out suggestions on websites such as Thrillist, the Address Report, and Quora, for both Manhattan and Brooklyn’s worst neighborhoods. We singled out those that were repeated most and made a list. Then, we compare that list with the Crime Map of the NYC for this year and the crime safety report from 2011, where neighborhoods are ranked by safety. By comparing the two sources, we realized that they suggest the same neighborhoods to be the worst, which means that the situation in those neighborhoods hasn’t changed much over the years. As the Crime Map has most recent data, we ranked our list in accordance with the red areas and the number of crimes in each neighboorhood. The ranking goes from the safest to the least safe neighborhood in Manhattan and Brooklyn. In addition, we used information from the crime safety report as well, so that you can have a bigger picture.
Ready to find out negative sides of your favorite boroughs? Let’s find out what are the worst neighborhoods in Manhattan and Brooklyn in 2018.
11. Greenpoint
Number of crimes: 1 419
Greenpoint is a neighborhood in Brooklyn with a large Polish immigrant and Polish-American community. As a result, there is a lot of Polish restaurants, markets, and businesses, and it has often been referred to as “Little Poland.” Not much to do with the nickname, this borough had a lot of problems with burglaries and rapes. Even though the rape rate dropped in comparison to 2010, burglaries are still special characteristic of the area.
10. Williamsburg
Number of crimes: 3 590
Up next on our list of worst neighborhoods in Manhattan and Brooklyn in 2018 is Williamsburg which is a very interesting borough in Brooklyn, as there are many ethnic groups such as Italians, Jews, Hispanics, Poles, Puerto Ricans, and Dominicans. Since the ‘90s, the borough was characterized by the hipster culture, a contemporary art scene, as well as vibrant nightlife. Then, later in early 2000, it became the center of indie rock and electroclash, which is why it was nicknamed “Little Berlin.” Even though it seems very fun, there is its dark side, as well. The borough had a problem with rapes and murders, back in 2009 and 2010, which is still present nowadays, but in a less percentage.
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9. Brownsville
Number of crimes: 3 609
Ninth on our list of the worst neighborhoods in Manhattan and Brooklyn in 2018 is Brownsville. It is often referred as the “Murder capital of New York.” The reason for it is that, from the year 2009 until 2010, it had 33% of the increase in murders. Even though many years passed, and the crime rate reduced, it is still known as one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in the New York City. It has a population of 86, 468 people and it is part of the Brooklyn neighborhood.
8. Hell’s Kitchen
Number of crimes: 3 828
Just by the look at the name of this borough, you already get afraid! Hell’s Kitchen is Manhattan’s borough, also known by the name “Clinton.” There are several theories about how it got the name. Some say David Crockett used it in some comment, while others claim it was taken from the New York Times article. Anyhow, it is probably closely related to its dangerous side. Back in the 1990s, there were lots of murders. Fortunately, it decreased, but what stayed, are felony assaults.
7. DUMBO
Number of crimes: 4 075
DUMBO ranks 7th on our list of worst neighborhoods in Manhattan and Brooklyn in 2018. It is short for the Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass, and it is, sort of to say, “bridging” neighborhood, as it connects Brooklyn and Manhattan. However, it is formally part of Brooklyn. The area is also used to be called Gairville. Here, there were a lot of problems with robberies and smaller crimes. Therefore, out of 69 boroughs, it is ranked among the most dangerous ones with the number 60 in the crime safety report. DUMBO has 52,190 people.
6. Bushwick
Number of crimes: 5 319
Sixth on our list of the worst neighborhood in Manhattan and Brooklyn in 2018 is Brushwick, in Brooklyn. It is known as a working-class neighborhood in the northern part of Brooklyn. During the end of the twentieth century, it became predominantly Hispanic, as another wave of immigrants arrived. From 2009 until 2010, there was a big increase in violence, especially shooting victims on the streets. Even though the shootings are decreased nowadays, the neighborhood still has problems with smaller crimes such as robberies.
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5. Union Square
Number of crimes: 5 5 74
Union Square ranks 5th on our list of worst neighborhoods in Manhattan and Brooklyn in 2018. It is an important and historic intersection and surrounding neighborhood in Manhattan. Its name denotes the overlapping of the union of the two “principal thoroughfares of the island,” rather than celebrating either the Federal union of the United States or labor unions. The most known thing in this borough is definitely Broadway. In addition, it is known for lots of crimes, which is the reason why it got such a high place on our list.
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4. Midtown
Number of crimes: 6 230
We are continuing our list of worst neighborhoods in Manhattan and Brooklyn in 2018 with Midtown which is the largest central business district not just in Manhattan, but the whole New York City. It is the place of the city’s most iconic buildings, such as the Empire State Building, the Chrysler Building, and the headquarters of the United Nations, to name a few. However, it is not considered to be among the safest ones. It is known as the borough of many felonies and burglaries.
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3. East Harlem
Number of crimes: 6 756
Harlem is a large neighborhood of Manhattan, as you all probably know. Since forever, it has been known as a major African American residential, cultural, as well as a business center. It got the name after the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands. It is known as one of the most dangerous boroughs in the New York City, especially for robberies and rapes. Major crimes reduced between 1993 and 2000. Nowadays, it is still present, however, on a lower level.
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2. East New York
Number of crimes: 7 096
East New York is residential part of the Brooklyn neighborhood. In the late ‘90s, many African Americans and Latinos have inhabited the area. So, the population rose, and now it counts around 96,000 inhabitants. From 2008 until 2010, there was immense 94% of an increase in murders. Now, that number decreased, but East New York is still under the unsafe areas in this part of the city.
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1. East Village
Number of crimes: 10 539
On the top of our list of worst neighborhoods in Manhattan and Brooklyn in 2018 is East Village! This neighborhood in Manhattan is dangerous mainly because before there were many reported rapes, as well as the car thefts. Nowadays, the situation changed for the better, but there are still reported cases of both crimes. In the same time, East Village is known for its diverse community, vibrant nightlife and artistic sensibility. The population is a mix of Russian, Ukrainian and Jewish nationalities.
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