Is Mott Haven Safe? Bronx Livability, Crime & Rent
Mott Haven scores 5.0—a transit-rich neighborhood with parks close by, offset by noise, below-median tree density and one of the highest crime rates per resident among tracked Bronx neighborhoods.
The figures on this page cover the whole Mott Haven-Port Morris Neighborhood Tabulation Area (BX0101), which takes in Port Morris as well as Mott Haven.
For what it's like to live here, read Living in Mott Haven.
Mott Haven at a glance
- Borough
- Bronx
- Livability score
- 5/10
- Borough rank (NYC Open Data guides)
- #8 of 22
- Safety verdict
- Much Higher Than Average
- Crimes (12 mo)
- 7,373
- ZIP codes
- 10454 (68%), 10455 (16%), 10451 (16%)Share of residential units, NYC PLUTO 26v2
- Subway stations
- 5 (E 143 St-St Mary's St, Cypress Av, Brook Av)
- Data updated
- 2026-09-14
Is Mott Haven Safe?
Mott Haven, Bronx scores 5/10 for overall livability, ranking #8 of 22 Bronx neighborhoods scored from NYC Open Data. Mott Haven scores 5.0—a transit-rich neighborhood with parks close by, offset by noise, below-median tree density and one of the highest crime rates per resident among tracked Bronx neighborhoods.
The livability score draws on HPD housing violations, subway access, NYC Parks' tree inventory and parks, and 311 noise complaints per resident from NYC Open Data, refreshed periodically rather than live. It does not include crime; NYPD complaint and shooting figures are on the Mott Haven safety page. Safety varies by block — check a specific Mott Haven address below for a block-level breakdown.
Score Overview
Vertical line = borough median. Scale: 0-10.
Practical measures HPD housing violations per residential lot over the last 12 months (higher = fewer violations). Borough medians are computed across DwellCheck's Bronx neighborhood guides.
Neighborhood Character
Mott Haven is a densely built neighborhood where you're never far from a park, though tree density is below the city midpoint: 154 trees on average within a 200-meter radius, a tree density of 4.3/10. Walk-up apartment buildings (38% of residential tax lots) and two-family houses (32%) dominate, with elevator apartment buildings on 9% of lots. You're surrounded by green anchors: St. Mary's Park, Pulaski Park, and several smaller playgrounds, and the 3 nearest parks average 154 meters from the neighborhood's center. Three subway lines (the 6 at E 143 St-St Mary's St, Cypress Av, Brook Av and 3 Av-138 St; the 4 and 5 at 138 St-Grand Concourse) mean your commute calculus is favorable—the neighborhood scores 7.5 for transit. Street-level activity is constant: you'll encounter high noise complaints (7,123 over 12 months) and elevated crime (7,373 total crimes and a lower crime rate per resident than 10% of Bronx neighborhoods; the total is trending down).
Livability & Restoration
Trees
154 trees
Expected in a 200m circle (NYC Parks tree inventory) | Density: 4.3/10 (city percentile)
In Toronto, 10 more trees on a city block went with a rise in self-rated health comparable to being 7 years younger (Kardan et al., 2015, Scientific Reports). In a cross-sectional study of London boroughs, each additional street tree per km of street went with 1.18 fewer antidepressant prescriptions per 1,000 residents (Taylor et al., 2015, Landscape and Urban Planning).
Park Access
22 parks
NYC Parks properties inside the neighborhood | largest: St. Mary's Park | nearest to the center: Padre Plaza, 38m | 3 nearest average 154m from the neighborhood's center
Acoustic Quality
2/10
Noise proxy score (higher = quieter)
Environmental noise exposure increases the occurrence of hypertension and cardiovascular disease; WHO's night-noise guidelines call average outdoor night noise above 55 dB increasingly dangerous for public health (Basner et al., 2014, The Lancet).
What is the ART Score?
ART stands for Attention Restoration Theory (Kaplan & Kaplan, 1989) — the framework environmental psychologists use to measure whether a place helps your brain recover from mental fatigue, or pushes it deeper into overload. Cities deplete directed attention (the effortful focus you use at work); exposure to restorative environments replenishes it.
DwellCheck uses the idea in two separate places, and they measure different things. The neighborhood ART score below comes from neighborhood-wide data: up to 5 points from tree density (a city percentile) and up to 5 from how few 311 noise complaints there are per resident. An address report has no ART score. It runs the Wellness checks below, and their points go into the address’s overall score.
More than a point below the Bronx median: sparser trees, more noise complaints per resident, or both.
What an address report checks instead (Wellness)
- ±Sensory environment. A calm score minus a busy score, each starting at 50. Busy: a firehouse within 100m (+15) or 200m (+8), and 311 noise complaints within 200m over 6 months (15+ adds 5, 40+ adds 12, 80+ adds 20, and 3 more at 20+ complaints that include vehicle or street noise). Calm: a library (+15), community garden (+12) or public plaza or atrium (POPS; +15 indoor, +8 outdoor) within 200m, and a park within 300m (+10; +15 at 1+ acre; +20 at 5+ acres). A difference of +20 or more adds 8 points; −10 to −29 costs 2; −30 or less costs 4. Bars, museums, tourists and foot traffic are not counted.
- +Third places (Oldenburg, 1989). Public libraries, public plazas and atriums (POPS) and community gardens within 400m: 1–2 add 5 points, 3 or more add 10. Cafés and community centers are not counted. In a meta-analysis of longitudinal studies, loneliness or social isolation went with a 29% higher risk of incident coronary heart disease (Valtorta et al., 2016, Heart).
- 0Street vitality (Jacobs, 1961). Permitted block parties, farmers markets and similar community events in the borough over the past 12 months. The event data has no coordinates, so this is a borough-wide count shown for context. It doesn’t change the score.
Health mechanism. The theory holds that natural settings let directed attention recover. The evidence is mixed: a systematic review of 31 studies (Ohly et al., 2016, Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health, Part B) found that time in natural environments improved 3 of 13 pooled attention measures (Digit Span Forward, Digit Span Backward and Trail Making Test B) and showed no marked benefit on the other 10.
Theoretical foundations. Kaplan & Kaplan (1989), The Experience of Nature; Jacobs (1961), The Death and Life of Great American Cities; Oldenburg (1989), The Great Good Place.
Transit & Commute
Subway Stations
Commute Score
7.5/10
Borough median: 5/10
Outdoor & Green Space
Avg Tree Count
154
Trees expected in a 200m circle
Tree Density
4.3/10
1,226 trees per km² in NYC Parks' tree inventory (street and park trees); city percentile, 1 = sparsest
Largest Parks In or Near the Neighborhood
- St. Mary's Park
- Patterson Playground
- Playground One Thirty Four CXXXIV
- Willis Playground
- Pulaski Park
Nearest to the neighborhood's center: Padre Plaza, about 38m. The 3 nearest NYC Parks properties average 154m from the center (approximate park centers, not entrances).
Practical Living
Practical (HPD violations): 4/10 (Bronx median 4). It measures HPD housing violations per residential lot over the last 12 months (higher = fewer violations).
Building Mix (Residential Tax Lots)
Share of the 1,457 residential tax lots in the neighborhood by PLUTO building class (NYC Department of City Planning).
Who Mott Haven Is For
Commuters prioritizing speed
Commute score of 7.5 with three subway lines makes outbound travel to Manhattan or elsewhere in the borough fast and reliable
Outdoor-space seekers
Outdoor score of 6.9 is just above the borough median (6.7), with the 3 nearest parks averaging 154 meters from the neighborhood's center; tree density is below the city midpoint (4.3/10).
Pros & Cons
Strengths
Strong public transit
Commute score of 7.5 vs. borough median of 5.0; three subway lines serve the neighborhood
Parks within a short walk
The 3 nearest parks average 154m from the neighborhood's center
Growing arts and dining scene
Neighborhood highlights include galleries and emerging restaurants
Trade-offs
High noise activity
7,123 noise complaints over 12 months (High rating) reflects dense street-level activity
High crime activity
7,373 total crimes (12m), trending down 7.2%; a lower crime rate per resident than 10% of Bronx neighborhoods
Score Any Address in Mott Haven
Get detailed livability scores based on building health, transit access, safety, noise levels, and 15+ NYC data sources.
Search an Address in Mott HavenFrequently Asked Questions about Mott Haven
1Is Mott Haven safe?
By NYPD data, Mott Haven is rated "Much Higher Than Average", with a lower crime rate per resident than 10% of Bronx neighborhoods. 7,373 crime incidents and 16 shooting incidents over the past 12 months. See the safety page for the full breakdown.
2What is the average rent in Mott Haven?
Rents in Mott Haven, Bronx vary significantly by building and apartment type. Market pricing isn't aggregated for this neighborhood yet; use DwellCheck to research specific addresses for HPD registration, HPD violations, and other building-level records. DwellCheck doesn't show rent-stabilization status; request the apartment's rent history from DHCR for that.
3How is transit access in Mott Haven?
Mott Haven has a commute score of 7.5/10. 5 subway stations serve the area: E 143 St-St Mary's St, Cypress Av, Brook Av.
4What are the best streets in Mott Haven?
The best streets depend on your priorities. Use DwellCheck to compare specific addresses across livability, safety, transit, and environmental factors.
5What is Mott Haven known for?
Mott Haven sits in Bronx and ranks #8 of 22 Bronx neighborhoods scored from NYC Open Data on DwellCheck's livability score (5/10). It's served by 5 subway stations (E 143 St-St Mary's St, Cypress Av, Brook Av). Mott Haven scores 5.0—a transit-rich neighborhood with parks close by, offset by noise, below-median tree density and one of the highest crime rates per resident among tracked Bronx neighborhoods.
6What is it like to live in Mott Haven?
DwellCheck scores Mott Haven, Bronx from NYC Open Data on practical (HPD housing violations per residential lot over the last 12 months (higher = fewer violations)), commute (subway stations and lines in the neighborhood), ART (tree density and 311 noise complaints per resident), outdoor (trees and park proximity). Mott Haven's composite is 5/10. Mott Haven scores 5.0—a transit-rich neighborhood with parks close by, offset by noise, below-median tree density and one of the highest crime rates per resident among tracked Bronx neighborhoods. For the block-by-block view, run any specific Mott Haven address through DwellCheck.
7Where is Mott Haven?
Mott Haven is in the Bronx, New York City. DwellCheck maps it to the Mott Haven-Port Morris Neighborhood Tabulation Area (BX0101), which falls in the Census tabulation area that approximates Bronx Community District 1 (Melrose-Mott Haven-Port Morris). Its main ZIP codes are 10454, 10455 and 10451. Subway stations in the neighborhood include E 143 St-St Mary's St, Cypress Av and Brook Av.
8What ZIP code is Mott Haven in?
Mott Haven spans ZIP codes 10454 (68% of residential units), 10455 (16%) and 10451 (16%). Shares are of the 27,090 residential units in the Mott Haven-Port Morris Neighborhood Tabulation Area (BX0101), from NYC PLUTO 26v2 tax-lot records.
9Can you walk around Mott Haven at night?
Mott Haven is classified as "Much Higher Than Average" by NYPD complaint data. Over the past 12 months it recorded 16 shooting incidents and 7,373 total crime incidents. Walking at night carries the same risk profile as anywhere in NYC: stay on commercial corridors with foot traffic, avoid empty side streets after midnight, and prefer subway lines that run 24/7.
10Is Mott Haven dangerous?
By NYPD data, Mott Haven is rated "Much Higher Than Average", with a lower crime rate per resident than 10% of Bronx neighborhoods. 7,373 crime incidents over 12 months. Block-level risk varies; check the address-level safety score for any specific street or building.
11What parts of Mott Haven should I avoid?
NYPD complaint records carry approximate incident coordinates, but a neighborhood total can't tell you which blocks drive it, so we don't publish an "avoid this street" list. For a specific block, use DwellCheck's address-level safety score, which counts NYPD crime complaints within a 300m radius of the building over the latest 12 months of published data and compares that count with the borough average.
12Is Mott Haven a good place to live?
Mott Haven scores 5/10 for overall livability and has a lower crime rate per resident than 10% of Bronx neighborhoods. Mott Haven scores 5.0—a transit-rich neighborhood with parks close by, offset by noise, below-median tree density and one of the highest crime rates per resident among tracked Bronx neighborhoods. Whether it's a good fit depends on what you weight: families, solo renters, and remote workers each prioritize different factors (noise, transit access, parks, building quality).
13What is the average DwellScore in Mott Haven?
The composite score is 5.0. The strength lies in Commute (7.5); Practical sits at the borough median (4), Outdoor (6.9) is just above its median of 6.7, and ART/Livability (2.7) is below its median of 3.9.
14How safe is Mott Haven?
Mott Haven is rated much higher than average, with a lower crime rate per resident than 10% of Bronx neighborhoods. Total crimes over 12 months: 7,373. Crime is trending down, -7.2% in the measurement period. Noise complaints are high (7,123); rodent complaints are moderate (176).
15What is transit access like?
Three subway lines serve Mott Haven: the 6 at E 143 St-St Mary's St, Cypress Av, Brook Av, and 3 Av-138 St; the 4 and 5 at 138 St-Grand Concourse. Commute score of 7.5 reflects reliable access to Manhattan and cross-borough routes.
16How much green space is there?
You'll find an average of 154 trees within 200 meters and a tree density of 4.3/10, below the city midpoint. The largest parks are St. Mary's Park, Patterson Playground, Playground One Thirty Four, Willis Playground and Pulaski Park; the 3 nearest parks average 154 meters from the neighborhood's center.
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