Is Bensonhurst Safe? Brooklyn Livability, Crime & Rent
Bensonhurst scores 6.5 composite on strong transit and a much-safer-than-average crime rate, with little green space.
Bensonhurst at a glance
- Borough
- Brooklyn
- Livability score
- 6.5/10
- Borough rank (NYC Open Data guides)
- #7 of 28
- Safety verdict
- Much Safer Than Average
- Crimes (12 mo)
- 3,309
- ZIP codes
- 11204 (52%), 11214 (35%), 11228 (10%)Share of residential units, NYC PLUTO 26v2
- Subway stations
- 6 (71 St, 79 St, 18 Av)
- Data updated
- 2026-09-26
Is Bensonhurst Safe?
Bensonhurst, Brooklyn scores 6.5/10 for overall livability, ranking #7 of 28 Brooklyn neighborhoods scored from NYC Open Data. Bensonhurst scores 6.5 composite on strong transit and a much-safer-than-average crime rate, with little green space.
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 Bensonhurst safety page. Safety varies by block — check a specific Bensonhurst 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 Brooklyn neighborhood guides.
Neighborhood Character
You'll find a dense, transit-rich neighborhood of two-family houses and walk-ups: two-family houses are 45% of residential tax lots and walk-up apartments 30%. Six subway stations sit inside it, on the D, N and F: 71 St, 79 St, 18 Av, 20 Av, Bay Pkwy and 62 St/New Utrecht Av, and commute scores 8.5/10.
Green space is thin. Tree density is 3.8/10, with about 148 trees in a typical 200m circle, and the neighborhood has 5 NYC Parks properties, the largest being Seth Low Playground/ Bealin Square and Lt. Joseph Petrosino Park. The nearest to the center, Milestone Park, is 748m away.
DwellCheck rates Bensonhurst much safer than average, with a lower crime rate per resident than 86% of Brooklyn neighborhoods and 1 shooting in 12 months.
Livability & Restoration
Trees
148 trees
Expected in a 200m circle (NYC Parks tree inventory) | Density: 3.8/10 (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
5 parks
NYC Parks properties inside the neighborhood | largest: Seth Low Playground/ Bealin Square | nearest to the center: Milestone Park, 748m | 3 nearest average 777m from the neighborhood's center
Acoustic Quality
3/10
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 Brooklyn 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
8.5/10
Borough median: 5.5/10
Outdoor & Green Space
Avg Tree Count
148
Trees expected in a 200m circle
Tree Density
3.8/10
1,176 trees per km² in NYC Parks' tree inventory (street and park trees); city percentile, 1 = sparsest
Largest Parks In or Near the Neighborhood
- Seth Low Playground/ Bealin Square
- Lt. Joseph Petrosino Park
- Milestone Park
- Garibaldi Playground
- Samuel Goldberg Triangle
Nearest to the neighborhood's center: Milestone Park, about 748m. The 3 nearest NYC Parks properties average 777m from the center (approximate park centers, not entrances).
Practical Living
Practical (HPD violations): 8/10 (Brooklyn median 7.5). It measures HPD housing violations per residential lot over the last 12 months (higher = fewer violations).
Building Mix (Residential Tax Lots)
Share of the 10,633 residential tax lots in the neighborhood by PLUTO building class (NYC Department of City Planning).
Who Bensonhurst Is For
Subway commuters
Commute scores 8.5/10 against a borough median of 5.5, with stations on the D, N and F.
Safety-minded renters
Rated much safer than average: a lower crime rate per resident than 86% of Brooklyn neighborhoods.
People who don't need a park next door
Outdoor scores 5.4/10 (borough median 5.9) and tree density is 3.8/10.
Pros & Cons
Strengths
Three subway lines
Six stations inside the neighborhood on the D, N and F; commute 8.5/10.
Much safer than average
A lower crime rate per resident than 86% of Brooklyn neighborhoods; 3,309 crimes in 12 months.
Fewer housing violations than the borough
Practical scores 8/10 against a Brooklyn median of 7.5.
Trade-offs
Few trees
Tree density 3.8/10 and about 148 trees in a 200m circle; ART/Livability 2.9 against a borough median of 4.4.
Parks are a walk away
The 3 nearest NYC Parks properties average 777m from the neighborhood's center.
Outdoor below the borough
Outdoor scores 5.4/10 against a Brooklyn median of 5.9.
Score Any Address in Bensonhurst
Get detailed livability scores based on building health, transit access, safety, noise levels, and 15+ NYC data sources.
Search an Address in BensonhurstFrequently Asked Questions about Bensonhurst
1Is Bensonhurst safe?
By NYPD data, Bensonhurst is rated "Much Safer Than Average", with a lower crime rate per resident than 86% of Brooklyn neighborhoods. 3,309 crime incidents and 1 shooting incident over the past 12 months. See the safety page for the full breakdown.
2What is the average rent in Bensonhurst?
Rents in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn 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 Bensonhurst?
Bensonhurst has a commute score of 8.5/10. 6 subway stations serve the area: 71 St, 79 St, 18 Av.
4What are the best streets in Bensonhurst?
The best streets depend on your priorities. Use DwellCheck to compare specific addresses across livability, safety, transit, and environmental factors.
5What is Bensonhurst known for?
Bensonhurst sits in Brooklyn and ranks #7 of 28 Brooklyn neighborhoods scored from NYC Open Data on DwellCheck's livability score (6.5/10). It's served by 6 subway stations (71 St, 79 St, 18 Av). Bensonhurst scores 6.5 composite on strong transit and a much-safer-than-average crime rate, with little green space.
6What is it like to live in Bensonhurst?
DwellCheck scores Bensonhurst, Brooklyn 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). Bensonhurst's composite is 6.5/10. Bensonhurst scores 6.5 composite on strong transit and a much-safer-than-average crime rate, with little green space. For the block-by-block view, run any specific Bensonhurst address through DwellCheck.
7Where is Bensonhurst?
Bensonhurst is in Brooklyn, New York City. DwellCheck maps it to the Bensonhurst Neighborhood Tabulation Area (BK1101), which falls in the Census tabulation area that approximates Brooklyn Community District 11 (Bensonhurst-Bath Beach). Its main ZIP codes are 11204, 11214 and 11228. Subway stations in the neighborhood include 71 St, 79 St and 18 Av.
8What ZIP code is Bensonhurst in?
Bensonhurst spans ZIP codes 11204 (52% of residential units), 11214 (35%) and 11228 (10%). Shares are of the 34,672 residential units in the Bensonhurst Neighborhood Tabulation Area (BK1101), from NYC PLUTO 26v2 tax-lot records. 1 other ZIP code holds under 5%.
9Can you walk around Bensonhurst at night?
Bensonhurst is classified as "Much Safer Than Average" by NYPD complaint data. Over the past 12 months it recorded 1 shooting incident and 3,309 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 Bensonhurst dangerous?
By NYPD data, Bensonhurst is rated "Much Safer Than Average", with a lower crime rate per resident than 86% of Brooklyn neighborhoods. 3,309 crime incidents over 12 months. Block-level risk varies; check the address-level safety score for any specific street or building.
11What parts of Bensonhurst 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 Bensonhurst a good place to live?
Bensonhurst scores 6.5/10 for overall livability and has a lower crime rate per resident than 86% of Brooklyn neighborhoods. Bensonhurst scores 6.5 composite on strong transit and a much-safer-than-average crime rate, with little green space. 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 Bensonhurst?
The composite score is 6.5. Commute (8.5) and Practical (8) are above the Brooklyn medians of 5.5 and 7.5; Outdoor (5.4) and ART/Livability (2.9) are below the medians of 5.9 and 4.4.
14Is Bensonhurst safe?
DwellCheck rates it much safer than average: it has a lower crime rate per resident than 86% of Brooklyn neighborhoods, with 3,309 crimes and 1 shooting in 12 months. The trend is stable (+2.4%).
15Which subway lines serve Bensonhurst?
The D (71 St, 79 St, 18 Av, 20 Av, Bay Pkwy, 62 St/New Utrecht Av), the N (18 Av, 20 Av, Bay Pkwy, 62 St/New Utrecht Av) and the F at Bay Pkwy.
16How noisy is Bensonhurst?
There were 8,758 noise complaints in 12 months, 83.5 per 1,000 residents, labelled Moderate among the NYC neighborhoods DwellCheck tracks.
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