Is Sunset Park Safe? Brooklyn Livability, Crime & Rent
Sunset Park scores 6.1 overall: a transit-rich neighborhood, offset by rising crime and noise concerns.
Sunset Park at a glance
- Borough
- Brooklyn
- Livability score
- 6.1/10
- Borough rank (NYC Open Data guides)
- #14 of 28
- Safety verdict
- Higher Than Average
- Crimes (12 mo)
- 3,719
- Subway stations
- 6 (Prospect Av, 25 St, 36 St)
- Data updated
- 2026-09-14
Is Sunset Park Safe?
Sunset Park, Brooklyn scores 6.1/10 for overall livability, ranking #14 of 28 Brooklyn neighborhoods scored from NYC Open Data. Sunset Park scores 6.1 overall: a transit-rich neighborhood, offset by rising crime and noise concerns.
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 Sunset Park safety page. Safety varies by block — check a specific Sunset Park 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 transit-rich neighborhood of two-family houses (42% of residential tax lots) and walk-up apartment buildings (37%), where the 3 nearest parks average 472 meters from the neighborhood's center. Trees are sparse: an average of 108 within 200 meters, a tree density of 1.9/10. Six subway stations serve Sunset Park (R, D and N lines), making cross-borough commutes straightforward. The streetscape mixes industrial heritage with newer residential conversion; you'll encounter both the grit of working neighborhoods and the polish of gentrifying blocks. Sunset Park proper dominates the western edge with actual waterfront views, while Chinatown dining and Industry City's mixed-use development anchor the commercial character.
Livability & Restoration
Trees
108 trees
Expected in a 200m circle (NYC Parks tree inventory) | Density: 1.9/10 (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
13 parks
NYC Parks properties inside the neighborhood | largest: John Allen Payne Playground | nearest to the center: Gonzalo Plasencia Playground, 306m | 3 nearest average 472m from the neighborhood's center
Acoustic Quality
4/10
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
108
Trees expected in a 200m circle
Tree Density
1.9/10
860 trees per km² in NYC Parks' tree inventory (street and park trees); city percentile, 1 = sparsest
Largest Parks In or Near the Neighborhood
- John Allen Payne Playground
- Gonzalo Plasencia Playground
- D'Emic Playground
- Park
- Martin Luther Playground
Nearest to the neighborhood's center: Gonzalo Plasencia Playground, about 306m. The 3 nearest NYC Parks properties average 472m from the center (approximate park centers, not entrances).
Practical Living
Practical (HPD violations): 7/10 (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 4,599 residential tax lots in the neighborhood by PLUTO building class (NYC Department of City Planning).
Who Sunset Park Is For
Transit-dependent commuters
Commute score of 8.5 significantly outpaces the borough median (5.5), with six subway stations providing multiple redundancies across the R, D, and N services
Renters who want playgrounds nearby
Outdoor score of 5.9 equals the borough median (5.9), carried by five playgrounds within walking distance rather than trees (tree density 1.9/10)
Pros & Cons
Strengths
Exceptional transit connectivity
Commute score of 8.5 vs. borough median of 5.5; three subway lines (R, D, N) across six stations minimize commute friction
Multiple parks within walking distance
Largest parks include John Allen Payne, Gonzalo Plasencia, D'Emic and Martin Luther playgrounds; the 3 nearest parks average 472 meters from the neighborhood's center
Trade-offs
Moderate noise complaint volume
3,106 noise complaints classified as Moderate, indicating ongoing disturbances from street activity, transit, or construction
Worsening crime trend
Crime incidents increased 8.5% over 12 months; the neighborhood has a lower crime rate per resident than 31% of Brooklyn neighborhoods
Moderate rodent complaint activity
178 rodent complaints over 12 months; typical for dense urban areas but worth noting for ground-floor and older building residents
Score Any Address in Sunset Park
Get detailed livability scores based on building health, transit access, safety, noise levels, and 15+ NYC data sources.
Search an Address in Sunset ParkFrequently Asked Questions about Sunset Park
1Is Sunset Park safe?
By NYPD data, Sunset Park is rated "Higher Than Average", with a lower crime rate per resident than 31% of Brooklyn neighborhoods. 3,719 crime incidents and 8 shooting incidents over the past 12 months. See the safety page for the full breakdown.
2What is the average rent in Sunset Park?
Rents in Sunset Park, 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 Sunset Park?
Sunset Park has a commute score of 8.5/10. 6 subway stations serve the area: Prospect Av, 25 St, 36 St.
4What are the best streets in Sunset Park?
The best streets depend on your priorities. Use DwellCheck to compare specific addresses across livability, safety, transit, and environmental factors.
5What is Sunset Park known for?
Sunset Park sits in Brooklyn and ranks #14 of 28 Brooklyn neighborhoods scored from NYC Open Data on DwellCheck's livability score (6.1/10). It's served by 6 subway stations (Prospect Av, 25 St, 36 St). Sunset Park scores 6.1 overall: a transit-rich neighborhood, offset by rising crime and noise concerns.
6What is it like to live in Sunset Park?
DwellCheck scores Sunset Park, 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). Sunset Park's composite is 6.1/10. Sunset Park scores 6.1 overall: a transit-rich neighborhood, offset by rising crime and noise concerns. For the block-by-block view, run any specific Sunset Park address through DwellCheck.
7Where is Sunset Park?
Sunset Park is in Brooklyn, New York City. DwellCheck maps it to the Sunset Park (West) Neighborhood Tabulation Area (BK0702), which falls in the Census tabulation area that approximates Brooklyn Community District 7 (Sunset Park-Windsor Terrace). Its main ZIP codes are 11220, 11232 and 11215. Subway stations in the neighborhood include Prospect Av, 25 St and 36 St.
8What ZIP code is Sunset Park in?
Sunset Park spans ZIP codes 11220 (48% of residential units), 11232 (35%) and 11215 (17%). Shares are of the 17,602 residential units in the Sunset Park (West) Neighborhood Tabulation Area (BK0702), from NYC PLUTO 26v2 tax-lot records.
9Can you walk around Sunset Park at night?
Sunset Park is classified as "Higher Than Average" by NYPD complaint data. Over the past 12 months it recorded 8 shooting incidents and 3,719 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 Sunset Park dangerous?
By NYPD data, Sunset Park is rated "Higher Than Average", with a lower crime rate per resident than 31% of Brooklyn neighborhoods. 3,719 crime incidents over 12 months. Block-level risk varies; check the address-level safety score for any specific street or building.
11What parts of Sunset Park 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 Sunset Park a good place to live?
Sunset Park scores 6.1/10 for overall livability and has a lower crime rate per resident than 31% of Brooklyn neighborhoods. Sunset Park scores 6.1 overall: a transit-rich neighborhood, offset by rising crime and noise concerns. 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 Sunset Park?
The composite score is 6.1. Strength comes from an exceptional commute score (8.5) and a practical score of 7; drag comes from a low ART/Livability score (2.5).
14How safe is Sunset Park?
Safety is classified as higher than average, with a lower crime rate per resident than 31% of Brooklyn neighborhoods. Total crimes over 12 months reached 3,719, and the crime trend worsened by 8.5% year-over-year.
15What transit options are available?
Six subway stations serve the neighborhood across three lines: the R (Prospect Av, 25 St, 36 St, 45 St, 53 St, 59 St), D (36 St), and N (36 St, 59 St). This redundancy yields a commute score of 8.5, well above the borough median of 5.5.
16How much green space is there?
Tree density is 1.9/10, with an average of 108 trees per 200 meters. Playgrounds include John Allen Payne, Gonzalo Plasencia, D'Emic and Martin Luther, and the 3 nearest parks average 472 meters from the neighborhood's center, supporting the outdoor score of 5.9.
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