Is Chelsea Safe? Manhattan Livability, Crime & Rent
Chelsea scores 6.4/10 as a transit-rich neighborhood where you trade quiet for transit and nearby parks.
Chelsea at a glance
- Borough
- Manhattan
- Livability score
- 6.4/10
- Borough rank (NYC Open Data guides)
- #11 of 33
- Safety verdict
- Higher Than Average
- Crimes (12 mo)
- 6,727
- Subway stations
- 5 (34 St-Penn Station, 23 St, 18 St)
- Data updated
- 2026-09-14
Is Chelsea Safe?
Chelsea, Manhattan scores 6.4/10 for overall livability, ranking #11 of 33 Manhattan neighborhoods scored from NYC Open Data. Chelsea scores 6.4/10 as a transit-rich neighborhood where you trade quiet for transit and nearby parks.
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 Chelsea safety page. Safety varies by block — check a specific Chelsea 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 Manhattan neighborhood guides.
Neighborhood Character
Chelsea is a transit-dense neighborhood dominated by mid-rise and high-rise buildings where you'll navigate busy streets anchored by major transit hubs. You'll find 161 trees within 200 meters on average, with a tree density of 4.7/10, below the city middle. The High Line, Chelsea Park, and Bella Abzug Park offer relief from the commercial corridors; Chelsea Park is about 70 meters from the neighborhood's center, and the 3 nearest parks average 218 meters. But this is a busy area: you'll hear constant street noise (5,776 noise complaints tracked) and encounter significant foot traffic, especially around 34th Street-Penn Station and Hudson Yards stations where the 1, 2, 3, A, C, E, and 7 lines converge.
Livability & Restoration
Trees
161 trees
Expected in a 200m circle (NYC Parks tree inventory) | Density: 4.7/10 (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
8 parks
NYC Parks properties inside the neighborhood | largest: The High Line | nearest to the center: Chelsea Park, 70m | 3 nearest average 218m 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 Manhattan 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: 7/10
Outdoor & Green Space
Avg Tree Count
161
Trees expected in a 200m circle
Tree Density
4.7/10
1,281 trees per km² in NYC Parks' tree inventory (street and park trees); city percentile, 1 = sparsest
Largest Parks In or Near the Neighborhood
- The High Line
- Chelsea Park
- Bella Abzug Park
- Penn South Playground
- Dr. Gertrude B. Kelly Playground
Nearest to the neighborhood's center: Chelsea Park, about 70m. The 3 nearest NYC Parks properties average 218m from the center (approximate park centers, not entrances).
Practical Living
Practical (HPD violations): 7/10 (Manhattan median 6). It measures HPD housing violations per residential lot over the last 12 months (higher = fewer violations).
Building Mix (Residential Tax Lots)
Share of the 1,376 residential tax lots in the neighborhood by PLUTO building class (NYC Department of City Planning).
Who Chelsea Is For
Commuters prioritizing transit access
Commute score of 8.5 is above the borough median of 7.0, with nine subway lines across its stations and Penn Station connectivity making cross-city travel reliable and fast
Urban dwellers comfortable with noise and density
Moderate noise complaints (5,776) and high crime activity (a lower crime rate per resident than 31% of Manhattan neighborhoods) mean this neighborhood demands tolerance for activity and monitoring awareness
Pros & Cons
Strengths
Excellent subway connectivity
Nine subway lines serve the neighborhood via 34 St-Penn Station (1,2,3,A,C,E), 23 St (1,C,E,F,M), 18 St (1), and 34 St-Hudson Yards (7)
Fewer housing violations than the borough median
The 3 nearest parks average 218m from the center
The High Line, Chelsea Park, Bella Abzug Park, and Penn South Playground offer outdoor space options across the neighborhood
Trade-offs
Moderate noise levels
5,776 noise complaints recorded (Moderate), driven by transit hubs and commercial activity
High crime activity
6,727 crimes over 12 months, a lower crime rate per resident than 31% of Manhattan neighborhoods
Below-median ART/Livability score
ART/Livability score of 3.4 falls below borough median of 4.7
Score Any Address in Chelsea
Get detailed livability scores based on building health, transit access, safety, noise levels, and 15+ NYC data sources.
Search an Address in ChelseaFrequently Asked Questions about Chelsea
1Is Chelsea safe?
By NYPD data, Chelsea is rated "Higher Than Average", with a lower crime rate per resident than 31% of Manhattan neighborhoods. 6,727 crime incidents and 0 shooting incidents over the past 12 months. See the safety page for the full breakdown.
2What is the average rent in Chelsea?
Rents in Chelsea, Manhattan 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 Chelsea?
Chelsea has a commute score of 8.5/10. 5 subway stations serve the area: 34 St-Penn Station, 23 St, 18 St.
4What are the best streets in Chelsea?
The best streets depend on your priorities. Use DwellCheck to compare specific addresses across livability, safety, transit, and environmental factors.
5What is Chelsea known for?
Chelsea sits in Manhattan and ranks #11 of 33 Manhattan neighborhoods scored from NYC Open Data on DwellCheck's livability score (6.4/10). It's served by 5 subway stations (34 St-Penn Station, 23 St, 18 St). Chelsea scores 6.4/10 as a transit-rich neighborhood where you trade quiet for transit and nearby parks.
6What is it like to live in Chelsea?
DwellCheck scores Chelsea, Manhattan 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). Chelsea's composite is 6.4/10. Chelsea scores 6.4/10 as a transit-rich neighborhood where you trade quiet for transit and nearby parks. For the block-by-block view, run any specific Chelsea address through DwellCheck.
7Where is Chelsea?
Chelsea is in Manhattan, New York City. DwellCheck maps it to the Chelsea-Hudson Yards Neighborhood Tabulation Area (MN0401), which falls in the Census tabulation area that approximates Manhattan Community District 4 (Chelsea-Hell's Kitchen). Its main ZIP codes are 10011, 10001 and 10018. Subway stations in the neighborhood include 34 St-Penn Station, 23 St and 18 St.
8What ZIP code is Chelsea in?
Chelsea spans ZIP codes 10011 (50% of residential units), 10001 (33%) and 10018 (13%). Shares are of the 46,130 residential units in the Chelsea-Hudson Yards Neighborhood Tabulation Area (MN0401), from NYC PLUTO 26v2 tax-lot records. 3 other ZIP codes each hold under 5%.
9Can you walk around Chelsea at night?
Chelsea is classified as "Higher Than Average" by NYPD complaint data. Over the past 12 months it recorded 0 shooting incidents and 6,727 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 Chelsea dangerous?
By NYPD data, Chelsea is rated "Higher Than Average", with a lower crime rate per resident than 31% of Manhattan neighborhoods. 6,727 crime incidents over 12 months. Block-level risk varies; check the address-level safety score for any specific street or building.
11What parts of Chelsea 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 Chelsea a good place to live?
Chelsea scores 6.4/10 for overall livability and has a lower crime rate per resident than 31% of Manhattan neighborhoods. Chelsea scores 6.4/10 as a transit-rich neighborhood where you trade quiet for transit and nearby parks. 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 Chelsea?
The composite score is 6.4. Strength lies in Commute (8.5) and Practical (7.0) scores; weakness in Art/Livability (3.4).
14Is Chelsea safe?
Chelsea has a lower crime rate per resident than 31% of Manhattan neighborhoods—rated higher than average. Crime held stable over the past 12 months (+2.5%), at 6,727 incidents. Noise complaints are moderate (5,776), reflecting activity rather than solely crime.
15How much green space is there?
You'll find an average of 161 trees within 200 meters and a tree density of 4.7/10. The largest parks are The High Line, Chelsea Park, Bella Abzug Park, Penn South Playground and Dr. Gertrude B. Kelly Playground; the 3 nearest parks average 218m from the neighborhood's center.
16What's the building makeup?
Of Chelsea's 1,376 residential tax lots, 45% are walk-up apartment buildings, 17% elevator apartment buildings and 14% condominiums.
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