Is Harlem Safe? Manhattan Livability, Crime & Rent
Harlem scores 4.9: strong on green space, weak on noise, crime and housing violations.
Harlem at a glance
- Borough
- Manhattan
- Livability score
- 4.9/10
- Borough rank (NYC Open Data guides)
- #30 of 33
- Safety verdict
- Much Higher Than Average
- Crimes (12 mo)
- 12,706
- ZIP codes
- 10026 (25%), 10027 (24%), 10030 (20%), 10039 (19%), 10037 (11%)Share of residential units, NYC PLUTO 26v2
- Subway stations
- 3 (116 St, Harlem-148 St, 110 St-Malcolm X Plaza)
- Data updated
- 2026-09-14
Is Harlem Safe?
Harlem, Manhattan scores 4.9/10 for overall livability, ranking #30 of 33 Manhattan neighborhoods scored from NYC Open Data. Harlem scores 4.9: strong on green space, weak on noise, crime and housing violations.
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 Harlem safety page. Safety varies by block — check a specific Harlem 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
You'll find yourself in a neighborhood dense with trees—averaging 237 within a 200-meter radius with 8.8/10 tree density—that softens the midrise building fabric dominating the streetscape. The area clusters around its subway stations—116 St (2, 3, 6, B, C), 110 St-Malcolm X Plaza (2, 3) and Harlem-148 St (3)—making it a throughway that feels animated and in motion. Parks anchor different blocks — Holcombe Rucker Park, Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Malls, Frederick Johnson Playground and more — and the 3 nearest parks average 315 meters from the neighborhood's center, offering green relief across the neighborhood. The sound profile is notably active—20,945 noise complaints filed over 12 months reflect a high-density, high-traffic environment where street noise and sirens are ambient facts of daily life.
Livability & Restoration
Trees
237 trees
Expected in a 200m circle (NYC Parks tree inventory) | Density: 8.8/10 (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
49 parks
NYC Parks properties inside the neighborhood | largest: Brigadier General Charles Young Playground | nearest to the center: Dorrance Brooks Square, 198m | 3 nearest average 315m from the neighborhood's center
Acoustic Quality
1/10
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.
Within a point of the Manhattan median.
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
6.5/10
Borough median: 7/10
Outdoor & Green Space
Avg Tree Count
237
Trees expected in a 200m circle
Tree Density
8.8/10
1,889 trees per km² in NYC Parks' tree inventory (street and park trees); city percentile, 1 = sparsest
Largest Parks In or Near the Neighborhood
- Brigadier General Charles Young Playground
- Holcombe Rucker Park
- Frederick Johnson Playground
- Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Malls
- Percy E. Sutton Playground
Nearest to the neighborhood's center: Dorrance Brooks Square, about 198m. The 3 nearest NYC Parks properties average 315m from the center (approximate park centers, not entrances).
Practical Living
Practical (HPD violations): 3/10 (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 3,662 residential tax lots in the neighborhood by PLUTO building class (NYC Department of City Planning).
Who Harlem Is For
Transit-dependent commuters
Five subway lines at 116 St, 110 St-Malcolm X Plaza and Harlem-148 St, though the commute score of 6.5 trails the borough median of 7.0
People prioritizing outdoor access
Outdoor score of 7.5 combined with tree coverage (237 avg per 200m) and five nearby parks puts green space above borough median (7.3)
Those accepting trade-offs for cultural anchors
Established cultural institutions draw residents willing to accept high noise (20,945 complaints) and a high crime rate (a lower crime rate per resident than 23% of Manhattan neighborhoods)
Pros & Cons
Strengths
Tree density and park access
237 trees average within 200m with 8.8/10 tree density; the 3 nearest parks average 315m from the neighborhood's center; outdoor score of 7.5 outperforms the borough median of 7.3
Stable mid-rise building stock
3,662 residential tax lots, 61% of them walk-up apartment buildings and 10% elevator apartment buildings
Trade-offs
Very high noise environment
20,945 noise complaints over 12 months indicate sustained street-level activity and limited sound insulation expectations
High crime activity
12,706 total crimes in 12 months, a lower crime rate per resident than 23% of Manhattan neighborhoods; the trend is stable (-3.3%)
Weak commute score despite transit access
Commute score of 6.5 is significantly below borough median of 7.0, suggesting commute times or transfers remain problematic despite station presence
Score Any Address in Harlem
Get detailed livability scores based on building health, transit access, safety, noise levels, and 15+ NYC data sources.
Search an Address in HarlemFrequently Asked Questions about Harlem
1Is Harlem safe?
By NYPD data, Harlem is rated "Much Higher Than Average", with a lower crime rate per resident than 23% of Manhattan neighborhoods. 12,706 crime incidents and 26 shooting incidents over the past 12 months. See the safety page for the full breakdown.
2What is the average rent in Harlem?
Rents in Harlem, 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 Harlem?
Harlem has a commute score of 6.5/10. 3 subway stations serve the area: 116 St, Harlem-148 St, 110 St-Malcolm X Plaza.
4What are the best streets in Harlem?
The best streets depend on your priorities. Use DwellCheck to compare specific addresses across livability, safety, transit, and environmental factors.
5What is Harlem known for?
Harlem sits in Manhattan and ranks #30 of 33 Manhattan neighborhoods scored from NYC Open Data on DwellCheck's livability score (4.9/10). It's served by 3 subway stations (116 St, Harlem-148 St, 110 St-Malcolm X Plaza). Harlem scores 4.9: strong on green space, weak on noise, crime and housing violations.
6What is it like to live in Harlem?
DwellCheck scores Harlem, 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). Harlem's composite is 4.9/10. Harlem scores 4.9: strong on green space, weak on noise, crime and housing violations. For the block-by-block view, run any specific Harlem address through DwellCheck.
7Where is Harlem?
Harlem is in Manhattan, New York City. DwellCheck maps it to the Harlem (South) and Harlem (North) Neighborhood Tabulation Areas (MN1001, MN1002), which fall in the Census tabulation area that matches Manhattan Community District 10 (Harlem). Its main ZIP codes are 10026, 10027, 10030, 10039 and 10037. Subway stations in the neighborhood include 116 St, Harlem-148 St and 110 St-Malcolm X Plaza.
8What ZIP code is Harlem in?
Harlem spans ZIP codes 10026 (25% of residential units), 10027 (24%), 10030 (20%), 10039 (19%) and 10037 (11%). Shares are of the 61,895 residential units in the Harlem (South) and Harlem (North) Neighborhood Tabulation Areas (MN1001, MN1002), from NYC PLUTO 26v2 tax-lot records. 1 other ZIP code holds under 5%.
9Can you walk around Harlem at night?
Harlem is classified as "Much Higher Than Average" by NYPD complaint data. Over the past 12 months it recorded 26 shooting incidents and 12,706 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 Harlem dangerous?
By NYPD data, Harlem is rated "Much Higher Than Average", with a lower crime rate per resident than 23% of Manhattan neighborhoods. 12,706 crime incidents over 12 months. Block-level risk varies; check the address-level safety score for any specific street or building.
11What parts of Harlem 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 Harlem a good place to live?
Harlem scores 4.9/10 for overall livability and has a lower crime rate per resident than 23% of Manhattan neighborhoods. Harlem scores 4.9: strong on green space, weak on noise, crime and housing violations. 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 Harlem?
The composite score is 4.9. Outdoor access pulls the score up; practical (3/10) and commute (6.5/10) pull it down.
14Is Harlem safe?
Harlem has a lower crime rate per resident than 23% of Manhattan neighborhoods, and crime held stable over 12 months (-3.3%). High noise complaints (20,945) and elevated rodent complaints (1,126) reflect neighborhood stress points.
15How accessible is public transit?
You have direct access to the 2, 3, 6, B and C at 116 St, the 2 and 3 at 110 St-Malcolm X Plaza, and the 3 at Harlem-148 St. The commute score of 6.5 (vs. borough median 7.0) suggests actual commute times may still be long depending on destination.
16What's the outdoor and green space situation?
Outdoor score of 7.5 beats borough median of 7.3. You'll average 237 trees within 200m with 8.8/10 tree density, and the 3 nearest parks average 315m from the neighborhood's center; parks include Holcombe Rucker Park and Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Malls.
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