Is Hell's Kitchen Safe? Manhattan Livability, Crime & Rent
Hell's Kitchen scores 5.8/10: close parks and transit access, but moderate noise, high crime, and midtown congestion are real trade-offs.
Hell's Kitchen at a glance
- Borough
- Manhattan
- Livability score
- 5.8/10
- Borough rank (NYC Open Data guides)
- #24 of 33
- Safety verdict
- Much Higher Than Average
- Crimes (12 mo)
- 6,587
- ZIP codes
- 10019 (53%), 10036 (43%)Share of residential units, NYC PLUTO 26v2
- Subway stations
- 3 (59 St-Columbus Circle, 50 St, Times Sq-42 St/Port Authority Bus Terminal)
- Data updated
- 2026-09-14
Is Hell's Kitchen Safe?
Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan scores 5.8/10 for overall livability, ranking #24 of 33 Manhattan neighborhoods scored from NYC Open Data. Hell's Kitchen scores 5.8/10: close parks and transit access, but moderate noise, high crime, and midtown congestion are real trade-offs.
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 Hell's Kitchen safety page. Safety varies by block — check a specific Hell's Kitchen 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
Hell's Kitchen is a dense, transit-rich midtown corridor where you're never far from a subway line—14 lines stop at 59 St-Columbus Circle, 50 St and Times Sq-42 St—and the neighborhood's 196 trees per 200 meters (7.3/10 tree density) soften the urban grid. You'll navigate mostly walk-up apartment buildings (60% of residential tax lots) with elevator buildings on 14%, with De Witt Clinton Park and Hell's Kitchen Park among the nearby green space. The street level buzzes: Restaurant Row draws crowds, Broadway theaters anchor the cultural spine, and Hudson Yards looms as a constant backdrop. Noise and foot traffic define the sensory experience—5,107 noise complaints in the past year reflect that density.
Livability & Restoration
Trees
196 trees
Expected in a 200m circle (NYC Parks tree inventory) | Density: 7.3/10 (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
9 parks
NYC Parks properties inside the neighborhood | largest: De Witt Clinton Park | nearest to the center: Lorraine Hansberry Plaza, 17m | 3 nearest average 105m 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.
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
7/10
Borough median: 7/10
Outdoor & Green Space
Avg Tree Count
196
Trees expected in a 200m circle
Tree Density
7.3/10
1,561 trees per km² in NYC Parks' tree inventory (street and park trees); city percentile, 1 = sparsest
Largest Parks In or Near the Neighborhood
- De Witt Clinton Park
- Lorraine Hansberry Plaza
- Hell's Kitchen Park
- Gutenberg Playground
- Mathews-Palmer Playground
Nearest to the neighborhood's center: Lorraine Hansberry Plaza, about 17m. The 3 nearest NYC Parks properties average 105m from the center (approximate park centers, not entrances).
Practical Living
Practical (HPD violations): 5/10 (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 1,072 residential tax lots in the neighborhood by PLUTO building class (NYC Department of City Planning).
Who Hell's Kitchen Is For
Public transit commuters
Commute score of 7 equals the borough median, and you have access to 14 subway lines at three stations—infrastructure that works daily
Professionals who work nearby
Times Sq-42 St is inside the neighborhood; ideal if your workplace is Hudson Yards, Midtown, or Times Square
Outdoor-focused renters
Outdoor score of 7.5 is driven by the 3 nearest parks averaging 105m from the neighborhood's center and 7.3/10 tree density; you're above borough median on greenspace despite dense development
Pros & Cons
Strengths
Multiple transit options
14 subway lines serve the neighborhood at 59 St-Columbus Circle, 50 St and Times Sq-42 St
Walkable parks and open space
De Witt Clinton Park and Hell's Kitchen Park are among the largest parks, and the 3 nearest parks average 105m from the neighborhood's center; the outdoor score of 7.5 beats the borough median of 7.3
Trade-offs
Moderate noise and complaint activity
5,107 noise complaints in the past 12 months marks this as 'Moderate'—street noise is a constant factor
High crime activity
6,587 total crimes in 12 months, a lower crime rate per resident than 15% of Manhattan neighborhoods; the total is down 11.1%
ART/Livability score only at the borough median
ART/Livability score of 4.7 equals the borough median of 4.7
Commute score only at the borough median
Commute score of 7 only equals the borough median
Score Any Address in Hell's Kitchen
Get detailed livability scores based on building health, transit access, safety, noise levels, and 15+ NYC data sources.
Search an Address in Hell's KitchenFrequently Asked Questions about Hell's Kitchen
1Is Hell's Kitchen safe?
By NYPD data, Hell's Kitchen is rated "Much Higher Than Average", with a lower crime rate per resident than 15% of Manhattan neighborhoods. 6,587 crime incidents and 5 shooting incidents over the past 12 months. See the safety page for the full breakdown.
2What is the average rent in Hell's Kitchen?
Rents in Hell's Kitchen, 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 Hell's Kitchen?
Hell's Kitchen has a commute score of 7/10. 3 subway stations serve the area: 59 St-Columbus Circle, 50 St, Times Sq-42 St/Port Authority Bus Terminal.
4What are the best streets in Hell's Kitchen?
The best streets depend on your priorities. Use DwellCheck to compare specific addresses across livability, safety, transit, and environmental factors.
5What is Hell's Kitchen known for?
Hell's Kitchen sits in Manhattan and ranks #24 of 33 Manhattan neighborhoods scored from NYC Open Data on DwellCheck's livability score (5.8/10). It's served by 3 subway stations (59 St-Columbus Circle, 50 St, Times Sq-42 St/Port Authority Bus Terminal). Hell's Kitchen scores 5.8/10: close parks and transit access, but moderate noise, high crime, and midtown congestion are real trade-offs.
6What is it like to live in Hell's Kitchen?
DwellCheck scores Hell's Kitchen, 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). Hell's Kitchen's composite is 5.8/10. Hell's Kitchen scores 5.8/10: close parks and transit access, but moderate noise, high crime, and midtown congestion are real trade-offs. For the block-by-block view, run any specific Hell's Kitchen address through DwellCheck.
7Where is Hell's Kitchen?
Hell's Kitchen is in Manhattan, New York City. DwellCheck maps it to the Hell's Kitchen Neighborhood Tabulation Area (MN0402), which falls in the Census tabulation area that approximates Manhattan Community District 4 (Chelsea-Hell's Kitchen). Its main ZIP codes are 10019 and 10036. Subway stations in the neighborhood include 59 St-Columbus Circle, 50 St and Times Sq-42 St/Port Authority Bus Terminal.
8What ZIP code is Hell's Kitchen in?
Hell's Kitchen spans ZIP codes 10019 (53% of residential units) and 10036 (43%). Shares are of the 40,309 residential units in the Hell's Kitchen Neighborhood Tabulation Area (MN0402), from NYC PLUTO 26v2 tax-lot records. 1 other ZIP code holds under 5%.
9Can you walk around Hell's Kitchen at night?
Hell's Kitchen is classified as "Much Higher Than Average" by NYPD complaint data. Over the past 12 months it recorded 5 shooting incidents and 6,587 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 Hell's Kitchen dangerous?
By NYPD data, Hell's Kitchen is rated "Much Higher Than Average", with a lower crime rate per resident than 15% of Manhattan neighborhoods. 6,587 crime incidents over 12 months. Block-level risk varies; check the address-level safety score for any specific street or building.
11What parts of Hell's Kitchen 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 Hell's Kitchen a good place to live?
Hell's Kitchen scores 5.8/10 for overall livability and has a lower crime rate per resident than 15% of Manhattan neighborhoods. Hell's Kitchen scores 5.8/10: close parks and transit access, but moderate noise, high crime, and midtown congestion are real trade-offs. 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 Hell's Kitchen?
5.8 composite. The neighborhood's strength is outdoor access (7.5/10); it lags in practical (5/10), while ART/Livability (4.7/10) and commute (7/10) sit at the borough medians.
14How safe is Hell's Kitchen?
Hell's Kitchen has a lower crime rate per resident than 15% of Manhattan neighborhoods—rated much higher than average; 6,587 crimes were recorded in the past 12 months, and crime is trending down (-11.1%). Noise complaints (5,107) are 'Moderate.'
15What's the building stock like?
Of the residential tax lots, 60% are walk-up apartment buildings, 14% elevator apartment buildings and 7% condominiums. There are 1,072 residential tax lots, reflecting dense urban infill typical of midtown Manhattan.
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