Is Kips Bay Safe? Manhattan Livability, Crime & Rent
Kips Bay scores 5.9 composite: an accessible neighborhood that trades cultural vitality and commute flexibility for waterfront access and well-maintained buildings.
Kips Bay has no Neighborhood Tabulation Area of its own. The scores and figures on this page cover the Murray Hill-Kips Bay NTA (MN0603), the same area as the Murray Hill guide.
Is Kips Bay Safe?
Kips Bay, Manhattan scores 5.9/10 for overall livability, ranking #20 of 33 Manhattan neighborhoods scored from NYC Open Data. Kips Bay scores 5.9 composite: an accessible neighborhood that trades cultural vitality and commute flexibility for waterfront access and well-maintained buildings.
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 Kips Bay safety page. Safety varies by block — check a specific Kips Bay 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
Kips Bay is a neighborhood defined by high-rise residential density and medical-institutional presence. You'll walk streets lined with apartment buildings—functional, well-maintained, but architecturally uniform. The blocks between Second and First Avenues have a notably quieter residential feel than the avenues themselves, which carry heavier traffic. Bellevue Hospital's campus anchors the eastern edge, creating a distinctive institutional rhythm to the neighborhood's character.
The street-level experience is practical and efficient rather than destination-driven. You'll find delis, chain pharmacies, and straightforward restaurants. The neighborhood doesn't advertise itself; it functions. Foot traffic is steady but purposeful. The Bellevue South Park waterfront provides rare direct East River access, but it's not a major social hub. What defines daily life here is proximity to employment (especially healthcare) and an unpretentious, no-frills urban environment.
Livability & Restoration
Trees
212 trees
Expected in a 200m circle (NYC Parks tree inventory) | Density: 8.2/10 (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
10 parks
NYC Parks properties inside the neighborhood | largest: St. Vartan Park | nearest to the center: St. Vartan Park, 470m | 3 nearest average 495m from the neighborhood's center
Acoustic Quality
2/10
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
4.5/10
Borough median: 7/10
Outdoor & Green Space
Avg Tree Count
212
Trees expected in a 200m circle
Tree Density
8.2/10
1,689 trees per km² in NYC Parks' tree inventory (street and park trees); city percentile, 1 = sparsest
Largest Parks In or Near the Neighborhood
- St. Vartan Park
- Asser Levy Playground
- East River Esplanade
- Bellevue South Park
- Robert Moses Playground
Nearest to the neighborhood's center: St. Vartan Park, about 470m. The 3 nearest NYC Parks properties average 495m 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 896 residential tax lots in the neighborhood by PLUTO building class (NYC Department of City Planning).
Who Kips Bay Is For
Medical professionals and hospital workers
Bellevue Hospital's physical integration into the neighborhood means you're living where you work. Commute score of 4.5/10 reflects limited subway options, but walking distance to employment eliminates that penalty entirely for this population.
People who want East River waterfront access
The 3 nearest parks average 495m from the neighborhood's center with notable tree density (8.0/10), and direct East River Esplanade access puts you on the waterfront. Outdoor score is 7.2/10.
Pros & Cons
Strengths
Direct waterfront access
East River Esplanade and Bellevue South Park provide immediate river frontage
Well-maintained buildings
Practical score of 7/10 reflects a low rate of HPD housing violations per residential building
Trade-offs
Moderate noise and traffic complaints
Acoustic quality of 2/10 (lower = more complaints) indicates this is one of Manhattan's louder neighborhoods; FDR Drive and heavy avenue traffic create persistent ambient noise
Limited commute flexibility and weak transit options
Commute score of 4.5/10 reflects dependence on single subway line (Grand Central-42 St with 4, 5, 6, 7, S trains); crosstown or downtown commutes require transfers or surface transit
Minimal cultural amenities and restaurant/nightlife destination appeal
Art score of 4.6/10, below the borough median of 4.7; the neighborhood doesn't attract visitors and offers limited leisure options for residents
Score Any Address in Kips Bay
Get detailed livability scores based on building health, transit access, safety, noise levels, and 15+ NYC data sources.
Search an Address in Kips BayFrequently Asked Questions about Kips Bay
1Is Kips Bay safe?
Kips Bay safety varies by block. DwellCheck provides detailed safety data including NYPD crime statistics, arrest data, and 311 complaints. Check the Kips Bay safety page for full details.
2What is the average rent in Kips Bay?
Rents in Kips Bay, 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 Kips Bay?
Kips Bay has a commute score of 4.5/10. 1 subway stations serve the area: Grand Central-42 St.
4What are the best streets in Kips Bay?
The best streets depend on your priorities. Use DwellCheck to compare specific addresses across livability, safety, transit, and environmental factors.
5What is Kips Bay known for?
Kips Bay sits in Manhattan and ranks #20 of 33 Manhattan neighborhoods scored from NYC Open Data on DwellCheck's livability score (5.9/10). It's served by 1 subway station (Grand Central-42 St). Kips Bay scores 5.9 composite: an accessible neighborhood that trades cultural vitality and commute flexibility for waterfront access and well-maintained buildings.
6What is it like to live in Kips Bay?
DwellCheck scores Kips Bay, 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). Kips Bay's composite is 5.9/10. Kips Bay scores 5.9 composite: an accessible neighborhood that trades cultural vitality and commute flexibility for waterfront access and well-maintained buildings. For the block-by-block view, run any specific Kips Bay address through DwellCheck.
7Where is Kips Bay?
Kips Bay is in Manhattan, New York City, inside the Murray Hill-Kips Bay Neighborhood Tabulation Area (MN0603), the same area as DwellCheck's Murray Hill guide. That NTA falls in the Census tabulation area that approximates Manhattan Community District 6 (East Midtown-Murray Hill), and its main ZIP codes are 10016, 10017 and 10010. Subway stations in that area include Grand Central-42 St.
8What ZIP code is Kips Bay in?
Kips Bay has no Neighborhood Tabulation Area of its own, so its own ZIP codes can't be separated out. It sits inside the Murray Hill-Kips Bay Neighborhood Tabulation Area (MN0603), which spans ZIP codes 10016 (75% of residential units), 10017 (14%) and 10010 (11%). Shares are of the 42,824 residential units in that NTA, from NYC PLUTO 26v2 tax-lot records.
9What is the average DwellScore in Kips Bay?
5.9 composite. Practical (7/10) and Outdoor (7.2/10) are relative strengths; Commute (4.5/10) and Art (4.6/10) are notable weaknesses.
10How loud is Kips Bay compared to other Manhattan neighborhoods?
An acoustic quality of 2/10 (lower = more complaints) places it among Manhattan's louder neighborhoods. FDR Drive traffic and avenue congestion are persistent factors; quieter blocks exist between Second and First Avenues but remain affected by ambient street noise.
11What's the primary transit option in Kips Bay?
Grand Central-42 St station (4, 5, 6, 7, S trains) is the main access point. Commute score of 4.5/10 reflects limited alternatives; you're dependent on this single subway hub for most commute routes.
12How much green space is accessible in Kips Bay?
The 3 nearest parks average 495m from the neighborhood's center with 8.2/10 tree density and 212 trees within 200m. East River Esplanade provides direct waterfront green space. The Outdoor score is 7.2/10.
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