Is SoHo Safe? Manhattan Livability, Crime & Rent
SoHo scores 6.2 overall—walkable and transit-connected, but burdened by noise and higher-than-average crime.
SoHo at a glance
- Borough
- Manhattan
- Livability score
- 6.2/10
- Borough rank (NYC Open Data guides)
- #16 of 33
- Safety verdict
- High Activity Area
- Crimes (12 mo)
- 4,502
- Subway stations
- 4 (Prince St, Spring St, Broadway-Lafayette St/Bleecker St)
- Data updated
- 2026-09-14
Is SoHo Safe?
SoHo, Manhattan scores 6.2/10 for overall livability, ranking #16 of 33 Manhattan neighborhoods scored from NYC Open Data. SoHo scores 6.2 overall—walkable and transit-connected, but burdened by noise and higher-than-average crime.
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 SoHo safety page. Safety varies by block — check a specific SoHo 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 pass an average of 159 trees within 200 meters (4.6/10 tree density) among the neighborhood's cast-iron lofts and gallery storefronts. Parks including Vesuvio Playground, Duarte Square and DeSalvio Playground provide pockets of respite (the 3 nearest parks average 185 meters from the neighborhood's center), though they're small and often crowded. Ten subway lines stop at Prince St, Spring St, Broadway-Lafayette St/Bleecker St and Houston St. Street noise is constant: you're looking at 3,766 noise complaints recorded—very high—a byproduct of designer retail density, restaurant foot traffic, and the neighborhood's status as a perpetual tourist and nightlife destination.
Livability & Restoration
Trees
159 trees
Expected in a 200m circle (NYC Parks tree inventory) | Density: 4.6/10 (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: Vesuvio Playground | nearest to the center: Grand Canal Court, 101m | 3 nearest average 185m 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.
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
159
Trees expected in a 200m circle
Tree Density
4.6/10
1,261 trees per km² in NYC Parks' tree inventory (street and park trees); city percentile, 1 = sparsest
Largest Parks In or Near the Neighborhood
- Vesuvio Playground
- Park
- Duarte Square
- Rapkin-Gayle Plaza
- DeSalvio Playground
Nearest to the neighborhood's center: Grand Canal Court, about 101m. The 3 nearest NYC Parks properties average 185m 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 1,133 residential tax lots in the neighborhood by PLUTO building class (NYC Department of City Planning).
Who SoHo Is For
Gallery workers & creative professionals
SoHo's gallery storefronts and cast-iron lofts support a working creative environment
Urban walkers prioritizing green space
Outdoor score of 7.0 (vs. borough median of 7.3) and 159 trees per 200m radius make this pedestrian-friendly
Pros & Cons
Strengths
Walkable neighborhood with tree coverage
159 trees within 200m radius and 4.6/10 tree density; outdoor score of 7.0 slightly trails the borough median of 7.3
Few housing violations
Practical score of 7 (borough median 6.0) reflects a low rate of HPD housing violations per residential building
Five parks within walking distance
Parks include Vesuvio Playground, Duarte Square, Rapkin-Gayle Plaza and DeSalvio Playground; the 3 nearest parks average 185m from the neighborhood's center
Trade-offs
Very high noise pollution
3,766 noise complaints recorded (Very High), driven by retail, restaurants, and nightlife
Higher-than-average crime
4,502 crimes in 12 months, a lower crime rate per resident than 8% of Manhattan neighborhoods; the total is down 9.8%
High-activity environment limits quiet, residential feel
A 'High Activity Area' safety verdict reflects tourism, nightlife, and commercial density that characterizes SoHo's street-level reality
Score Any Address in SoHo
Get detailed livability scores based on building health, transit access, safety, noise levels, and 15+ NYC data sources.
Search an Address in SoHoFrequently Asked Questions about SoHo
1Is SoHo safe?
By NYPD data, SoHo is rated "High Activity Area", with a lower crime rate per resident than 8% of Manhattan neighborhoods. 4,502 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 SoHo?
Rents in SoHo, 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 SoHo?
SoHo has a commute score of 8.5/10. 4 subway stations serve the area: Prince St, Spring St, Broadway-Lafayette St/Bleecker St.
4What are the best streets in SoHo?
The best streets depend on your priorities. Use DwellCheck to compare specific addresses across livability, safety, transit, and environmental factors.
5What is SoHo known for?
SoHo sits in Manhattan and ranks #16 of 33 Manhattan neighborhoods scored from NYC Open Data on DwellCheck's livability score (6.2/10). It's served by 4 subway stations (Prince St, Spring St, Broadway-Lafayette St/Bleecker St). SoHo scores 6.2 overall—walkable and transit-connected, but burdened by noise and higher-than-average crime.
6What is it like to live in SoHo?
DwellCheck scores SoHo, 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). SoHo's composite is 6.2/10. SoHo scores 6.2 overall—walkable and transit-connected, but burdened by noise and higher-than-average crime. For the block-by-block view, run any specific SoHo address through DwellCheck.
7Where is SoHo?
SoHo is in Manhattan, New York City. DwellCheck maps it to the SoHo-Little Italy-Hudson Square Neighborhood Tabulation Area (MN0201), which falls in the Census tabulation area that matches Manhattan Community District 2 (Greenwich Village-SoHo). Its main ZIP codes are 10012, 10013 and 10014. Subway stations in the neighborhood include Prince St, Spring St and Broadway-Lafayette St/Bleecker St.
8What ZIP code is SoHo in?
SoHo spans ZIP codes 10012 (50% of residential units), 10013 (42%) and 10014 (8%). Shares are of the 15,323 residential units in the SoHo-Little Italy-Hudson Square Neighborhood Tabulation Area (MN0201), from NYC PLUTO 26v2 tax-lot records.
9Can you walk around SoHo at night?
SoHo is classified as "High Activity Area" by NYPD complaint data. Over the past 12 months it recorded 0 shooting incidents and 4,502 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 SoHo dangerous?
By NYPD data, SoHo is rated "High Activity Area", with a lower crime rate per resident than 8% of Manhattan neighborhoods. 4,502 crime incidents over 12 months. Block-level risk varies; check the address-level safety score for any specific street or building.
11What parts of SoHo 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 SoHo a good place to live?
SoHo scores 6.2/10 for overall livability and has a lower crime rate per resident than 8% of Manhattan neighborhoods. SoHo scores 6.2 overall—walkable and transit-connected, but burdened by noise and higher-than-average crime. 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 SoHo?
The composite score is 6.2. The neighborhood is pulled up by strong practical (7.0), commute (8.5) and outdoor (7.0) scores, and held back by ART/Livability (2.3).
14Is SoHo safe?
SoHo has a lower crime rate per resident than 8% of Manhattan neighborhoods, with 4,502 crimes recorded in the past 12 months. The trend is improving: crime fell 9.8% year-over-year.
15What's driving the high noise complaints?
3,766 noise complaints—'Very High' on the scale—reflect SoHo's identity as a commercial, retail, and nightlife destination. Designer shopping, galleries, restaurants, and bars create continuous street-level activity.
16What types of buildings are in SoHo?
Walk-up apartment buildings are the largest group of residential tax lots (38%), followed by elevator apartment buildings and condominiums (17% each). That mix reflects SoHo's 19th-century industrial loft conversions and modern infill development.
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